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Posts: 562 Joined: Mar 11 th, 2012
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Re: 30-40 Krag handed down from father, need info
Reply #10 - Mar 11th, 2016 at 5:47pm
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To me, there are several classes of altered Krags and the values increase substantially. Maybe we can rank them from 0 to 10 and use decimal points for special efforts.
The bottom of the barrel are those that my Dad said were "hacked on by the idiot son of the village blacksmith in the dark of the moon". Those aren't worth much. Call them Class 0.
Next, I would put the Bannerman jobs put together from parts, and maybe not parts from Krags. Class 1, at best, with those points given for imagination.
Then there are the basic alterations; shortened barrel but properly cut & crowned. Front sight from an 03 or an aftermarket band sight, shortened stock. Issue sights left on. I'd give them a 2. A No-Drill receiver sight would add 1 point to the ranking. Drilling the receiver for a scope mount takes away a point, maybe more.
Next I would put those with simple aftermarket stocks that were well done. Add a point for a 1920s-era barrel band inside the stock, maybe attached to the front sling swivel. I would put those in the 2 to 3 category.
Then there are the alterations that added a higher comb and a pistol grip to the military stock. To me, those are in a class by themselves. Some are awful, but some are marvels of woodworking skill. I tend to give the really good jobs 3 to 4 points.
Then there were sporters built with aftermarket stocks of high-end wood, like the Peerless stocks sold by Stoeger. Those were drop-in stocks, but a world away from a Bishop or Fajen. If a bare-bones Bishop gets a 3. a Peerless gets a 5 or 6.
After that, to me, come the altered Krags that were done by very skilled craftsmen, both known and unknown. What's the value of one marked "Griffin & Howe" or "Hoffman Arms Co."? 9?
The last 4 Amoskeag auctions have had 50 or more really high-end Krags, those worked over by masters, all in the 7 to 10 class. Most of them came from Mark Beneson's estate. Most sold for $800 to $1500 and all were bargains.
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