1898 Carbine Question

[robh5]

A friend has a Krag carbine he will be selling and I may be interested.
Says it's a M1898. Serial number is 125,7xx, don't remember the last two numbers. It's in a nice M1899 carbine stock. Rear site is a M1902 carbine. Could this be a M1898 that's been arsenal up-graded? Have not seen the gun yet. He said the condition is about 80%.
If everything checks out what would be a fair purchase price? I know Krag's don't bring the money that they used too. Thanks.

[Dick Hosmer]

Well that number COULD be an 1898C, however, since it is upgraded it is valued as an 1899. Only 1,000 1902C sights were made, so that's a plus, assuming it has the correct original hand guard and doesn't look funky. Since he is a friend, I'd think you should give him something between $1,500 and $2,000.

[Kragrifle]

Can you post photos?

[robh5]

Unfortunately can't post pictures, he does not own a digital camera or have a computer just a land line phone,(old guy). Gave me a call this morning about a price, $800.00. I'll ask about the hand guard.
Is the hand guard for a 1902C sight be the same for a 1902 sight on a rifle?

[Dick Hosmer]

Well, if he's happy at $800, that's a good deal. Yes HG is same for all tangent-curve sights - 1898R&C, 1902R&C.

[sdkrag]

Dick, did I read that correctly that only 1,000 1902C sights were produced?

[Dick Hosmer]

Dick, did I read that correctly that only 1,000 1902C sights were produced?

That's what Mallory said - I've only seen two - one came on my first BoOF (388786) which, coincidentally, is in a carbine stock. I understand that SA also has a 26" barreled "carbine".

UPDATE: Rechecked my records - I only have the one 1902C, which is loose just now. It came on a very early M1899 carbine which was right for the 1898C and I just happened to have had one of them from a bulk parts purchase, many years ago. I made look-alike 2100 yarder from my junk box for 388786. My other 26" has the correct sights - but forend was whacked right at the band.

[sdkrag]

Man, I've had one in my parts drawer for years. Didn't realize they were that uncommon. I do need a spring for it.

[Kragrifle]

1902 carbine sights were reported to have only been used for replacements as the last 1899 carbines were originally fitted with 1901 carbine sights .

[robh5]

Picked up the carbine this weekend. I guess it's a M1898 up-graded to a M1899? Very nice bore. Metal overall pretty decent. Stock has been lightly sanded. Even came with the rods and oiler.

[sdkrag]

Nice carbine! Earlier in this thread I stated I had a loose 1902C sight. The spring was missing so I ordered one. Surprise, I have an 1898 base with a 1902 elevation and bar and eye piece. Interesting.

[butlersrangers]

'sdkrag' - That combination of sight parts would not have been put together by Springfield Armory. The 1898 rifle and carbine bases were likely auctioned off as scrap. The 1898 elevation ramps were too low to reuse, with the return to the slower, 2,000 f.p.s., ammo.

Some of the bases were likely made into mixmaster sights by Bannerman & Sons, Stokes-Kirk and Sedgely.

If you have a model 1898, "C" marked carbine-sight base, they are relatively rare.

[sdkrag]

That's kinda what i figured. I got the sight years ago from a friend who was a gunsmith. It's missing the elevation spring. I automatically ordered the 1902 spring based on the eyepiece. When that didn't work I read up on sights and figured it out. Just another interesting twist in the Krag. Learn something new every day. Glad I'm not too old to learn!

[Dick Hosmer]

I've been led to believe that M1898C sights are rarer than M1896C sights. If true, that's a rather big deal. I bought a whole bunch of Krag parts about 35 years ago, and very nice 98C was in one of the coffee cans - back then I just thought it was "nice". It now sits on my early 1899 carbine 227697, very close to a specimen formerly in Bill Mook's (I sure miss his phone calls) collection.

[sdkrag]

I miss those calls too. I often think of what I could of learned from Bill. I learned a lot in the few years I knew him. dick, did you ever get the chance to visit him? His 1892 rack was amazing! I wish I had 10% of his parts stash. I'm going to order the correct spring for this base and wait for that rifle to put it on.