Springfield Model 1898 Krag-Jorgensen carbine. It's not a genuine carbine; the stock was cut back with not a terrible amount of skill and the barrel was shortened. The rifling is in good shape and the internals look fine. The outside finish is kind of crappy, but hey, how good are you going to look when you're 112 years old?
OK, I'll admit it, I'm not a fan of EBRs. They have their uses, true, but I like the older military rifles with wooden stocks. Not doing any research, the carbine I bought was probably sold off in the early part of the last century for $5 or less. Somebody then decided that a rifle with an 18" barrel was a lot easier to handle in the woods than one with a 30" barrel and had it cut down. I'd guess that it was someone's deer rifle back in the day.
Too bad, though. If the rifle hadn't been cut down, it would possibly have been worth several times what I paid for it.
6 comments:
Be sure and have the bolt checked for cracks (magna-flux it if you can) and have the headspace checked as well. Otherwise you have a winner...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Frank, I was thinking of picking up a dye-penetrant kit from Grainger or McMaster-Carr.
Cool beans. A good machine shop can clean up the crown if need be.
IS that .40-40 and is ammo available?
Wood can be refinished, plastic the best you can do is bondo and paint.
Eck!
Comrade: I'm not a gunsmith and I have no experience with the dye, but I have had stuff magna-fluxed at race shops. That's why I suggested it, but if the dye works then...
I just know Krags have a history of cracking bolts, so be careful.
All The Best,
Frank W. James
.30-40, though the -40 was 40 grains of a smokeless powder. .30-40s were probably the first commercially available smokeless rifle cartridges.
Frank, I have contacts with a couple aircraft maintenance shops, so I'll ask them.
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