Two days ago a UPS truck blessed me with my latest camera, a Pentax K-3. Google it if you want to know why I lusted over it. At any rate, I've been wringing it out and decided to do some photographs of the Krag-Jorgensen rifles and carbines in my collection. I thought I'd share them with you, and along the way point out some historical information on the Krags.

The Krag rifle replaced the .45/70 trapdoor rifles as our standard service rifle. It was our first general issue repeater, and our first smokeless powder rifle. It was the invention of a couple of Norwegians, Mssrs. Krag and Jorgensen.

This is a pic of a Model 1896 Krag rifle:



Here is a picture of the action of this rifle on the other side. Please note the date (1894) on the side of the receiver. How can this be? A Model 1896 serialed in 1894? Read on.



It's one of many Model 1892 rifles that were later converted to Model 1896s. The original Model 1892 had a ramrod under the barrel and a straight buttplate without a trapdoor in it. Also, the muzzle was flat rather than deeply crowned. During the conversion of these rifles, the ramrod channel was filled in, the barrel crowned, and a new buttplate with a trapdoor fitted. Underneath the trapdoor was a jointed cleaning rod, an oiler and a special tool. All of these are present on this rifle. 1894 was the first year of production - this receiver was serial numbered in that year, but left the armory in July, 1895. The main tipoff that it's a '92 conversion is the filled-in ramrod channel.



The Model 1896 carbine was the first Krag carbine. These were used by Teddy Roosevelt's 1st Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders) in their assault on Kettle Hill in the San Juan Heights in Cuba. This one was manufactured in 1897.




Note the cavalry bar and ring on it. This was attached to a shoulder sling by a hook on the sling. This "rack and ring" arrangement was a holdover from the previous black powder trapdoor carbines.



The Model 1898 Krag rifle was a modest improvement on the Model 1896. Note the different sights. Sights very similar to this were used on the first Model 1903 Springfield rifles. This rifle was made in January of 1901.



The Model 1899 Cavalry carbine was the last general issue carbine until the M1 carbine of WWII. Here are a couple of views of it. Note that the bar and ring are gone from the left side. This model was supposed to be carried in a rifle boot on the horse. This particular carbine was made in November of 1901.




Here's a closer view of the left side of the '99 carbine. It bears the very clear acceptance stamp (JSA over date) of J. Sumner Adams, the Springfield Armory inspector for the government.



The Krags were officially made obsolete by the adoption of the Model 1903 Springfield rifle. No longer were there "infantry" and "cavalry" versions, because the 24" barrel of the '03 was a compromise length intended for both infantry and cavalry. The Model 1903 lasted well into the Korean war, when the Model 1903A4 sniper rifle was still in inventory.

After the '03 was adopted, the Krags were relegated to training duty. My dad recalls that his high school in Arizona had Krags as the issue rifle for his Jr. ROTC outfit. Most were then sold to individuals and various firearms distributors. Many were later sporterized. The Krag action is renowned for its smoothness and the .30/40 cartridge was more than adequate for deer and other medium game.

Krags in original military condition are not plentiful today, and are becoming more and more valuable. I got my first one (the Model 92/96 above) in the 1960s. I found it in a pawn shop for $60 and had to convince the owner that I didn't have to fill out the federal paperwork because it was an antique!

Hope you enjoyed this trip back to the turn of the last century!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Great post. My American Legion Post still has 9 Krags and a few still see parade duty. Up until 1991 or so we could still get blanks from the Government and fired them as salute guns. We now use Garands but the predecessors to the Krags were Trapdoor Carbines, which unfortunately disappeared in the late 1960's when the Krags came in.

Much like my preference for oddballs like the .41 magnum and .401 Herters PowerMag , my two favorite US war rifles were also the shortest lived. The Krag and the M-14!

Much like my Trapdoor , the darn thing is too long to get a good pic!



1894 receiver rebuilt at Springfield in 1900. with 1900 dated bayonet.

All I ever see here are Bubba'd Krags.

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Thank you John for another great bit of history. Although I've never owned a Krag nor even fired one, I've always found the original carbine to be a personal favorite. Why, I'm not certain. Perhaps simply due to Rough Riders nostalgia.

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I'm with the banned ...

I would suppose that many of the 'non-Bubba'd' Krags are in very poor condition. How hard is it to find a good shooter??

Excellent original post by the way. The OP tripled my knowledge of Krags in one fell swoop.

GREAT pictures, too!

A shooter? Not hard. I see one every 6 months or so. About $500. Usually chopped wood and more modern bolt action/lever action style sights added. There sits one now at a LGS just like that for $500 and change

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I feel the same way. The Krag carbine just looks right. I'd love to have one.

Thanks for another fine post, John.

My dad owned a 30-40 Krag it was either a carbine or a cut down I was about 12 when I used it for deer.....The action was so smooth. My dad comented that the round had a lot of drop at 200 yards....I never got a deer with it, like I never got a phesant with my shot gun.....Well not quit true. at the time we lived on one of the great lakes and had snow up to our butts a lot of the time. One day a pheasent was in our back yard foraging for food in the 2 feet of snow and I shot it at about 15 yards with my 22lr....Had to shoot it twice...Never got any after that....None were dumb or hungrey enough to get that close to my house...

I`ve been told my 1819 carbine was a rifle cut down and put in a carbine stock.
Dick

That does appear to be a 1903 Springfield front sight.

I've also seen Krag actions rebarreled with 1903 barrels.

Dick, you have quite conglomeration of parts there - whoever put it together was a mixmaster! If the barrel is cut-down, a Model 1903 front sight was used. If it measures 24" it could be a Model 1903 barrel and might be marked and dated near the muzzle behind the front sight. The stock is from a '96 carbine, and the rear sight is a much later one used on the '98 rifle (or carbine, if it is marked with a "C"). The sight protector barrel band (used on the '96 carbines) does not match the rear sight, and the top cover does not extend back over the receiver ring as it should. The good news is that if the barrel is in good shape internally, none of this should prevent it from being a good shooter!

What is the stamping on the left side of the receiver?

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I have memories of that rifle. My dad had one when I was a small child. He used to take me along on hunting trips. Bagged a lot of deer and elk with that rifle.

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Minimize the variables

Fondled a Krag at a LGS. Probably not original. The finish was absolutely beautiful. The action on it was as smooth and buttery as anything I've ever felt. Probably not much there for a collector but just a beautiful rifle anyway.

They were asking $1K.

The stamping on the left side of the receiver is. (barrel 22in.)
us
model 1898 springfield armory 182967

Dick

Assuming there are no markings on the barrel as described, it looks like you have a cut-down Model 1898 Krag infantry rifle squeezed into a cavalry carbine stock.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I traded a .43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block on an 1898 Krag rifle. I found a good load using IMR 3031 and .307" .30-30 bullets. It would shoot under 1 1/2" at 100 yards with open sights. Of course, I was in my 20s back then.

Wound up selling it to a friend who won't sell it back.

Owned a sporterized 1898 but sold it before I ever got a chance to shoot it.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The CMP had some a while back. Most were returns from VFW, American Legion and such. Some were deactivated by removing firing pins and/or plugging barrels. Some of the stocks were painted white and the metal chromed. We actually found a blued one in good condition with a white stock that will actually shoot pretty good groups. We stripped the white paint off and it revealed a nice military stock with pretty wood. I'm looking at it propped up in the safe right now. I don't remember what we paid, but it was a lot less than today's asking prices.

Krag barrels were rather soft , mild steel , and didn't hold up well to the new smokeless powder and relatively high velocity cupro-nickel jacketed bullets. Plus they still used corrosive primers. Many used for parade or ceremonial were used with black-powder blanks and seldom cleaned properly if at all and bores were terrible.

Awhile ago , I came across a few boxes of Hornady .308dia 220gr FMJ bullets at a very good price. 40.5grs of IMR-4350 duplicates the USGI load pretty closely @2000fps.

We are talking about getting a Krag, it's the last of the more mainstream modern US army issued rifles that we don't have. Thanks for the post, it's full of good information for someone new to the Krag game.

What are the going rates for an original, good condition 1898 Krag? I was at The recent Tulsa gun show and saw prices all over the place and I don't know enough about them to gamble yet.

What do I need to look out for besides bore condition and bubba handiwork?

Originality. There are a number of good books on the U.S. Krag. Get one or more and educate yourself. Knowledge is your best ally. Then check the internet for going prices of the ones that have sold. It's impossible for me to quote you prices on all the variations without seeing any specific piece and actually handling it. This is the best advice I can give you.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

There has been some discussion in the past among collectors about slings installed on carbines. A Krag historian found a copy of an order allowing it.