Early Krag rifle for review

[Tom in N.J.]

Looks like a real Krag sling to me...

[butlersrangers]

It is a U.S. Krag sling. How long is it?

A lot of Trapdoor Springfield and Krag-Jorgensen slings were made by splicing sections of U.S. Civil War slings together. Your splice looks correct for one of these slings.

The early Krag slings usually run 64 and 1/2 inches to 66 and 1/2 inches in length.

In the early 1900's (1903 & 1904 IIRC) shorter, less bulky, versions of the sling appear.

Krag slings were in use as late as WW1. (U.S. Engineers in London, 1917).
Attachment 93103

[browningautorifle]

The original caption for that photos was to the effect of "These husky US troops are waiting to move to the front, then a statement about noting their Springfields piled... Always liked that pic showing the US troops deploying with Krag rifles. Wish we knew exactly where they are standing.

[butlersrangers]

Whitehall in London, England, I think.

U.S. Krags are marked "Springfield Armory". A Brit calling the stacked rifles Springfields is understandable.

[browningautorifle]

U.S. Krags are marked "Springfield Armory"

Yes, even the old guys called them "Springfields", the 1903s too...

[Ruffasacob]

I took the sling off and measured it. It's 70" long and it is spliced.
There was a name hand written on it that is hard to read, but could be Woodman.
Take a look at my trapdoor sling. Does that look original?
It is one piece without a splice.
Thanks

[butlersrangers]

Your new 70 inch sling is probably intended for the Trapdoor Springfield.

How long is the one-piece sling that is now on your trapdoor?

[browningautorifle]

Your new 70 inch sling is probably intended for the Trapdoor Springfield.

But wasn't that the thing? They were trapdoor slings that came straight across to the Krag rifle, next rifle get's the leftovers. The original cartridge belts were exactly the same pattern as the trapdoor too...

[butlersrangers]

Size matters!

OP's sling may be intended for the Krag. It looks good on his rifle and seems to be 'tensioned', but, the 70 inch length seems unusually long to me. Krag slings are often 62 and 1/2 or 64 and 1/2 inches long.

FWIW - The sling swivels on a model 1873 Springfield ('Trapdoor') are approximately 28 and 1/2 inches apart. The sling swivels on a U.S. Krag are approximately 24 inches apart.

Slings intended for the 1873 Springfield and the Krag were of identical construction, often made from spliced together CW sling sections, and with one two-pronged brass hook. The total length of the slings were likely different.

I have a reproduction sling (model 1887) that is 76 inches long. It can be tensioned properly on a model 1873 Springfield, but, it is too long to work properly and be tensioned on a Krag.

(p.s. .45-70 and .30-40 Mills cartridge belts may look similar, but, there is a difference in the size of their cartridge loops).

Attachment 93155Attachment 93156

[Ruffasacob]

Thanks for the replies. The TD sling is 69". When I measure, I'm going from the very tip of the brass stud end to the very tip of the hooks.