As an exercise for me to learn some of these details better, I have been reviewing the changes in the bolt designs over the years for the Krag. I learned a lot from the measurements I made with Fred's bolt measuring gauge. We collected data from numerous bolts to see if there was any correlation between measurements of the length of the bolts and the stamped numbers and symbols on the bolt handles. We checked dozens of bolts but found no patterns. That exercise gave me a chance to learn a lot about my Krag bolts in my rifles and carbines and some of the changes made over the model years.

The changes were sometimes subtle, sometimes quite obvious. Changes were usually made for functional reasons or for production cost savings. Some of these changes are noted below and annotated on the pictures over the next few posts. Hope they help collectors better identify what you have and what you might see when evaluating these firearms.

Interestingly, all of the bolts are interchangeable across all models and head spacing, although an important issue in safely firing your Krag, is rarely an issue.

Poyer's has excellent pictures and good labeling for many of these changes. I use Poyer's a lot for some of this detailed information. It has its place in Krag collecting as do Mallory's, Brophy's and Joe Farmer's excellent Krag book.

This list is not all inclusive, just some more helpful features that help identify different Krag bolts.

The early M1892 bolts have the smooth extractor without the hold-open pin. This change was made as a M1896 change and M1892 Krag rifles that were "updated" to the M1896 format included this important alteration. This allowed for inserting a round in the opened chamber without having the bolt close from gravity on the operator when the gun was pointed downward. New M1896 bolts produced had the extractor held in by a rivet instead of the screw found on the M1892 bolts. The updated M1892 (92/96) bolts retained the screw.

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The very early M1892 Krag bolt handles were stamped with their serial number from number 31-400. (I haven't found one of these yet for my collection.)

The M1892 Krag bolts bodies through serial number 15,500 had an internal slot for the securing stud on the cocking piece. This was eliminated after 15,500. This is right around the time when, according to Poyer, that steel lot numbers were stamped on the bolt handle. This is what we found in examining bolts for Fred's study.

The early M1892 bolts had the wide guide rib running down the entire body. The guide rib was cut thinner to lighten the bolt after serial number 14,600.

Changes were made to the bolt handles for each of the different model number bolts. These differences are somewhat subtle but can be seen for quick ID of which bolt model you are seeing. The pictures below show these differences which can be used to quickly identify bolt models when evaluating Krags.

The gas vent hole on the early M1892 bolts were cut 0.590 inches from the bolt face. Starting serial number 36,000, the vent hole was moved to 0.825 inches behind the bolt face.

The safety lock pin was present in early Krag bolts. This pin was eliminated around serial number 24,000 which is right around the start of the M1896 bolt. This pin was replaced with an internal spring and plunger.

The bottom of the lug was squared off in M1892 Krag cocking pieces. Starting around the beginning of the M1896 bolt production, serial number 30,000, the lug was beveled.

There were many other changes but these are a few that I noted in the pictures below and on the next post.

Again, this was done as an educational exercise. If there are any mistakes or additions, please let me know. These pictures can be of great help in comparing bolts for different model Krags.

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More M1892 Krag bolt pictures.

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Thanks for the breakdown. Now I gotta look at my 92 and 96 bolts to see if they follow suit.