In my youth, I learned there was a lot of Fakery and Misrepresentation in Krags that were "For Sale". Cut-down Rifles were routinely 'Hawked' as "Cavalry Carbines" and "Philippine Constabulary Carbines".
It is the collector/buyer's responsibility to be cautious and educate himself before rushing into dangerous ground. It is over 111 years since Springfield Armory built any new Krags - 100 years since any Krags were altered into 'School Rifles - Almost 100 years since Krags saw WW1 Service - and about 85 years since the DCM sold Krags to the Public. (The sudden appearance and sale of CMP Krags is about 5 years in the past). The age and condition of our Krag 'population' has created a demand for parts and accessories that are quite expensive and not always available. There are reproduction Stocks, Hand-guards, small screws, Barrels, cleaning rods, brass muzzle cover/sight protectors, and front-sight blades available from some vendors. These items serve a purpose, but, when used and not honestly represented, can easily fool the unwary. Carbine rear-sights are particularly valuable and loose ones fetch a lot of money. Yesterday, I was looking at the S&S Firearms on-line catalog. In the past, I knew they had altered some model 1896 Rifle sights into "replica carbine sights. To the experienced eye, these machined and re-marked sights are pretty obvious. Yesterday, I noticed, S&S Firearms is using original parts to make some replica model 1898 and 1902 Carbine sights. IMHO, it is regrettable they are doing this and marking them with little "C"s. S&S Firearms is certainly not trying to defraud anyone, but, there will be confusion to some collectors. Educate yourself on fine details and Buyer Beware. (Attached photos of bogus replicas).
|