I have a '98 rifle that was made in October of '98. It has been through at least one rebuild. It has the 1901 rear sight. The stock is marked, as best I can tell by comparing to the photos in Poyer's book, 1901. I can't tell for certain because one of its previous owners varnished or shellaced the stock and filled in the cartouche. The script "P" is clearly visible, how ever. I'd like to strip it and oil it as was originally done but Momma says "NO!"  I have to agree with her some what, as it looks like a piece of fine furniture.
I know this is a speculative question, but would the general consensus be that these changes were done at the same time? Why would they have stocked it with Italian instead of American Black Walnut? Is that about the time there was an Am. Black Walnut shortage at the armory?
Thanks for your replies. Not looking to sell or other wise dispose of said rifle. I'm just curious, that's all.
Thanks
Jon
PS- I'd post pics but photobucket is still holding my pics hostage and haven't had time to find another photo host yet.

You can post your pictures directly without going thru a host. I used photobucket up until about a year ago. My posts with photobucket are now purposely distorted for some reason and I wished I had found out how to post directly sooner. It is much easier and more permanent.

Knute 1,
Please enlighten me in the process. I tried to figure it out but came to a dead-end. I get as far as the "choose file" dialog box but when I hit the "post" button, nothing happens except a dialog box that says I need to enter some thing.
Thanks
Jon

log in to KCA

create a new thread or reply to a post to get a new window.

Read all the stuff below the window and the smiley faces out loud.  Especially about the file size, 768kb.

Click browse.  Find the file on yer computer.  Select it.

Then click "Post message"

The end


almost.


Want more than one photo?  Look left at the word "attachments".  Click the down button.

Repeat the above sequence.

This is all Windows.  Nothing has changed in twenty five years.




.

Culpepper,
Thank you, Sir. Apparently my pics are too big for the KCA system--.95mb. All I have to do is learn to re-size. I'll do that as soon as I put my abacus down. Obviously I'm not the shiniest bullet in the magazine.
Jon

Jon- The discussion about Italian Walnut comes up frequently on this forum. We tend to look more favorably on the nice yellow appearance of the Italian Walnut Krag stocks because they stand out from many of the other typical darker American Walnut stocks.

There is a nice discussion on the following post with some documentation of Italian Walnut stocks collected by a well known and respected Krag collector who is now deceased- Bill Mook. Look at reply#4 to see this info about the Krags in his collection that had these stocks.

When you are able to get the pictures, we'll help you identify more info about your Krag.

Welcome!

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musketjon wrote on Jan 20^th, 2020 at 2:16pm:

Culpepper, Thank you, Sir. Apparently my pics are too big for the KCA system--.95mb. All I have to do is learn to re-size. I'll do that as soon as I put my abacus down. Obviously I'm not the shiniest bullet in the magazine. Jon

Holy Ned!  95meg!  What are they? TIFF files?  Oooooooo it's 950kb.  never mind

Open MS Paint (MS is MicroSoft to you folks in Rio Linda).  Open the file and find the resize function and resize both the vertical and the horizontal by the same percentage.

Try 80 per cent AND Save As to a different name in case you need to keep the original size.

Then go into windows explorer and check the file size.

Frank Mallory's book, "The Krag Rifle Story", 2nd edition, has references on page 87 and page 97 to Italian walnut stocks.

Mallory reports, on page 87, the firm of Louis Windmuller and Roelker, of New York City, furnished Italian walnut wood for stocks and hand-guards. (13,000 stocks in June, 1899, and an additional contract for 20,000 stocks in July, 1899).

FWIW - I am sure the New York company supplied wood "blanks" and the actual shaping, finishing, and manufacture of the stocks and hand-guards was done at Springfield Armory.

On page 97, Mallory writes about the issue of Krag rifles to the Navy and Marine Corps, starting in November, 1899.

He reports:
...."The first 1,00 (sic) rifles issued to the Navy had stocks of light wood. These were in the 223000 serial number range"....

Mallory goes on to describe 'rear-sight updates' and believed there was an apparent effort to match Italian walnut hand-guards to stocks, during sight & hand-guard updates.

BTW - 'Lead Snowstorms' Krag rifle, #223502, is apparently in this 'Navy # range'. (His rifle was likely produced around August, 1899).

Mallory also reports a couple of "light stock" rifles, #331652 & #332195 being issued to engineers in 1902, to replace "dark stock" Model 1898 rifles.

The Italian stocks, that I have observed, generally have 1899, 1900, or 1901 dates in the J.S.A. acceptance stamp ("cartouche").

'Musketjon' - You said your Krag was built in October, 1898. I assume, it is in the 133K to 142K range?
You did mention it had gone through an armory/arsenal "rebuild", at least one time.
It is quite likely, when disassembled for 'refurbishment', parts got switched and the current stock is not your rifle's original stock. (Not that it should matter).

Apparently some 1896 stocks were also made from Italian Walnut for Field Replacement.

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The Left side

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Close up

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Another close up

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and another

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No cartouche

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3rd Platoon, Company H of some Infantry unit.

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Another close up

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And of the sling

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Those Italian socks are sure purty.

If BR notices he can put a couple of your photos in the "Feet of the KCA" thread.

That's not a foot ... It's a 'Croc'.

BTW - Beautiful fo .... I mean Stock!

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You mind if I add your rifle to the KCA serial number database?

No, go right ahead.