Jason:  It is likely that the hand-guard on your carbine is not the one it left Springfield Armory with.  To add to the confusion, lots of Krags were updated with later (and sometimes earlier 1896) types of sights with appropriate hand-guards.  The 1898 Carbine sight is relatively rare, odd with three sighting notches, and was usually replaced because it was graduated for a 'hotter' Krag cartridge that was 're-called' because it was causing cracked bolt locking-lugs.  Your 1896 hand-guard can probably be repaired.  Decent replicas can be obtained from S&S Firearms, Glendale, N.Y. and from Schwartz in Ga. (mentioned in this forum's 'classified' section).  A caution on hand-guards -- Do Not snap the springs over the barrel.  To remove or install - remove rear sight & sight screws - rotate hand-guard 180 degrees - slide off or onto barrel!  Store hand-guard on a piece of wood rod to prevent spring tension from cracking it.  Also, barrel band has a "U" on one side;  the "U" should be on the right side (band-spring side) of your Krag.  The correct cut-off for your Krag is the last version with a short shaft and spring-loaded detent pin.  Take your time, do some research, and shop around before you commit to expensive parts.  Carbine sights cost a lot and are often faked.