'Baggins' - How long is your Sling? It is an original for the Trapdoor or Krag.

Strangely, these slings were used as Carry-Straps, rather than a Shooting Aid.

Slings intended for the Krag seem to run 64 1/2" to 66 1/2 ". Some were made from two Civil War sling-sections sewn together.

In the early 1900's shorter versions appear for the Krag and 'Rod Bayonet 1903 Springfield'.

Your Krag's bore looks typical. That early ammo was hard on them. Some still shoot very well!

IMHO - The 'Tack', with #33, is probably a collector, National Guard, Police, or VFW "ID" Tag.

FWIW - A couple of photos showing how a period Sling goes on a 'Trapdoor' and a Krag. If the Sling is too long, it cannot be 'tensioned' on the Krag. The Sling in the photos is 72 inches long.

Your #33 Tag doesn't add to or detract from the overall value of your Krag.

But, I like it! It adds to its intriguing history.

I would place a value of $1000 on your Krag plus around $100 for the sling. I would pay a little more for a Krag rifle like yours with a better bore but many of the ones I have are pitted like yours. They still shoot well since, as your pictures show, the rifling is strong.

Butlers gives some good info about the sling. You have a really nice condition one. I use a leather conditioner called Sno-Seal on my slings and holsters to protect and hydrate the old leather. It has beeswax and gives it more life when they have had 100+ years of drying out. Yours doesn't look too bad but there are some cracks and it looks a bit dry.

I use Howard's Feed & Wax for my stocks to give a little more hydration and conditioning. It also has beeswax and works nicely. Your wood has some cracking around the metal parts and could use a little conditioning but it is not as dry and cracked as I have seen on others. If the stock is real dirty and dry, I'll give it a few good rub downs with Boiled Linseed Oil. Yours is not dirty, though.

So, now you need ammo and a place to shoot. If you are not comfortable with checking the chamber and bolt out, you might have someone else do that to make sure it is fire-worthy. The 30-40 Krag is rarely dangerous to shoot but it should be examined.

I have seen that eagle's head, and variations of it, on many pistols before like in Butler's post. Never seen it on a Krag. Interesting. Later arsenal rebuild or inspection?

Excellent results!

The bolt handle marking is most likely some sort of production number that has no known significance. This has been researched, debated and discussed at length in previous posts you can search for if interested.

Keep shooting!

Krags have been around for so long with official military and private use that each rifle has a unique history. If each could talk! There are so many different variations, changes, markings, alterations that each is truly unique. I can't explain many of the changes or markings on some of my Krags.

I think the Krags have the most interesting histories of any military firearm. That's why I'm addicted!

Whig wrote on Jul 4^th, 2019 at 4:05pm:


Whig, I believe, as Butlersrangers said, the 64 inch single strap sling used on the early Krags were designed for carry purposes only.  The 1907 sling is actually comprised of two segments, and uses two hooks.  The short strap threads through the butt stock swivel and attaches to the long strap.  The long strap is usually 48 inches, but for shooting can be longer to accomodate different shooters (mine are 50 inches).   

For shooting from Prone, the short strap hook is removed from the long strap and either removed from the swivel, or hooked near the swivel.  Then, the keepers are used to cinch the long strap around the upper arm and the hook is used to adjust the tension.

I was just thinking about the “2” mark on the stock above the P. Maybe the 2 was stamped above the original proof mark with the eagle stamp after it was rebuilt and proofed again.

The link below is to one of my favorite Krag youtube videos. I'm always amazed at the speed these Norwegians shoot their Krags. They reload with speed loaders and pull the trigger with their middle fingers so the thumb and index finger stay positioned to work the bolt at lightning speed.

At 2:36, one fellow shows how he threads his arm in his sling to support the rifle in the prone position. Just what you guys are describing for us.

Watch and be amazed:

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