I have just acquired a second 1894 Krag rifle that has me curious. This was bought at an auction and I knew it just looked too good to pass up. Got it for under $1400! The details of this piece are fascinating. All of the parts are original and in great shape for an 1894 unmolested rifle except for two things. The ramrod is new and the stock is a fantastic reproduction, almost exactly, of an original 1894 stock.

I disassembled the rifle and examined everything carefully. And you can see in many of the pictures, there is a nice even patina on the metal consistent with an early 1894 Krag, serial number 1631. Everything is as it should be for an 1894 rifle including all of the serial numbers matching on the receiver, side plate and magazine cover. The bolt, front barrel band, rear sight, hand guard, butt plate, muzzle and extractor are all correct and look like they have been together for a long time. I don’t think that this is a rebuild from a pile of correct parts.

But, someone has fabricated an almost exact copy of a M92 stock that has such perfect lines and tolerances, it looks like it was an arsenal fabrication. It definitely is a retro because it is in like new condition and has no proof mark or cartouche. There are only two very small differences I have found. One is, there is no cross pin through the stock in front of the rear barrel band and second is that there is no metal insert inside the stock that the threaded end of the ramrod screws into. The inside of the stock is even correct by having cut outs for the hand guard clips but no lightening cuts. There is even the nice “Tulip” cut out for the muzzle end of the ramrod and the beveled end in front of the rear barrel band. Someone knew what they were doing. The hand guard is slightly darker and original. It is not new.

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