After a lot of wheeling and dealing I have a krag carbine for my collection. I would like to thank all of you that gave me advice. I was not sure about this but with looking at past posts and your help I think I did ok. Any more help would be greatly welcome. Thanks again.
       KC

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'King carp' - You have a nice looking model 1899 carbine.

A clear close-up picture of the 'Butt-Swivel area' would be interesting to see.

I believe your serial number is 287482 (?). That number was likely produced around September to October, 1900.

The 'headless cocking-piece' is likely correct for Krags made during the period April, 1899 to October, 1900.

Your front-sight hood is a nice accessory, worth about $200.

Enjoy your 'new' carbine!

Hello: Thank you for the info. The serial no. Is 287482. Was that sight good kept on the carbine or was it just to protect the sight during shipping? Thanks again, kc

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Sorry about my fat finger typing. I meant sight hood.

I believe the U. S. Cavalry left the sight guards on all the time.

The device helped avoid damage to the leather scabbard, as well as, damage to the sight-blade.

The 'hood', of the sight-guard, was large enough to allow the carbine to be sighted and fired with the guard in place.

By contrast, the similar sight-guards, used on 1903 and 1903-A3 Springfield Rifles, had to be taken off to have a useful sight-picture, when shooting. These 1903 protectors appear to have designed for shipping and storage.

p.s. - Workmanship of Butt-Swivel installation, on OP's carbine, appears a bit cruder than I would expect, if installed in 'The Field' by an Armorer with an Armory supplied "Kit". (Just my ignorant guess & opinion).

Hello: Thanks, the previous owner said that's the way he acquired the carbine. Instead of patching the swivel inlet I will leave it as it came. Somewhere along the line it grew some swivels and that's the way I will leave it. The bore is clean and I look forward to seeing what it can do.
Thanks, kc

I was thinking the same thing about the butt swivel

Thinking what Ned?

That the swivel fit is a bit crude? ... or leave it as it is? ... or both?

(Myself, I would leave it as is. It may be a Field install. We likely will never know for sure).

You've got a beautiful Model 1899 Krag carbine there! I've always been a fan of these carbines set with the headless cocking piece like yours has. The cleaning kit is a nice addition along with the rare front sight protector. If you had a period sling, you'd be all set! But, these "extras" on your Krag along with the correct carbine marked rear sight, add a bunch of value to your carbine. I would add that a nice bore is one of my big concerns, also.

So, great start on a wonderful Krag carbine. If you stick with us, we'll help you multiply that Krag collection which most of us have found out happens without much effort. (Almost on its own!)

That rear sight looks like it might have some black paint on it. I don't know for sure what it is but some acetone might take it off and clean it up easily without damage. Remove the sight from the carbine carefully first before putting any chemicals on it so as not to damage the wood stock at all. There are many ways to safely clean some of these problems without damaging the carbine.

Thanks for sharing and keep us informed as to how it shoots!

butlersrangers wrote on May 4^th, 2019 at 1:34am:

Thinking what Ned? That the swivel fit is a bit crude? ... or leave it as it is? ... or both? (Myself, I would leave it as is. It may be a Field install. We likely will never know for sure).

Both actually. when I first saw the picture of the rear swivel I thought it didn't look "clean" enough but patching a spot that large usually stands out no matter how well done.

Thanks for advice. Was the sight originally blued or left in the white? Also is there some way to check the serial no. To see where it was issued? Thanks again for all the help.
      KC

I believe the sight color was similar to the receiver, i.e. case hardened.   I agree about the butt swivel too - leave it alone!

As for the serial number, someone with access to the SRS information can check that.

Very nice carbine though.  Well Done!

Hello: Thanks for the info. I will try to remove whatever is on the sight. I think it is some kind of black ink. It comes off with my finger nail. Someone must have wanted a better sight picture and darkened it with ink. I an really happy with my new Krag. Thanjs again, KC

In the appendix tables, contained in Frank Mallory's, "Krag Rifle Story", 2nd edition: 

"Krag, model 1899 carbine, #287482, was issued to 'butlersra .... " 

Just Kidding, your carbine is not listed.

Some #0000 steel wool, saturated with Hoppes #9 solvent, should clean the enamel paint or black ink off of your model 1901 rear-sight and not harm the patina.
Use a light touch and let the solvent soften the foreign substance.

(Remove the sight from the carbine, to clean it safely and properly, like 'Whig' said).

The 1901 sight-leaf is 'in the white', but not polished or shiny. The numbers and lines have color. (note - photo attached)

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Thank you for checking my carbines serial no. I will just assume that it belonged to king carps K.P. unit. Lol! Also thank you for the tip on cleaning up the rear sight.