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1898 Carbine (Read 5281 times)

RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	1898 Carbine Mar 25^th, 2019 at 5:26pm	Print Post
	I just purchased an 1898 Springfield Krag Carbine. The stock and butt plate has "Ritz" stamped on them. Can anyone tell me why it would have this stamp?
	« Last Edit: Mar 26^th, 2019 at 12:18am by RetiredMil »

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butlersrangers KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 6330 Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud Joined: Oct 7^th, 2009	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #1 - Mar 25^th, 2019 at 7:40pm	Print Post
	Likely, "Ritz" was the name or nick-name of a private owner, once the Krag was 'sold off' by the U.S. Government. If "Ritz" had done that, when it was government property, his Sergeant would have kicked his 'butt-stock' and the regiment billed him $25. p.s. - Pictures of your Krag would be fun to see. (Caution) There are not many genuine model 1898 carbines. Most Krag "carbines" are rifles cut-down by civilian hunters.


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #2 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 12:22am	Print Post
	Picture of Ritz on butt stock


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #3 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 12:47am	Print Post
	More Pictures


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #4 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 12:50am	Print Post
	Another Picture


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Whig KCA Official Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 1324 Location: Balt MD Joined: Sep 24^th, 2016 Gender:	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #5 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 1:04am	Print Post
	I think that the owner of this nice looking Krag just simply loved crackers.


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butlersrangers KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 6330 Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud Joined: Oct 7^th, 2009	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #6 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 3:24am	Print Post
	'RetiredMil' - You have a nice looking and useful Krag, but, it is not a model 1898 carbine. It is a 'cut-down' model 1898 rifle. The stock is a shortened rifle stock as evidenced by the lack of a 'band-spring' to retain the barrel-band. Your front-sight appears to be a 'banded-type' and was not used on military Krag carbines. The 1900 'cartouche' and "J" are original markings. The "J" was probably put on during a rebuild after 1903. You appear to have a Krag that was altered for Hunting and I suspect "Ritz" was a previous owner. It should be a fun Krag for the Range.


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #7 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 4:08am	Print Post
	Thank You for the information


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #8 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 4:48am	Print Post
	I will be backing out of the sale and looking for an original Carbine I wanted to have a pair one Krag rifle and one krag carbine. I have one M1 grand and one M1 carbine. So I wanted to do the same with the krag. Thank you for you help.


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butlersrangers KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 6330 Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud Joined: Oct 7^th, 2009	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #9 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 11:40am	Print Post
	Model 1899 carbines are the most plentiful and model 1899 marked actions were just built as carbines. Model 1898 carbines are the most faked. Only about 5,000 were made and most of those were updated to 1899 configuration.
	« Last Edit: Mar 27^th, 2019 at 1:50pm by butlersrangers »

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FredC KCA Official Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 759 Location: Dewees, Texas Joined: May 31^st, 2013 Gender:	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #10 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 2:05pm	Print Post
	On the putting on the putting on the RITZ Krag, am I seeing vice marks in the finger groove? Seems to be the corners of a rectangle pressed in. Moot point since RetiredMil is passing on it. One other comment the RITZ guy got a nice font with his stamps.


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RetiredMil KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 18 Joined: Mar 10^th, 2019	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #11 - Mar 26^th, 2019 at 6:57pm	Print Post
	I will start looking for an 1899 thank you for the information.


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butlersrangers KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 6330 Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud Joined: Oct 7^th, 2009	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #12 - Mar 27^th, 2019 at 2:33pm	Print Post
	Any Krag carbine requires close scrutiny. Expect to pay $1,000, and up, for legitimate examples. Basic warning flags are: 'Banded' front-sight, barrels not exactly 22" (measured from muzzle to closed bolt-face), presence of sling-swivels (always suspect), serial numbers outside known 'ranges', non-carbine rear-sight, atypical muzzle crown, stock tip with wood 'plug' and lacking barrel-band spring. When sold off by the Government, lots of Krag rifles were cut down to make them more useful for Hunting. "Quasi carbines" were cobbled together commercially by companies like Bannerman's and Stokes Kirk, when Krags were cheap and parts were abundant. The presence of a carbine part(s) on a 'cut-down' rifle, does not make it a carbine. There seem to be a lot of individuals trying to get big money for a $300 cut-down Krag rifle. Even buying a basic reference book, like Poyer's, "The American Krag Rifle and Carbine", for about $25, can help guide you in Krag purchases and increase your enjoyment.


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Knute1 KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 738 Location: Illinois Joined: Sep 10^th, 2016 Gender:	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #13 - Mar 28^th, 2019 at 12:22am	Print Post
	RetiredMil, I don't believe your sporterized Krag was modified to fake anybody out. It looks like an honest to goodness modification to suit a purpose years ago, likely for hunting. I don't know your situation, but anybody who tries to sell a sporterized Krag as an original carbine is either uneducated when it comes to Krags or is a fake himself. Not sure what you paid, but you can still get some enjoyment out of your sporterized Krag learning its inner workings as you study a book like Poyer's as Butlersrangers suggests. You can shoot it (check it out first), reload for it, and show it to friends who likely never seen anything like it before. Then you can wait for the great deal on a carbine that you can ascertain for yourself that it is for real after you studied the Krag. Lots of good info in this forum if you go back and read earlier posts, also. Takes time to soak it all in, and when you think you know everything you need to know, somebody throws you a curve ball. All the same, it will be an enjoyable journey.


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psteinmayer KCA Forum Member Offline Krag Enthusiast! Posts: 2391 Location: Ypsilanti, Michgan Joined: Aug 30^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: 1898 Carbine Reply #14 - Mar 28^th, 2019 at 5:52pm	Print Post
	Above all... educate yourself, either by reading from the experts (i.e. Brophy, Mallory, Poyer, etc.), or by talking with the experts here at KCA. I've been a member here for many years... and even though I've owned Krags for more than 35 years, I knew next to nothing when I joined. (LOL I was certain that my cutoff sporter 1898 with the 24 inch barrel HAD to be a real carbine... Boy was I wrong!) Now I'm certainly no expert... but I know a thing or two now. Still, I will always seek out advice from guys like Butlersrangers, Parashooter, and Dick Hosmer (three of the most knowledgeable Krag experts... and generally wonderful people I've met here). I've made a plethora of good friends on this forum. One could absolutely do a lot worse than the KCA!!! By the way... Krag sporters have a place in this world too... and can be great to hunt, or even just plink with!


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