A few weeks ago, I posted some pictures of my favorite Krag rifle...  Here are pictures of my other Krag, the first Krag I ever purchased, and the one that got me started.  I purchased this in 1984 at a pawn shop in Mississippi for 175 bucks.  It was pretty much in the condition you see.  I knew what it was because my father had a Krag rifle (the afore mentioned "Favorite Krag Rifle").  Sadly, this is not a cut-down, but a true Carbine!  The serial number, 277469, has been verified.  It shoots well, but is impossible to sight properly because of the missing front sight blade.  The rear sight is missing parts as well.  The original rear sight is long gone, and the screw holes for the rear sight are filled in.  The barrel is clean and bright, with very good rifling.  I would actually love to return this to it's original condition, but I have no idea where to obtain a good stock, upper and associated parts.  I used this carbine to hunt for a few years, until I stopped hunting in the late 1980s.  I presently wish to mount a scope and start shooting it again (Krags are meant to be fired)!  Enjoy the pictures!

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View #2

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The action.

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The Rear Sight.

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The Receiver Left Side.

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Missing Front Sight Blade.

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Serial number is too high to be a true 1898 carbine. Anything above 135,000 is usually suspect.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but, whoever "verified" the serial number, was being untruthful with you, either from ignorance or malice.

Also, even if the barrel length is right on the money at 22", SA did not install THAT front sight in THAT location - the work is nowhere close to their quality. It IS a genuine military sight base - not saying that it isn't - but SA didn't put it there.

Well, I am certain that you all probably know more about the different versions than I do, so I stand corrected.  Incidentally, I verified the serial number many years ago at a web sight that showed the history of springfields.  I also verified both of my Trapdoors at the same sight...  It sounds like that web site might not have been correct (hope my trapdoors are still ok).  Anyway, if anyone knows anything about that rear sight, I would love to know...  Ultimately, I am going to remove that sight and have a scope mounted so I can accurately sight the gun.  Thanks very much for the information!

You might want to look into a long eye relief pistol scope which could be mounted over the center of the bore. If a conventional scope is mounted on the receiver, it needs to be offset so as to permit ejection which is almost straight up. Such installations also require that the safety be replaced. There is a way to modify the safety by grinding, but it really is not very safe, being only held "on" by friction.

I'd be glad to help check the TD numbers, if you wish. Some sites are not very good, and unfortunately one of the worst used to be the SA site itself.

psteinmayer:  The aftermarket rear sight on your sporterized Krag appears to be a Redfield No. 102-k, which was made from about 1930 to 1964.  It looks like someone put extra tapped holes in the top (for some purpose?).  The sight base is held on by an extra long side-plate screw (supplied by Redfield and desireable, since they are often missing from loose sights that are for sale).  The sight base is also anchored by a sheetmetal  bracket that hooks into the hole normally occupied by the magazine cut-off.
  Your Redfield sight is still serviceable and could probably serve you well if you got a screw-in peep disk (easily found).  The Redfield Sight also is suppose to have a flat piece of sheetmetal that mounts under the "coin-slotted" side adjustment screw and serves as a cover and indicator for the vertical (elevation) index marks. 
  The vertical screw in the slide of your Redfield sight is a replacement.  It is intended to hold an adjustment so that the slide can be moved for Bolt removal and then returned to it's sighted-in setting.
  It would be relatively easy to fit and pin a blade in the front-sight base of your Krag.  In the old days, blades were often fashioned from Silver Coins.  It appears the slot on your Front-sight Base has been widened for a homemade blade. 
  For very little money and effort you could rehabilitate and make useful the Iron Sights on your Krag Sporter.  You have a nice Krag Sporter for hunting and the Rifle Range.

Dick Hosmer wrote on Sep 14^th, 2011 at 7:38pm:

Also, even if the barrel length is right on the money at 22", SA did not install THAT front sight in THAT location - the work is nowhere close to their quality. It IS a genuine military sight base - not saying that it isn't - but SA didn't put it there.

Yeah, that is what jumped out at me also.

Dick Hosmer wrote on Sep 15^th, 2011 at 4:41am:

You might want to look into a long eye relief pistol scope which could be mounted over the center of the bore. If a conventional scope is mounted on the receiver, it needs to be offset so as to permit ejection which is almost straight up. Such installations also require that the safety be replaced. There is a way to modify the safety by grinding, but it really is not very safe, being only held "on" by friction. I'd be glad to help check the TD numbers, if you wish. Some sites are not very good, and unfortunately one of the worst used to be the SA site itself.

I believe that I used the SA sight to check the numbers originally.  I will get the TD serial numbers (they currently hang over my fathers fireplace) and email them directly to you.  I have a rifle and a carbine...  both 1873s, and both (supposedly) correct serial numbers. 

As for the scope, I would prefer to mount over the barrel as opposed to the receiver, but the original sight holes were weld filled so it would need some gun-smithing!  I will consider that though.

butlersrangers wrote on Sep 15^th, 2011 at 2:20pm:

psteinmayer:  It looks like someone put extra tapped holes in the top (for some purpose?). For very little money and effort you could rehabilitate and make useful the Iron Sights on your Krag Sporter.  You have a nice Krag Sporter for hunting and the Rifle Range.

The tapped holes were my doing.  I used to work in a machine shop, and I machined out of stainless steel a rail to mount a scope, and used the sight base to mount to...  Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't take into consideration that it would not be strong enough, and the scope moved with each shot.  I removed the scope and put the sight back together.  I would love to shoot this gun with iron sights, but I would prefer the original iron sights to a peep sight.  I can produce 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards with my Krag rifle using the original iron sights.  I still think I am going to go with a scope for this one!

psteinmayer:  You may be able to salvage the original sight holes on your Krag barrel.  Normaly these were simply filled with sight screws that were cut off and the shanks filed to the barrel contour.  I have removed these from four or five Krag barrels by locating the shank, center-punching it, drilling a smaller diameter hole deep into the shank, and tapping a small screwdriver blade into the shank and turning out the screw-shank.  Heat and penetrating oil helps the process.  If you can salvage the holes and threads, you can mount an original sight or long eye-relief scope mount.  As Dick Hosmer reported, the Krag receiver scope mounts have to be off-set.  This limits you to old Weaver and William's mounts.  In my opinion, they are clumsy and ugly.

I'll try to remove them...  I know that there is a reasonably priced weaver mount that attaches with the original sight screw holes.  Thanks for the info!

Nice old sporter :)