Welcome also to KCA!

Your father will enjoy his new Krag carbine with all of the good intentions you made. It is a beautiful Krag carbine that can be enjoyed and, most likely, shot with great joy.

No mention has been made of the condition of the bore on this fine looking carbine. The condition of the bore and the function of the bolt and receiver as a whole determine it's shootability. If the bore shows a lot of wear or pitting, it certainly doesn't match the outside appearance. Should be rather nice, I would think.

The discussion of the saddle ring is made above. I have a couple comments to add.

The front sight looks like a Lyman sight that is not arsenal made but after market. Not important to you or your father. It should work fine.

The entire carbine looks to have been refurbished in the sense that the stock may have been re-finished but the metal has all been re-blued. It is pristine. This carbine almost looks like a Turnbull restoration. Many parts of original Krags were not blued like this carbine.

There is a possibility that the 1896 cartouche has been re-struck on this stock. It looks like it is partially double struck and very clean.

Any Krag that has been restored after the arsenal manufacture loses most, if not all, military collectible value. It is beautiful but the military collector wants an original and correct piece as close to arsenal produced as possible.

That having been said, you do have a beautiful carbine that will make a great gift. That's what you bought it for!

Obviously you paid a lot for it but only because other people were bidding against you and thought it was worth a lot also. You guys have set the market value for this fine Krag. There were 5 bidders who bid it that high.

Collectors of military firearms probably would not have paid as much as you did. I saw this and put a bid of $965 on it. That's what it was worth to me.

Thanks for sharing and please let us know how your father reacts when he's given this!