Howdy, and welcome to the forum!

There are several models of Krag rear sights, and the hand guards are unique to the sights.  The 1902 sight shares the same hand guard as the 1898 sight.  The sight is installed with the sight piece and windage knob towards the rear.  I suspect if it will only line up reversed and still doesn't really fit the hand guard properly (no gaps around the base of the sight), then you have a 1901 hand guard.  You'll need to either find a 1902 hand guard, or a 1901 rear sight.  There is a photo page on the parent web sight which has pictures of the various rear sights and associated hand guards:  (You need to Login to view media files and links)

i have been trying everything i can think of to post a picture here , are there some simple directions for Dummies like me ? a picture is worth a thousands words and would show you my problem much better than i can explain as i just dont know my Krags well enough .

Krag 1901 sight & screws, 1901 hand-guard showing opening, and mounted 1901 sight (carbine) and 1901 hand-guard.

If you provide your serial number, we can make a pretty good estimate as to whether it is a real carbine. Only about 5000 are marked "Model 1898" and they occur in a fairly tight area. Yes, carbine sights are graduated differently, and marked with a "C". They are usually also more expensive, so no need to buy one for a cutdown.

'toucanman' - BTW, Welcome to the KCA Forum. (Sorry, I forgot my manners).

Your Model 1898 Krag, #231299, most likely is a 'cut-down' rifle.

It is outside the number range for the model 1898 carbines, (between approximately #117,536 to #133,791).

Like Dick said, only 5,000 model 1898 carbines were made. They are mixed, in the above number range, with lots of model 1898 rifles.

Your Krag was probably built around October or November of 1899. The model 1899 carbine was adopted and being manufactured by that time.

Model 1899 carbines are stamped "Model 1899" and start at around #225,000. Lots of model 1899 carbines had been produced by the time your Krag was made.

It would be interesting to see pictures of your Krag.

Where are your photos stored on your computer?

'Click' on 'Reply' at the bottom of this page. That takes you to the 'post a message window' on the KCA site, 'click' on the 'Browse' button, this should take you to 'libraries' on your computer where your photos are stored. 'Open' a photo and its name should appear next to the Browse Button. It is now attached to your Post. 

testing , thanks for help ,  lets see if that resizer link worked for me ? had a friend who is very familiar with the Krag ( retired gun store owner ) come over yesterday and went over it for me , found out i had a broken magazine follower spring ( bought one off ebay yesterday ) he checked the head space and gave me a box of shells he reloaded at 190 grains and said im good to go  after replacing that spring ........am i silly in wanting actually shoot this this old gun ?

this photo shows the backwards 1902 sight < i have a 1901 sight coming in the mail its not a carbine sight but a rifle sight .

Oh , he said it is a carbine and wants to buy it off me should i ever decide to do that , he made a pretty nice offer i think , waaaay more than i paid for it 40 years ago

the bolt assembly seen here was very tight and he swapped it with one he had that is much smoother and easier to use . not knowing much here i asked why he wanted to trade ? he said cuz the gun it came from doesnt work and he just wanted to help get mine in working condition , the other one looked like new , but this one has some patina and matches the look of the other parts much better . now that i can post pictures ill get a pic of the new bolt assembly today , this one he said is a later one as it says Ready or safe on the lever .......Steve

'toucanman'/Steve - I don't want to rock your friendship with your retired pal, but, it sounds like he put a 1903 Springfield 'Safety-Lever' on your Krag!

I don't even think that will work, unless it has been modified.

Krag Safety-Levers have no 'Ready' or 'Safe' marking - regardless of period of manufacture.

(FYI Photo: 1903 safety on left, Krag safety on right).