Last year I had done an independent search for total Krags built going only by Ordnance Reports and Springfield Armory Expenditure reports. I came up with 476,230 total built with the last ones built in fiscal year ending 6/30/1907 (22 caliber rifles totaling 341). Prior to that fiscal year Krags had stopped being produced by November of 1903 (none in 22 caliber up to that date), again according to an Ordnance Report. I have seen a 22 caliber Krag for sale at RIA with a serial number of 476,006. Another member of this forum has a 22 with serial number 476,551. The difference between these serial numbers is 545 (but only 341 built). And yet I hear that there are significantly reported higher serial numbers than these, in .30 Gvt. There were some .30 Gvt rifles converted to .22 caliber to muddy things just a little with a barrel change.

So there was obviously many more receivers manufactured than rifles/carbines built. And receivers were used randomly out of bins when assembling guns as Fred G had replied in another post. So my question is:
When were the serial numbers applied to the receivers?

Forum link to rifles built:
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Forum link on 22 caliber gallery guns:
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Thanks for any info.