1898 Krag pick up...

[Len]

Here are some pics of an 1898 Krag I acquired over the weekend. It was made in 1901 and it's in pretty nice shape. None of the screws have been buggered and the blueing is intact though the metal is covered with a hardened skim coat of old grease that needs to be removed. All markings on the metal & wood are crisp and sharp. The top of the butt stock is unit marked to the Rhode Island Naval Battalion. It looks like the Naval Battalion didn't take their guns out much.

[psteinmayer]

Pretty sweet looking Krag, my friend! Awesome!!!

[Dan Shapiro]

Very nice!

[Dick Hosmer]

That is one of the nicest looking Krags I have ever seen - it's basically brand new.

[Rick B]

I would do nothing more than rub a bit of oil on it. That metal looks great as does the whole rifle. Great score. Rick B

[jon_norstog]

Len,

That one is nicer than any I've seen in museums or anywhere else for that matter.What you say - it probably never got out of the arms locker. Never fired, never dropped. Good luck with it.

jn

[Fred]

Wow! You did Realy well! Would you mind telling us how much it cost?

[Mark Daiute]

Everyone has already said it for me! Wow.

[Len]

Thanks for your kind comments guys. I seem to be on a roll with Krags lately. Fred, the rifle set me back six hundred bucks. The seller gave me his "friends & family discount" beacause "no one wants these old things anymore".

Len

[Mark Daiute]

It may be just my opinion but at six bills I think you paid way less than half what a rifle like that is worth. I am really happy for you.

I'm gonna hate myself for saying this but that rifle is almost too nice to be shooting.

[Fred]

Len, that price was the best bargain I've heard for longer than I can remember. Yep, I'd have paid over twice that! Wow, now I'm going to be going to every gun show I can find to find one as close to yours as I can. You did alright!
I'm happy for you Len!!!

[JOEZ]

Beautiful! Very Nice. Congrats.

[IditarodJoe]

It is indeed a beautiful rifle and easily worth more than the OP paid for it, but to me it appears to have been refinished. Some of you may recall that I have this misguided, long-term project to rebuild an 1898 rifle, refinished (as near as possible) to look like it would have when it came from the factory. I'm still researching those original finishes and have a ways to go, but I've learned enough to feel that the metal on an original-finish rifle wouldn't have this uniform an appearance, even after 100+ years.

I'm not bringing this up to be in any way critical, I'm just trying to learn.

My current understanding is that the receiver, side plate, and loading gate should be dull black in appearance (oil quench case hardened), the barrel a smooth, shiny (almost black) rust blue, the safety should show the colors of water-quench case hardening, and many of the other parts, including screws, bands, and the rear sight should be a bright, iridescent (nitre) blue.

Do any of our Krag experts here feel that this rifle still has its original finish?

[Dick Hosmer]

Let's say that I don't see anything grossly wrong, at all.

What you see is, IMHO, simply "fading" and dryness, as was suggested. A light wipe of oil, and that gun would blind you!

Yes the extractor could be brighter, but I can still see case on the safety. Refinished guns were refinished all over, including the stock. That one is way too crisp. Overhauled guns were not usually cartouched, and if they were it was often doubled.

I think we are looking at an extremely nice un-refinished rifle which is simply no longer 100% pristine mint, having suffered from storage, but not wear, and certainly not sufficient wear to require a refinish.

[Len]

Here are some additional pics I took after detailing the rifle. The case colors on the safety really revealed themselves after cleaning off the dried grease as do the small "nitre" blued sight parts and extractor. Iditarrodjoe I think what you perceive to be "wrong" with the rifle stems from my poor photo skills.