Hello to the forum:  About a month ago I posted a rear sight which turned out to be a fake. I bought a box of krag parts. This sight was in there. My question is can someone verify it is real. And would it be proper on a 1898 krag carbine?
          Thanks in advance,  kc

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Poor pictures to examine detail. I think we have to have a high suspicion of alteration on these rarer types of rear sights when we have seen so many faked Krag carbine sights recently. Need excellent close ups of numbers and "c"s stamped on sight. If it was sold with other fake sight, it definitely raises suspicion.

The "c" stamped on the right side of this sight looks very clean to be original but that's a first impression of this picture. The front adjustment wheel looks like it's off center or bent in the one picture. Hard to tell without examining it directly.


Please post better pictures if you can. Thanks!

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Hope these are better.

King carp - I would accept your model 1898 carbine sight as the "Real Deal'. There are several points about the ('Dickson') 1898 carbine sight that make it difficult to fake.

1. The 1898 carbine version had the lowest curve on its base of the 1898 and 1902 sights.

2. The lock-screw on the right side of the slide will have no slot.

3. The left side of the slide has no 'drain' hole. The left side of the leaf has no serrations.

4. The "C" stamped on the right side of the base and center-top of the eye-piece should show no disruption of metal.

6. Unlike the 1898 Rifle eye-piece, the three Carbine sighting notches have no compensation for bullet-drift. The middle notch is centered. The left and right notches are equidistant from their respective edges.

A rifle eye-piece will have all three notches very slightly off-set to the right. This is a 'Red Flag' that makes faked rifle eye-pieces obvious.

Your 1898 carbine sight passes all these fine points. It is real!

IMG 1976 - 1898 rifle sight and faked carbine leaf. Both eye-pieces have notches off-set slightly to the right. "C" disrupts metal.

IMG 1984a - left side of 1898 rifle and 1902 rifle sights, displaying how left edge of slides are different.

Krag-1898c-1 - Photo shows low carbine base/ramp.

Krag - 1898-c2 - Photo shows carbine notch spacing. Note center notch lines up with center of eye-piece.

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Thanks for the better pictures. The slide and adjustment knobs look good. I don't see any problems with the fonts of the numbers or "c" stampings. The metal isn't disrupted anywhere.

The large "C" stamp on the top of the sight is centered which is critical. I have seen these off-center on fakes.

I don't have my sight with me to compare but from the pictures, I would say it looks good. I would like some other opinions because I miss some details sometimes.

I'd vote "good" so far!

Nice sight!

Thanks everyone for your help. That is great news. Does this sight go on a 1899 carbine stock. It does not seem to fit on my 1898 carbine stock. It also seems to be kind of awkward to use. I think the 1901 style sight is more user friendly.  I do not usually ask about value. But if I cannot use this sight what would be a fair asking price for it?
     Thanks again,  kc

King carp - This is the Krag rear-sight that was used with the 2,200 fps cartridge. This ammo proved too hot for the Krag action and began resulting in cracked Bolt Locking Lugs.

The Carbine version appeared on model 1899 carbines, according to Frank Mallory, made from January to July, 1900.

There was also a Rifle version of this sight.

The sight with three notches was unpopular. (The outside notches were for wind correction).
The 1898 sight was the first U.S. Krag sight that incorporated windage adjustment.

The 2,200 fps ammo was pulled out of service. The model 1898 sights thus became obsolete.

In the early 1900's the 1898  leaf and eye-piece (with the outside notches ground-off) were used to make a variation of the 1902 sight.
(I don't believe the bases were officially reused).

The 1898 sight used the same hand-guard that would be used with the 1902 sight. The same hand-guard was used on rifles and carbines.

The 1898 sights, especially the carbine, are hard to find because the leaf and eyepiece were recycled. They are probably not in great demand.

At the Michigan Show last February, one that I was interested in, was sold for $250. (I'm not that interested)!

Photo - 1898 carbine sight with hand-guard.

p.s. It is not the Krag stock, but, the hand-guard, that needs to 'match-up'  with the rear-sight. The openings in the hand-guard are 'sight specific'.

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The unaltered 1898 rifle and carbine sights are of interest to collectors who want to have representative sights that cover all of what had been produced in the Krag line. They won't be used for shooting purposes, usually, but they are great for collectors. I have one of each in my collection which is nice. I think they look really neat!

I wouldn't pay $250 for one even if I needed one for my collection. Like butlers said, there isn't a big demand. I like the 1901 sight for shooting purposes. Some people prefer the 1902 sights. Both have nice windage adjustments.

I'd probably offer $100 for the sight to keep in my collection as a loose sight.

You could post it for sale on ebay or Gun Broker and start at $100 and see what interest it might bring. Maybe you'd sell it for $200 plus. Don't know.

But, we do seem to have a consensus that it is authentic. Congrats! Thanks for sharing and getting good pictures.

Given the condition, (finish wear, 'stake' mark on ramp, maybe bent windage screw), I'd estimate value of your sight at about $150 to $175. As Whig said, buyers are limited.

Thanks again for the help with the sight. That is good  news on its value!  The sight will pretty much pay for the rest of the parts that came as a group. It seems like more of a collectable example than a user. I  have not had  a chance to shoot my carbine yet so i will hold onto the sight for  now. I wonder how much of a difference the point of impact would be between the two sights.
       Thanks again, kc

It's kind of comparing Apples and Oranges.

The 1898 rear-sights sat lower and used a 'flatter' shooting (2,200 fps) cartridge, (with a 220 grain projectile).

The 1901 and 1902 sights, that replaced it, sat taller and were 'ramped' and calibrated for the trajectory of the slower 2,000 fps loading, (also using a 220 grain projectile).

Once the 2200 FPS ammo was withdrawn his sight was withdrawn from service never to be used again except as altered to 1902 configuration so it would not be appropriate on any representative service rifle. I bet this has already been discussed.

Repetition is a key to real learning!

I wonder if the sight would be useful if you were using heavier bullets like the 230 gr. .30 cal.Lee blackout? 

FWIW:
Occasionally, you see a Krag, that has worn a model 1898 sight for a long long time. Maybe some rifles and carbines escaped being updated.

(Another possibility, is that intact obsolete model 1898 sights may have been re-used to replace broken sights, during National Guard use or WW1 preparations, when the Krag was a reserve weapon)?

The top part of many model 1898 sights was visibly altered, (corners ground off, and serrations added to leaf), and coupled with new bases and slides to make more model 1902 sights.

I don't believe the model 1898 bases were officially intended to be reused. The curve of the base(s) was wrong for the trajectory of 220 grain, 2,000 fps ammo. The spring for the leaf was totally different from that of the model 1902 base.

(The obsolete bases were a surplus item that were long reused by surplus arms dealers and hobbyists to make unofficial sights).

In the Pre-WW1 era, ammunition became available loaded with 180 grain pointed projectiles moving at a velocity faster than 2,000 fps. This ammunition saw some use in period 'Shooting Matches'.
I don't imagine any Krag sight model was specifically calibrated for this ballistically superior ammo.
Shooters very likely noted the sight-setting necessary for shooting at standard distances and recorded it in their 'score books', for future matches.

IMHO - The 'three-notch' model 1898 sight could serve as a useful sight for a shooter. The correct settings for various distances would have to be learned by trial and error.

Thanks, I think I will hold onto the sight for awhile. It is certainly well made (no plastic here). I have a krag which has been sporterized and don't have to worry about historic correctness. I might try it on there and see what happens. If not I can pack it away or sell it.
     Thanks again for helping out a novice krag owner. Kc