Mea Culpa

[Mark Daiute]

Words from a prior post:


"Stay away from M-1896 rifles which started as M-1892 rifles. Why? Because half the people want to replace the M-1892 parts that remained with M-1896 parts while the other have is trying to maximize the M-1892 parts on the gun. One would suspect the two groups would get along famously."


Ok, so I got a 4-digit rifle with a scope on it and wearing an 1892 handguard and an 1896 rear sight.

I stretched the stock back out.

The receiver had 2 holes from the scope mount. I filled them.

Now to be honest, I found a bolt with the solid rib on ebay. It was cheap, like maybe 45 bucks. Had the knurled bolt sleeve but needed the extractor with the hold open pin. I got one from movie-man, the one with the squared off shoulder up next to the bolt sleeve. Got the screw for the extractor from a friend. The rifle had an 1898 bolt with the headless cocking piece. That's with a parts gun/carfle that wears the Weaver KV scope that came on the 4-digit rifle.

So there you have it. A model 1896 with some 1892 parts.

Did I have fun. Yup.

Would I do it again? Don't know, probly not.

Any regrets? Well, one. With the scope on it I had one hell of an accurate rifle for load development.

Am I smart enough to play a game like this? Decidedly not and I mean that in all seriousness.

Will I continue to stretch out rifles that were bobbed? Probably at least 2 more times.

[5MadFarmers]

Words from a prior post:


"Stay away from M-1896 rifles which started as M-1892 rifles. Why? Because half the people want to replace the M-1892 parts that remained with M-1896 parts while the other have is trying to maximize the M-1892 parts on the gun. One would suspect the two groups would get along famously."


Ok, so I got a 4-digit rifle with a scope on it and wearing an 1892 handguard and an 1896 rear sight.

I stretched the stock back out.

The receiver had 2 holes from the scope mount. I filled them.

Now to be honest, I found a bolt with the solid rib on ebay. It was cheap, like maybe 45 bucks. Had the knurled bolt sleeve but needed the extractor with the hold open pin. I got one from movie-man, the one with the squared off shoulder up next to the bolt sleeve. Got the screw for the extractor from a friend. The rifle had an 1898 bolt with the headless cocking piece. That's with a parts gun/carfle that wears the Weaver KV scope that came on the 4-digit rifle.

So there you have it. A model 1896 with some 1892 parts.

Did I have fun. Yup.

Would I do it again? Don't know, probly not.

Any regrets? Well, one. With the scope on it I had one hell of an accurate rifle for load development.

Am I smart enough to play a game like this? Decidedly not and I mean that in all seriousness.

Will I continue to stretch out rifles that were bobbed? Probably at least 2 more times.

The story of the first M-1896, formerly known as M-1892, that I acquired:

The boss at the time knew I was collecting military guns. He called me one day. "I'm at a rummage sale. There's a Krag here. They want $75 for it. Want it?" Curious as anything I asked what year marking the receiver had. "1894" "Serial is just over 2,000." "Buy it" I told him. Visions of an unaltered M-1892 sleeper going through my head I took delivery in the parking lot at work the next work day. I'm pretty sure it is the award winner for "your project for today is to muck with a Krag so thoroughly that not a single part remains unmucked." They even managed to alter the trigger guard. Trigger too of course. Tapped. Shortened. Rubber butt piece. Nothing I could possibly do to that gun would ever convince somebody that it qualifies as a "milsurp" at this point. It's "decadent art." Once they've moved down the ladder to a certain level you might as well have a go at converting them to an M1 rifle. With a saw and a grinder. I'd not sweat those ones. They barely qualify as "guns." When people ask me how many guns I own I tell them the answer is complex. "Do you mean guns, things which used to be guns, or bits of guns which might end up being guns again?" The "what's left of 2K" is middle group. When I count guns I normally skip that one.

Some people are artistically talented. I am not one of those people. I am fascinated by what they can do. A famous sculptor was asked how he did it. Take a hammer, chisel, and big bit of rock and, in the end, out comes a magnificent sculpture. "I picture the sculptor inside and then remove the bits that don't belong." I guess I get what he said but it wouldn't help. Give me a hammer, chisel, and big bit of rock and set me to it. When you return there will be a bunch of fragments of rock on the ground. "Um, you broke all the rock apart. You were supposed to sculpt something." "Yeah, I know. I got all the way through it and discovered there wasn't anything in that rock. Give me more rocks and it's likely I'll find the same nothing inside all of them." If you came over and pointed at 2K and asked what it was I'd probably tell you it's a cocking piece. "Might big for a cocking piece isn't it?" "Well, if you remove the bits that don't belong that's probably what would remain. I'd not bother though - it's probably bent."

Some are simply too far gone to worry about. Sculpt them. Figure out what comes out. I'll not bother as I'm pretty sure I'd come out with a bent cocking piece.