Looking for research info on a Krag Rifle

[NathanHale]

Is it possible to research a original Krag Rifle by serial Number (SN#266172) to learn when and to whom it was issued too?
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Like the rest of you folks, I am interested in where this rifle has been.
Nathanhale

[Dick Hosmer]

It is quite possible to search - the problem lies in the results!

Hundreds of man-years have been spent, and are being *spent, by diligent, efficient, knowledgeable researchers.

The sum of their dedication so far is limited data on approx. 5% of the 490,000 Krags produced. Will you be one of the lucky 1 in 20? Excuse me while I look (sound of rustling pages, in four books). The records on the other 95% are largely presumed to be lost forever.

Nope, sorry, closest found so far are 266050 and 266506. If your rifle saw action, it would probably have been in the Philippines during 1901/1902. It was made far too late to have been in Cuba.



*for reasons that are obvious when you think about it, researchers cannot, and will not, search for a single number. Rather, they go through archived documents where numbers are suspected to be recorded, and report what they find. The low-hanging fruit was plucked a long time ago. Finds nowadays are as much of a pleasant surprise as anything else, and hitting a significant new cache is considered most unlikely. There is one exception - Joe Farmer - who is, I presume, laying low and finishing his book, did find some records that Brophy and Mallory (SRS) apparently did not see. When published, that will be the first major release in 20 years.

[Dan Shapiro]

About the only place that probably hasn't been mined to a great extent are the individual service records of those who served in the armed forces. Sometimes, not always, they will indicate a specific serial numbered weapon issued to that person.

[Rick the Librarian]

Here's an example of what Dan was saying from my uncle's service record in WWI. Note the rifle serial number, obviously a M1903. The "catch" is, even if you could find the serial number, no way to know if it is a Springfield or Rock Island. I sure would like to find EITHER rifle!

(My uncle initially joined the Marines under an assumed name - the rifle s/n is on the bottom of the document)

[Rick B]

Rick, you mean he lived after shooting that low serial numbered 1903?????????????? I Kid I Kid. neat to see his records. Rick B

[Rick the Librarian]

LOL!!