"Beginning" book on the Krag for a magazine article

[Rick the Librarian]

I'm doing a magazine article for our state collectors organization. It'll discuss what books need to be purchased for a small library on U.S. military firearms roughly 1900-1945. I'd like to recommend one or two on the Krag. Obviously, Brophy's and Mallory's books are out of sight for the typical beginning collector.

Your alternate suggestions, gentlemen?

TIA!

RtL

[jon_norstog]

Well, 5MF's book gets as deep as most collectors would care to go. "The Little War of Private Post" is pretty good for getting a feel for the Spanish American War, but is short on Krag notes as Post's unit (71st NY Volunteers) was equipped with trapdoors. Smedley Butler wrote letters throughout his service which have been collected into a book, including his early years in which he carried the Lee Navy, Krag and '03 Springfield. It might have some gun-related passages - I haven't read it. But maybe I will. It is kinda pricey, more so than the Mallory or Brophy books, in fact.

General Smedley Darlington Butler: The Letters of a Leatherneck, 1898–1931. Praeger. ISBN 0-275-94141-8.

jn

[IditarodJoe]

I started out with Poyer's book. At around $25, it makes a decent beginner's book.

[5MadFarmers]

I'm doing a magazine article for our state collectors organization. It'll discuss what books need to be purchased for a small library on U.S. military firearms roughly 1900-1945. I'd like to recommend one or two on the Krag. Obviously, Brophy's and Mallory's books are out of sight for the typical beginning collector.

Your alternate suggestions, gentlemen?

TIA!

RtL

Why not recommend the best beginner book? It's free.

https://books.google.com/books?id=YVoMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PP1

They were designed for the troops. They're government publications with no copyright. Online examples exist for most of the guns that were issued - to include the Nagants.

For the M1 the starter book are the Basic Field Manual and the Technical Manual. Ditto for the M14 and M16. Again, they're free and online.

So track down the link for those. Trapdoor, Krag, M-1903, M-1917, Nagant, and the FM and TM for the M1s. Carbine and rifle.

You said "firearms" so include the revolvers and pistols. Similar to the rifles the original manuals are online and free.

Frankly, if one had to purchase those as after-market books it'd be in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. For a beginner that is the exact place to start.

[Rick the Librarian]

I admit I'm not so much interested in books on the "period", i.e. the Spanish-American War, as the rifle itself. I was aware a number of manuals were available online, but not aware that one of them was the Krag. Thanks to 5MF for bringing that to my attention. While it does have a surprising amount of detail on the major models, it still lacks a number of "collector" details. I will mention it as an online resource.

Unfortunately, it appears that Poyer's book, by process of elimination, is the only one out there available to the beginning collector.

FYI, the firearms I intend to cover will be the following:

1) M1 Garand
2) M1 Carbine
3) M1903 Springfield
4) Krag
5) Pistol
6) a "best of the rest" on perhaps 3-4 other military firearms

It'll be done as a "bibliographic essay". I will also mention the leading websites devoted to each, as well.

[5MadFarmers]

Krag
Navy Win-Lee
Remington Army Rifle
Pattern 14 ERA
Pattern 14 Rem
M-1903 SA
M-1903 RIA
M-1903 REM
M-1903A3 SC
M-1903A3 REM
M-1917 E
M-1917 R
M-1917 W
Nagant NEW
Nagant REM
Berthier REM
Mauser H&A

Doesn't include War Two and doesn't include hand cannon. Missing the Pattern 14 WRA, Ross, French RB, WRA Russian 1895. Getting there. Slowly but surely.

I'm aware the Spruce Army had lever action WRAs. Skipping them. Why? Whim.

[Rick the Librarian]

Yes, familiar (obviously! ) with all of those, but as this will be a short (2000-3000 words) article, it will not be feasible to cover them all. It will discuss just the ones I mentioned. The Navy Lee, for example, while certainly historical, would be rarely purchased by a new collector.

[5MadFarmers]

Yes, familiar (obviously! ) with all of those, but as this will be a short (2000-3000 words) article, it will not be feasible to cover them all. It will discuss just the ones I mentioned. The Navy Lee, for example, while certainly historical, would be rarely purchased by a new collector.

Your list has a strange omission.

[Rick the Librarian]

You're right - left off the M1917. At least two of the books I plan to use on the M1917 mention the P1914, too.

[Dick Hosmer]

Leave it to the French to have a silly manual of arms. Cannot imagine a worse carry mode, even if only "on parade".

[5MadFarmers]

Leave it to the French to have a silly manual of arms. Cannot imagine a worse carry mode, even if only "on parade".

Jacques! Ze Americain just harshed de armee again!



Wonder if it had to do with balance based on the pig sticker's added weight in an awkward location.

[Dick Hosmer]

No, Pierre, it has to do with wobbling (something they are good at however) on a hard, relatively smaller diameter surface, with the point of control well above the axis of rotation. In a proper RSA position, the arm (especially without bayonet) will very nearly balance and rest naturally on the shoulder with minimal effort/fatigue - as pictured, not so much.

[Dan Shapiro]

At one time Eisenhower had an on-going issue with DeGaulle as the Frenchman wanted their '17's replaced with M1's. Ike didn't have enough at the time to issue his own people.

[jon_norstog]

DeGaulle should have been happy Ike didn't supply his units with rolling blocks.

jn

[5MadFarmers]

DeGaulle should have been happy Ike didn't supply his units with rolling blocks.

jn

Chucky was wrong and Chucky was right. More right than wrong.

The Frogs adopted a new bolt action rifle right before the war. They didn't adopt a semi-automatic until after the war ended. Thus demanding something beyond what they themselves had selected was getting a bit peacocky. Additionally, as the Frogs had taught us during War One, the main battle rifle is really secondary to the squad automatic. We gave them BARs which was our own primary weapon so they were good there. If it bugged them they could have asked us to turn over all captured MG42s and K98s and armed themselves that way.

They were right though. More right than wrong. In 1917 when we showed up we had a miserable excuse of a target rifle, no machine guns, no tanks, and no artillery of any usefulness. Of modern aircraft we had some drawings and not much more. The Frogs went out of their way to provide us with everything we needed and ensured it was the latest they had.

Ike deserved a humiliating kick in the crotch. Administered by all the doughs who had benefited from the Froggy generosity of 1917-1918.