Maybe this has been considered and I missed it... but why would the sight base be removed, and the inside of the stock be blackened from excessive heat?  When shooting standard military rounds, Krags don't get nearly as hot as, say, something shooting 30-06 (for example).  It would take an extremely hot barrel and action to blacken the lumber, and that would be hot enough to damage the metal too.  I'm just very curious about the blackened wood.  Could this have been in a fire (smoke and heat damaged, but not burned) and then cleaned up to hide the fact?

  If I'm way off base, then I apologize... but this just leaped at me this morning.