Hello all and thanks for reading.
Recently after many years of looking and thinking about getting a Krag I finally broke down and added one to my collection. The rifle appears to be original/correct except it is missing the safety. Serial is 6214 and the receiver is dated 1894 along with the stock dated 1895. Everything appears to be in good shape with much dried cosmoline still left in the barrel (what fun that is to clean). Question I have is what safety to I need to get for replacement? I have been looking and noticed a high pin and low pin? Also different ones for later production. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

'CodyT' - Welcome to the KCA Forum!

The important things to know are which type of Krag Bolt and which type of Bolt-Sleeve are now on your Krag. This dictates the safety-lever needed.

These parts changed and evolved. Later Krag bolts and sub-parts will sometimes be found on 1894 dated (model 1892) actions.

Close and clear photos of your action, bolt, and bolt-sleeve would beget better answers and more information.

Attached photos show: 1. an earlier type of bolt-sleeve, which uses a cross-pin to retain safety. 2. an early bolt sleeve that was updated to fit a later bolt and late safety-lever. 3. a late safety dismounted from a late bolt-sleeve.

Note the 'ribbing' on the early bolt sleeve bodies and the 'lug' that was eliminated for later bolts.

Early safety-levers had their shaft notched for the cross-pin, which weakened them and made them prone to break. (IIRC - initially the cross-pin hole placement was 'low', but, it was soon raised to allow a stronger safety-shaft).

The later safety-levers were retained by a spring-loaded 'detent', that traveled in a groove on the bolt-sleeve.

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Thank butlersrangers for the reply and images, much help.

With that I understand the safety differences and it makes me wonder how correct my rifle is...

When I get home I will take the bolt apart and find out what bolt sleeve I have a if I have time post some pictures for viewing.

A lot of the model 1892 Krags (built in 1894 & 1895) eventually received Armory updates that make them more like the model 1896 Krag.

That doesn't make them incorrect ... just updated.

If your action has a 'notch' and a 'hold-open pin' on the extractor, it was likely updated in the late 1890's or early 1900's.

An inexpensive book ($25), Joe Poyer's, "The American Krag Rifle and Carbine", can guide you through parts and evolution.

Attached photo shows model 1896 and 1899 actions that were made with the 'bolt hold-open' pin and notch.
This feature was absent on early U. S. Krag (model 1892) action, but, was added later to many.

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Thank you all for your help and photos. After looking at my rifle more closely it appears to have a model 1896 rear sight and the cleaning rod hole filled on the stock. So my rifle was definitely updated. The bolt sleeve appears to be a late version which makes sense with the stock and rear sight changes. I can't find any or stock markings than the P and 1895 cartouche with initials. I will post pictures later today and will be glad to hear everyones input.

U. S. Rifle model 1892, #6214, was likely built in September to November, 1894.

Since arms were disassemble to perform updates and refurbish metal and wood (fill rod channel), it is very unlikely gun stocks got back on their original barreled-actions. It was not necessary to put a new 'acceptance cartouche' on the stocks of 'rebuilt Krags'. Old stock markings remained.

The initials in your stock's '1895 cartouche' are a script "J.S.A." for Joseph Sumner Adams, Asst. Foreman of Assembly Room at Springfield Armory.

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CodyT,
I am curious to know if your cleaning rod filler was a round versus square section. I am suspecting square. You can tell by looking at the wood exposed at the end of the stock showing thru the upper band. That will help determine when the stock was updated. Looking forward to any photos you may be posting.

Pictures...hope they help. If anyone needs more please let me know.

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More

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and more

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Ok from the photos one can see this stock has the square filling for the cleaning rod hole. Also....I said my rifle was 6214...it is 6216. Sorry for my lapse of memory. Thanks again for everyone's help.

Knute1- can you remind me about the square and round cleaning rod channel fillers? I don't know which indicated what year refurb. Is there a reference to this? I have a couple Krags with filled channels and I know one is the rounded one. I'll have to check the other. I think one of my filled channels is a lot wider than the other. Is that related to the round vs square issue?

Thanks for the info. Adds a lot to the fun of collecting Krags by looking for all of these variations.

'CodyT' - You have a very good looking Krag rifle, with model 1896 updates.

(IIRC - The square-cornered patch, in the 'cleaning-rod groove', was the later upgrade done in the early 1900's).

Nice job on photos. Your hand-guard is the model 1892 rifle type.

Your Bolt is a model 1896 Bolt. The Bolt-Sleeve will accept the late type of Safety-Lever. I believe there are two variations, differing slightly in Lever thickness. Either variation will work.

Vendors listed in KCA 'Classifieds' may be able to supply a model 1896/1898 Safety-Lever, if contacted. (These have gotten harder to find, of late, and sell for around $40).

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CodyT
Fine looking rifle!
Vic

As a point of interest your rifle was, in the eyes of the Gvt, an 1896 rifle. Once it received the changes it became an 1896 rifle. Of course, as collectors we look at as an 1892 upgrarded to 1896 config. Very nice rifle you have there.

I have Rifle 9367 also upgraded to an 1896 rifle. Mine has the small wrist stock.

There are several books out there if you are interested in further study. The most detailed and having the most bang for the buck is a book by Joseph A. Farmer. "Farmers Notes Volume 6, U.S. Military Krags", IIRC. Last I knew they were available on  Ebay. You will get documented data in this book not easily available elsewhere.

CodyT, you got a great rifle there. Thanks for posting the pics.

Whig, all I have is the Joe Poyer book 2nd Edition. Pages 39 and 40 explain the round versus square cleaning rod fill. The rounded was used in the unissued stocks around 1896/1897. These would be mostly the "magazine rifles" 5MadFarmer written about. The model year was dropped off the designation due to having both 1892 parts and 1896 parts.

CodyT's rifle is a relatively low serial number and would have been a totally M1892 rifle and was most likely issued and used before 1896. Rifles such as that would have had the edges of the cleaning rod channel dented and chipped. So when the Armory updated these rifles to M1896 that had been in use they milled out a wider channel, which was squared off. This started happening in 1900. Below is from one of my earlier posts as I was trying to find out how my rifle came to its present configuration.

In researching the "Expenditure at the Springfield Armory " reports, the following was found:

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1897 (as seen in the post above),
    3,508 magazine rifles altered to model of 1896 with model of 1892 extractors.
    2,800 magazine rifles, model of 1892, altered to model of 1892, second pattern.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1898,
   No mention of model of 1892 alterations.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1899,
    Report could not be found.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1900,
    1,588 altered to model of 1896.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1901 (as found in Chief of Ordnance Report),
    6,123 altered to model of 1896.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1902,
    5,420 altered to model of 1896.

Fiscal year ending 6/30/1903,
    No alterations of model of 1892 shown.

So my guess was that CodyT's rifle was returned to the Armory after 1900.

You can review my earlier post for more of this information. See the link below. It is rather lengthy as I was discovering things from other forum members and did a little research myself.

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'Knute' - Thanks for the convenient summary.

Here is a "N.Y. Times" page showing some 'long wrist' Krags being used at Camp Dix to teach sight picture.

With the bayonets 'fixed' and lack of picture clarity, it is impossible to tell if they still have cleaning-rods or have model 1896 'updates'.

Suffice it to say, Krags that started out in 1894 were still serving in 1917-18.

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Thank you all for your help and information. I will be adding a book for further study as these rifles have always fascinated me. Been collecting all sorts of military rifles since I was 15 and finally added a Krag. I hope this doesn't end up like my Garand fetish but if it does I am ok with that. I traded for this rifle as I had Beretta shotgun I couldn't hit anything with. Yet I get my Mossberg out and I am fine...go figure. Looking forward to getting some ammo loaded and trying this old war horse out. Already emailed a couple people about a safety...if anyone has one please let me know. Thanks.

Thanks, Knute. I'll pull out my Poyer book and look that up. makes sense, too, that the channels would get chipped and enlarged with use. This kind of detail makes Krag collecting a lot of fun!

Whig,
If you have a round bottom filler in the cleaning rod channel it should have a s/n in the 19,000 to 24,000 range. If it has a square bottom it should be below this range or at the very beginning of it. (This is for rifles altered to M1896).

The 1892/96 conversion rifle I have that has the rounded channel fill (from the front of the barrel band perspective) is serial number 3474. This rifle has the curved butt plate, 3 holes and oil recess drilled and still has the 1892 bolt. It does have the newer side plate and the hold open notch and pin, of course. It has the rounded muzzle and the 1896 rifle sight.

So much for absolute details with Krags!

Does it have a dated cartouche on the stock? Probably won't prove anything, anyway. Of course there are other possibilities. I will look back, but I believe I read a statement in an ordnance report that they were upgrading rifles on hand in fiscal year ending 6/30/97, not just unissued ones. There could be more possibilities than I can imagine, but your rifle may have been at the armory at the time the alterations were being made during this time period. Rifles were being brought in for repairs.
Far-fetched? I'll look for more definitive info.

It's an older, nice condition, dark stock that has seen arsenal refub. No cartouche is visible but it is double proof stamped. It does have the older thin wrist. I would say it's original to this rifle but has been sanded and refurbed by S.A.

Most of the time we are just guessing with these things, though.

Thanks for checking and letting me know. I'll go back to the books and see what i can find.