At the Tulsa GS last Nov I picked up a 99 Carbine in what looked like really pathetic condition, It was filthy, the stock was sanded heavily and greasy black sweaty dirty. The handguard was missing and the bore was so filthy I couldn't see through it. When I got it home I completely disassembled it and put the stock in the tub with hot soapy water with some ammonia all day (wife was at work). Soaked all metal parts in old army bore cleaner over a few days and then cleaned all the parts with 0000 and reassembled. The bore was plugged and soaked for three days and when opened I let the thick tar run out. There is not much blue to the metal but the hardened action and in-the-white mag cover and lid parts all have a nice patina and the bore is not to rough, with only signs of tiny pitting that will shoot out and help me clean it warm. I have several questions, I intend to order the humpback handguard but it will contrast with the old sanded stock. Should I look for a better 99 NOS or repro stock ? Is a 99 repro made? should I just be happy with the sanded, no cartouch or P stock and not pursue a upgrade?  I will add some pics later as very late tonite.    

wsmrto:  What does NOS mean?  It will be easier to advise when pictures are posted.  Boyd's makes a repro carbine stock but it requires lots of work and probably won't look right with 'patinaed' metal parts.  In time, you may come across a compatable carbine stock at a gun show (possibly attached to a ruined/sporterized krag).  I would suggest you try restoring color and linseed oil finish of your current stock.  How severely was it sanded?  Old G.I. bore cleaner removes corrosive salts.  Have you finished your bore cleaning with something like Hoppes No. 9 and bronze brushes?  What model of rear sight is on your carbine?  Serial # range?  Pictures will help.

I will try to add photos of my after clean-up and answer ? NOS is an auto part that is "new old (original) stock" in this case I mean a original 99 stock in better condition.I have cleaned the bore with #9, I buy it in Qt jugs and it looks good, not mirror but clean with some frosting in the groves.  Also the butt has the 3 holes for the cleaning rod in the trap. The SN# is 355060. Thanks for you comments as this is my 1st Krag in many years of C&R collecting. Seems like I don't know how to post Pics in this forum.

HELP!
Seems like my photos are to big. I usually have them on a forum as thumbnails and they come out ok.  How do I get them to be thumbnails that can be opened to larger format by forum members?

I have adjusted the current maximum file size for 'attachments' to 2048KB or 2MB.  It appears as though the original settings were reset to 500KB when we restored the forum several weeks ago.  The file size rule includes images in forum threads and personal messages. 

Please try attaching your photos again and let us know if you run into any further issues.

Regards,

josh

I have worked on this to no avail! How do I reduce the size of my pics they are all 3 to 4.3 Mg.  I just can't seem to reduce them and get them on.

You could use hosting site like Photobucket or Image shack or others and link to them. You might have to reset your camera and reshoot some pictures. I am sure that there are was to resize them but I have never been able to do that myself!!

Imageshack has a very easy re-sizing tool with it.  I don't know which operating system you use on your computer but Windows Live has a photo gallery that can re-size pictures.  So far that one at Imageshack is the easiest one for me to use.

Jack

If you have a photoshop program, just resize... select pixel size, and reduce one aspect to 1000... then the other should automatically adjust.  The, just save as, and rename the picture.  your pictures should be under 200kb and easily attached at that point.

I'm interested in seeing your pictures!

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Well the bad news is that the front sight and maybe the barrel have been replaced, that is not an original Krag front sight. Other than that things don't look so bad. The stock doesn't look too badly "sanded" the grasping grooves are a bit rounded but still pronounced. The age and wear of the metal and the wood seem equal. The biggest plus probably is that you have a M1901 carbine rear sight. The serial number is early enough that it probably was issued with a "rifle" type handguard. Originals of either come up from time to time, a humped one just sold on fleabay for $142.A repro should serve your purpose, at least to start with. A little experimentation with stain and oil and furniture wax should make a sufficient match.
Good luck

Could this one be one of the DCM carbines altered by Benecia Arsenal?  One that is just lacking a hand guard?

Also, don't shoot that ammunition.  It has corrosive primers & the cases will probably split open on firing.  Other than that, a cartridge collector will value them.

Thanks everyone for their patience with me. I have for years wanted to add some Krags to my collection, but most of the time they are way out of my income bracket. The barrel has a lot of wear to it with frosting and not a lot of rifling left at the muzzle. I do believe it will be ok to shoot lead cast in 311, which I have lots of. I have so many C&R's that I don't have time to shoot all of them but the Krag has the smoothest bolt.  I don't think I got hurt on this as it cost $280 OTD at a GS.  Oh, by the way the bandoleer and ammo was a $40. purchase along with 2 boxes of green box rem 220 Gr. Which must also date to the 40s.