I would document what you can find, in writing before it is all lost. Thing is family firearms have a history of losing their association or having the story get messed up over time. Have the documentation and it will stay a family heirloom a lot longer.
For example, in my family is a Belgium muzzle loading screw-off double barreled percussion pistol from circa 1851~1855. It has family history, but it is forgotten, the last person who knew something about it died in 1993, and his widow had no recollection of what the association was. The best guess is it was from an extended family from Indiana circa civil war era, but no one knows.
Sendero's rear-sight is a 'bitsa' put together, unofficially, from surplus parts. His sight is quite functional, but, did not come from Springfield Armory in its current form.
The base is from a 'model 1898 rifle sight' for the "hotter" 2,200 f.p.s. (220 grain projectile) ammo. This cartridge was 'short lived' and condemned, when U.S. Krag bolt-heads began developing cracks. (The Ordnance Department returned to the previous 2,000 f.p.s. (220 grain projectile) .30-40 cartridge.
The model 1898 sight bases had too low an elevation-ramp for the slower regulation cartridge, so they were scrapped and got into the surplus market. (The 'top' or Leaf part was saved and most were altered and used in a variation of the model 1902 sight).
The model 1902 sight-base has a higher elevation-ramp and uses a different shape of spring for the Leaf.
BTW - All 1898 and 1902 sight Leaves are graduated to "20" (or 2,000 yards) with the same spacing of increments.
The front and rear sights of Sendero's family Krag make it real likely it came from Stokes Kirk or Sedgley's Philadelphia shops.
Attachments: 1. model 1898 rifle sight. 2. model 1898 rifle base. 3. A 1902 sight with leaf officially altered from 1898 leaf.
Last edited by butlersrangers; 12-21-2019 at 10:33 AM.
How were you able to date my "Stokes Kirk - catalog #27" to 1918?
Well, it seems I made a mistake. I have a copy of the 1918 catalog and it is the same or very similar to # 27, but likely a wee bit earlier. Prices on the Krag are the same.
If interested Cornell publications does a reprint of the 1918 catalog. Same cover as yours but above the canoe is a big "1918" in black. Now the normal arms collector might have missed this, but being somewhat Sherlock Holmes like I managed to deduce that it was actually the date of the catalog, the key being the title and number were to be read together as "Catalogue 1918"
Being close to the site of Stokes and Sedgley (one county north) these arms have some local interest, when I first joined my present rifle club in the mid 1980s I ran across some fellows who recall buying arms/items from W. Stokes, though they had another address by WWII era. In the 1950s the Krag was the rifle of use in Bucks county PA for the less prosperous hunter. Some very nice sported Krags have made their appearance over the years, sadly they are now pretty rare but in the 1990s you could hardly swing a dead cat at a local gun show without hitting one or more of these arms. Don't ask me how I know that or the name of the cat.
Heck here one of the gun shops traces it existence back to a shop owned by "old man" (In the 1940s) Menninger who had a gun shop in the 1930s in Doylestown PA. Had a relative who had at least 2 l Krags from him in the 1948~1949 era.
I did find a reference to the catalog #18 being published May 1926
there was a Number 19 catalog and a a #20 and 20B
The firm lasted until sometime around the Bicentennial (1976), I seem to recall reading it was around 100 years old when it finally closed, but had very little left by then.
Last edited by Frederick303; 12-24-2019 at 01:46 AM.
I would document what you can find, in writing before it is all lost. Thing is family firearms have a history of losing their association or having the story get messed up over time. Have the documentation and it will stay a family heirloom a lot longer.
For example, in my family is a Belgium muzzle loading screw-off double barreled percussion pistol from circa 1851~1855. It has family history, but it is forgotten, the last person who knew something about it died in 1993, and his widow had no recollection of what the association was. The best guess is it was from an extended family from Indiana circa civil war era, but no one knows.
That's an interesting carbine you have there! It's hard to tell how it got that way and what it was originally. It doesn't look as if it spent the 1898 rainy season in Cuba or PR, and the front sight is not something it would have picked up in an arsenal on land or a shipboard gun locker. If the barrel is good you have a fine hunting rifle
PM
Originally Posted by Frederick303
