Got a New-to-me Krag. SRS Check Please?

[BarryinI]

Model 1894, s/n 21211. It's been sporterized, but I'm still curious to get some idea where most of it has been.

[Tom Trevor]

No listing for that number closest is 21218

[5MadFarmers]

Model 1894, s/n 21211. It's been sporterized, but I'm still curious to get some idea where most of it has been.

About the time your gun was metal being worked into pieces a few that I have were as well. Those guns, very rarely, didn't go through a rebuild, some went through a light rebuild, and some went through the light and then joined a very large number of rifles going through a heavy rebuild.

21218, not that it matters, was one of six rifles used to determine the graduations for the M-1896 carbines (serials starting in the 24XXX range). Those can be dated to March of 1896. Gives you an idea on where the 21K guns were.

As they made receivers for spare parts there is no guarantee that it was a rifle at that point at all.
If they found it on a work bench under a towel three months later they could make a gun from it but it'd be late.

Assuming it was with the great bulk, it was assembled in late 1895 or early 1896 - the stuff tended to get out of order as it went. Think "first in last out" bins.

Does the stock it's in retain a cartouche? Might not be original to the gun but it'd be interesting to know.
Does the extractor have the pin to hold the bolt open when that pin goes into the divot on the receiver?
Does the receiver have the divot?

The rifles assembled from serials around your gun didn't have the pin or divot. Later some were updated to M-1896 format but sans the divot and pin. Then, later yet, everything "pre-1896," to include the ones already partially updated, went through a rebuild program and came out as M-1896 rifles.

[BarryinI]

Thanks for the info!

I bought this from a friend after only seeing it one time. It wasn't for sale then, so I didn't go over it in detail and apparently didn't remember everything anyway. The big thing I missed is the stock. I was thinking it had a cutdown stock, but its a replacement.
There goes the cartouche idea.

I had originally thought I'd "de-sporterize" this one, like I've done with other rifles in the oast. Or at least turn it into a replica carbine. However, the more I look, the more I decide the sporterizing job isn't too bad. It's way better than most, which may not be saying much. Since I wouldn't mind having a decent sporter, maybe this will be the one.

That's not to say I don't still want to know about its past! I do, and I appreciate all you've told me so far.

To answer some questions, yes, the receiver has the divot and the extractor has the pin to steady the bolt when open.

[5MadFarmers]

Thanks for the info!

I bought this from a friend after only seeing it one time. It wasn't for sale then, so I didn't go over it in detail and apparently didn't remember everything anyway. The big thing I missed is the stock. I was thinking it had a cutdown stock, but its a replacement.
There goes the cartouche idea.

I had originally thought I'd "de-sporterize" this one, like I've done with other rifles in the oast. Or at least turn it into a replica carbine. However, the more I look, the more I decide the sporterizing job isn't too bad. It's way better than most, which may not be saying much. Since I wouldn't mind having a decent sporter, maybe this will be the one.

That's not to say I don't still want to know about its past! I do, and I appreciate all you've told me so far.

To answer some questions, yes, the receiver has the divot and the extractor has the pin to steady the bolt when open.

Excluding oddities, all the guns with "1894" were rifles. Some test carbines but nothing production. It was rifles for the infantry first and then the carbines which, as noted, start in the 24K area. "1895" marking.

After the M-1896 rifles were out all the early guns they managed to round up were "remanufactured" to M-1896 format. It'd be what one would expect: knock them down and refinish the parts. At the other end assemble guns from recovered and new parts.

Your gun, given the notched receiver, went through that. So turning it into a carbine is kind of pointless given the "1894" marking and restoring it would be a might difficult given that divot on the receiver. It could be restored to M-1896 format but those, having been remanufactured, aren't screamingly collectable. Not enough to go through the effort anyway. Myself I prefer them over the pedestrian M-1898s but maybe I'm weird.

Ergo it it's probably best left as is. Won't shoot any different and that's really the point of a gun.

Do you like hotrods? Some people find old cars and turn them into hotrods. Others restore them. Different tastes. Not "wrong" or "right," just different. The sporterized guns are the hotrods. Some like them and some don't. Different crowds really.

Cheers.

[BarryinI]

I knew there were no carbines that early, but I guess it hadn't clicked yet! Thanks for the wakeup there.

The Krag is one of the few military rifles I'd like to have in a sporter (as long as it was already done) and since this one isn't too far off from "just what I'd want" I'll probably leave it as it came.

Thanks again for the info.