Hello,

I have a 30 40 Krag that I inherited that I would like to restore. The front and rear sights have been removed and I believe that it had a scope on it because there are holes drilled in the side of the receiver. The serial number is in the low 470xxx's. I want to figure out the correct year and model so I can restore it with the proper sights. All I can see is "Springfield Armory 189x (the forth digit is drilled out) but the serial number is clear. Any help? Thanks!

'kbthekid44' - Welcome to the KCA Forum.

Your Krag was marked "model 1898".

A Krag in the 470XXX serial number range was likely built, as a rifle, in the period of July to October of 1903.

FWIW - Many of the 1903 period Krags, (I have seen and recall), seem to have the model 1901 rear sight.

(There is a "belief" that Krag rifles in use by the U.S. Army, after 1905, tended to have the 1901 sight, because it was similar to the sight eventually used on the 1903 Springfield. The model 1902 sight may have been more common on National Guard arms). - It is possible this is all myth.

Fact - U.S. Krag rear-sights were 'a continuing saga' and were sometimes changed.

A Krag built in 1903 may have started out with the model 1902 sight and had it changed, at a later date, to a model 1901 sight.

Either the model 1901 or 1902 sight is probably credible on your Krag. These two sights use different and model specific wooden hand-guards and mounting-screws.

"Ya pays yur money and ya votes yur choice"!

OBTW - The front sight is the same for both of these sight models.

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Do ya have any pics of the rifle, Kid?  Krag porn is rampant here.

Thanks! This was very helpful! I will post pics soon!

Any recommendations on where to look for sights?

Gun Shows, GunBroker, and ebay are common sources.

Has the barrel been shortened?

Welcome - I responded in the other thread you started in "Sporterized and Unofficial Modified Krags".

I don't think it has. What should the length be?

A U.S. Krag rifle barrel is 30 inches long, from muzzle to closed bolt-face.

Photos show front-sight/muzzle area and how sight base is attached and contoured to barrel.

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It's definitely not 30 inches. Probably 22.

(Ned - Thank you very much for 'merging or combining' these two related KCA threads).

"kbthekid" - Krag carbine barrels were exactly 22 inches long, from muzzle to closed bolt-face.

It is unlikely a "model 1898" receiver, in the 470XXX range, had a carbine barrel put on it at Springfield in 1903.

After 1898, The carbines made at Springfield were marked "model 1899".

A lot of U.S. Krag rifles have been cut-down to approximately 22 inch barrel length. This was done by civilians and gunsmiths to make them handier for Hunting. The front-sight style and mounting often reveals 'cut-downs' to be what they are.

Also, some Krag rifles, with poor bores, were re-barreled by dealers (like Bannerman's and Stokes Kirk), who had a supply of surplus parts, including carbine barrels.

Clear photos of your Krag, especially the front-sight/muzzle area, would help others help you.

A complete serial number would allow someone to check if your Krag is documented in SRS Data.