Possible ?? 1898 Krag Carbine??

[stevenjay1]

Lucky or not, I'm not sure. I pick up a Krag that is without a doubt a mix of parts. It has an 1899 carbine stock with no cartouche that someone cut the rear of the butt stock and put a recoil pad on. It has an 1896 Carbine hand guard with a second type 1896 rear rifle sight. No sling swivels on the stock or barrel band. The barrel is a carbine barrel with the correct measurements for a 1898 and 1899 carbine barrel, 22" long, Muzzle 0.65"and 0.98" at the breech. An older Redfield ramp front sight has been soldered in place of the issue Krag sight but I suspect if I remove it there will be the dove tail for the Krag front sight. In addition, there is a Redfield receiver sight that is attached via the removal of the cutoff lever, no holes drilled in the receiver. The receiver is marked Model 1898. OK, got all of that out of the way, here is the dilemma, the serial number is 114209 which, as I understand was possibly in the 1898 carbine range. Question, is this a legitimate 1898 Carbine barrel and action or is it a rifle action that had a carbine barrel attached?

[dave]

A lot more expert then me will chime in (Farmers, Hosmer, etc.) but I think that is in the slow end of the possible serial range. Only about 150 of the 5,000 produced have been verified thru SRS and 113 are in the 118000, 119,000, and 120,000 range all else are single members of ranges from 112,864 to 133,919.
The real experts can tell you about other ways to tell altho it will only raise the odds, not verify.

[m1903rifle]

The only 98 Carbine in the 114K range listed in SRS:

114962 98C 03/18/99 CO I 4TH USV INF (RECVD)

[dave]

UAV INF. with a Carbine? Hmmm!

[Dick Hosmer]

You'd have to send some very detailed photos and info to Joe Farmer. He claims to have worked out a test, or tests, which - presumably by presence or absence of certain part(s) - is as infallible as one can get in determining an original 1898C. I have not been informed of the process, and have never put it to the test, but he is very seldom (if ever) wrong in such matters. Whether it would work on a gun whiuch has already been messed with is anyone's quess. As to the number alone, it is very much on the low fringe - not impossible, but statistically "unlikely". That all said, look at the 100 Board of Ordnance and Fortifications Rifles having 26" barrels - they span (in a few quite distinct clumps) from 385120 to 389223, a range of over 4000, where the odds of any given number being "right" is 0.025.

[butlersrangers]

UAV INF. with a Carbine? Hmmm!

Dave - (FWIW), Co. H, of the 5th U. S. Vol. Infantry, starting on March 20,1899, traveled overland by horse as "Mounted Infantry" from Santiago, Cuba, to Guantanamo. They were issued Krag carbines, apparently, for the trip.

Co. I, 4th U. S. Vol. Infantry (on 3/18/99), Co. F, 5th U. S. Vol. Infantry (model 1896 carbines, 3/99), and Co. K, 9th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, also had some Krag carbines (mostly model 1898) issued in Cuba, during likely 'Peace Keeping' service.

[dave]

Interesting! Especially the 'horse' part. The Rough Riders could not take their horses but the Inf. got horses, some where, so they did not have to walk?. I have a 96 carbine lettered to the 1st Cav. in 1899 but it was never in Cuba, but did go to the Philippines perhaps, at least the unit did.

[stevenjay1]

Hi Dick, How do I get in touch with Joe Farmer? Thanks, Steve


You'd have to send some very detailed photos and info to Joe Farmer. He claims to have worked out a test, or tests, which - presumably by presence or absence of certain part(s) - is as infallible as one can get in determining an original 1898C. I have not been informed of the process, and have never put it to the test, but he is very seldom (if ever) wrong in such matters. Whether it would work on a gun whiuch has already been messed with is anyone's quess. As to the number alone, it is very much on the low fringe - not impossible, but statistically "unlikely". That all said, look at the 100 Board of Ordnance and Fortifications Rifles having 26" barrels - they span (in a few quite distinct clumps) from 385120 to 389223, a range of over 4000, where the odds of any given number being "right" is 0.025.

[Dick Hosmer]

Hi Dick, How do I get in touch with Joe Farmer? Thanks, Steve

If he doesn't find you (he reads this board) in a couple of days, ask me again - don't want to put his email up in public.

[stevenjay1]

Thank you Dick


If he doesn't find you (he reads this board) in a couple of days, ask me again - don't want to put his email up in public.

[5MadFarmers]

Thank you Dick

My username at gmail.

[stevenjay1]

Thank you, I sent you an email. Steve


My username at gmail.