Mr. Gun Nutz,

Welcome to KCA. You've stopped off at the right place to learn about your Krags and how to best rekindle the old war horses!

Your one Krag serial number 164986 was manufactured at Springfield Armory somewhere in the range of December 1898 into January 1899. Since the feds use Krag serial number 152671 as the official Krag serial number made January 1, 1899 requiring registration, it would appear that your Krag was officially born in January 1899.

Yours is a Model 1898 Krag rifle.

There are original Krag barrels floating around out there for purchase that can be switched with your current worn barrel and some companies that will replace your barrel with a newly made one in great condition. Either way costs money and takes a skilled gunsmith with the correct tools to remove and switch barrels. Re-boring can be done but is not usually the best choice.

We have found, though, that many Krags with crappy looking barrels can still be quite accurate. You might want to clean yours up well, have it examined if there is any question of shootability or condition of the bolt and chamber (usually not a problem but I mention it to be careful), get some .30-40 Krag ammo and blast away! You might be surprised at the results you get.

At least you could check it out before getting into the cost too deep.

If you are able to do so, can you post pictures of your Krags? We love to see Krags and comment on all types of details from good to bad for what you have, always with friendly intentions.

I checked the Springfield Research Service manuals and your Krag serial number is not listed as a documented Krag rifle. Only about 5% are listed, so don't fret. Many people ask about that listing.

Good luck and welcome again!