Hello new friends.

I used to be a long-time member of the M14 forum but an over zealous moderator made that no fun anymore. I saw nothing wrong with celebrating Ramadan with pork ribs, personally. My bad? Am currently also on the FAL Files, but they won't let noobs post pics there. Only contributors. So here I am.

I will fill in my profile in a bit.

I have always loved surplus rifles as most everyone. There is something about the steel & wood that all of this new polymers & aluminum cannot hold a candle to.

I can see down below that I can post photos here.

Sometimes God, the Barraka, the universe, and luck smiles upon you.

Just today I picked up a Krag Carbine. I know you buy the rifle not the story but...

The gear does seem to match the story. I saw it on BackPage Phoenix for $350 I guess because it is not painted black and have a 30 round magazine, no one in the area was interested.

OK, here are the details and I will follow up with pictures.

1894 US Springfield Armory. The US is above the SA. then 12XX serial number.
28 cartouche on the heel of the stock.

That is just the rifle. It gets better...

a.) It came with a Winchester Super X yellow box of ammo with 13 rounds left. 180 gr silvertips, product number 30403. What is cool is the box has a price tag of $4.75 with the words Yellow Front on the tag too. Probably the store that sold it.

b.) It came with a horse scabbard that has seen years of use and has molded itself over the rifle through many years of riding over hill & dale.The scabbard has an oval makers mark. E. G. Noble Heprener, ORE. and Maker in the middle of the oval.

c.) Then, imagine my suprise when I opened the cleaning gear hole in the stock and out pop four things. A three section cleaning rod with a slot in one end for patches and a thin little all steel oiler with a knurled end cap.

NOW THE STORY:
The guy said it was his great grandfather's and he was in the army during the Spanish-American war in the cavalry.  More as I learn.

OK, fixed the SN issue.

May I ask what was your major indicator as to it not being an original carbine?  I am not doubting, just asking.  Was it barrel length?

Welcome!

These are better pics than the ones you posted on GVB.

My basic answer doesn't change, but the model of sight does - that is an 1896, so, the question changes to 1800 or 2000yds?

Butlersrangers sums it up pretty well, except there were only two M1892 carbines.

The story may have been true as far as it went - that gun would definitely have seen SAW service. What you were not told was that he modified it to hunt with. That is a neat (and old) scabbard. The ammo dates from the 1950s/60s.

I would say you made a good deal for that gun at that price, if the bore is decent. I see far worse for far more on the auction sites every day.

Just for grins, I googled Heppner, OR, along with Noble - and found that they were - supposedly - a well-known saddle-maker. You might have a real gem there; well worthy of further research! As mentioned above, the scabbard could be worth more than the gun.

While I do not ride, either, one of my great-grandfathers, David E.Walker, founded the well-known Visalia Stock Saddle Company in Visalia CA, in 1870, so, old leather items have always interested me.

I have the seller writing me up a little deal about him.  I asked that he also include his SSN and full name.

He said it would take about two weeks.  He said his father and grandfather are working on it.  I am sure it will be a cool story.

I told him I would post it here and send him the link, so it can be a memorial to his great grandfather.

IMHO:  Seller's family should 'disown' him for selling off a family heirloom!  BTW - Requesting a Soc. Sec. # can scare a lot of people off.  It is not very useful, unless, you are an 'identity thief'!  It is better to know States, Counties, and 'towns' where great grand-father lived, when searching for background info.

My apologies, Dick, if that came out as harsh.  That was not my intent.  Pure ecomomics says a reseller will never give you as good a price as a collector.

Most of my experience with resellers, are of those "gun runners" that have tables at gun shows.  They are not nice people at all when you try and sell something to them.

Pawn Star shows are more generous.

I once had a Luger from 1936 with all matching numbers and a hardwood base on the magazine.

I had 100% of those "gun runners" offer me a one-to-one trade for that mag with a generic aluminum based one, and a whole $500 for the pistol. (yeah, right)... and they were serious!

I have other examples that are just as obscene.

They always use the excuse..."well we have to make a profit" to justify totally screwing me.

The difference between me and them, is that I gave the guy selling the rifle his asking price.  That is a big difference.

If someone wants to sell me a Johnson rifle for $500, I will pay them.  You would too.

Another big difference is I am going to keep this entire setup, not mark it up 300% and put in on-line or back on the table like those "gun runners" do.

I might possibly sell the saddle scabbard to someone in the cowboy shooting game or to someone that will appreciate it, though.