Thanks for the membership. I will share a Springfield marked 1898 Krag, SN 2591XX I believe manufactured 1900. sporterized obviously with I assume cutdown barrel, sights and modified stock. Magazine cutoff replaced with peepsight. Sights seem vintage to 50s or 60s. The family lore father's father back story is that it was acquired from a Mexican woman that claimed it had a connection to Pancho Villa's men. Any thoughts on that story? No way to prove of course but it has been in California a long time. I have cleaned it, the rifling seems intact and present, and had to fix the front sight in place securely as it was quite loose, and laser sighted the sights for now. Bolt action seems to live up to the "butter smooth" narrative I keep reading of the Krag.. Have a small amount of older ammo but have not shot it yet. Also any advice for new Krag owners? I don't reload so any advice on ammo sources and what is safe to shoot? Thanks greatly. Excited to get a chance to experience this history and the unique very cool magazine design.

It has been cleaned since these pics below.
Does the barrel need a re-crowning I thought? I don't know the accuracy yet but curious how it looks to trained eyes. I wouldn't touch it unless I saw accuracy issues.

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'CessnaDriver' - Welcome to the KCA Forum.

You seem to have a pretty good handle on your cut-down model 1898 Krag. The Pancho Villa story sounds like total 'blarney'.

Your Krag, #2591XX, was originally assembled around March or April 1900. It was altered (maybe a couple times) for Hunting. The Stock is a drastically re-shaped military stock. The Butt pad is from the 1950s or 60s. The front-sight looks 1950s.

The metal has been poorly 'blued', hence the bronze coloring on some of the parts. Shooting will demonstrate whether re-crowning the muzzle is in order. You really don't want to invest more money into this Krag. Enjoy and use as is.

The rear 'no-drill' receiver-sight is a Redfield No. 102K. Yours may be an earlier one marked "Western". Mr. Redfield had to drop the 'Western' name around 1930, due to a threatened lawsuit. A 'peep' aperture can be screwed into your eye piece for finer sighting.

Look for a box or two of Remington .30-40 Hunting ammo with 180 grain soft point projectiles. It is hard to find these days and costs $35 to $40 for a 20 round box. Most Krags love this ammo. Save your Brass for future reloading.

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Thank you for the insights.
It will definitely be an appreciated experience by my shooting crowd, it will be the oldest firearm in my circle.

Nice Redfield model 102 Sight ... you can purchase apertures for this sight on ebay .. Thanks for the look Carbon Outlaw ...