U.S. Springfield M1898 Krag–Jørgensen .30-40 Krag Bolt Action Rifle C&R

SOLD FOR: $955

WOA#: WY240115DM004

Make: Springfield Armory

Model: M1898 Krag–Jørgensen

Serial Number: 451758

Year of Manufacture: 1902

Caliber: .30-40 Krag

Action Type: Bolt action, internal 5 round side-loading magazine.

Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “U.S. Model 1898. Springfield Armory. 451758”. The right side of the magazine is marked “30.40”.The left side of the wrist is marked with an inspector mark with the year “1902”. The underside of the stock is marked “A 13”. The underside of the grip is marked with a “P” stamp. The right side of the rear barrel band is marked with a “U”.

Barrel Length: 30”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade post pinned into a barrel mounted base. The rear sight is a first variation 1901 sight with a u-notch blade attached to an aperture slide on a ladder.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The wood stock has a straight grip, cutout for the bolt handle, finger grooves, nose cap with bayonet lug, barrel band, stacking loop, two sling loops, and a metal buttplate with hinged door for storage. The buttplate is pitted and has wear along the edges. There are compression marks, scuffs, and scratches throughout the wood. The upper handguard and forend have been sanded. There is dried residue on the underside of the stock, around the trigger guard assembly. The LOP measures 13.3” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Very Good overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is very little erosion in the bore.

In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 8.5 out of 10.

Many military and C&R eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide. For example, the U.S. used corrosive ammunition throughout WWII. The U.S. military did not begin to phase out corrosive-primed ammunition until the 1950s.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 45% of its metal finish. There are scuffs and scratches throughout the metal surfaces. There are areas of surface rust on the magazine, receiver, bolt, trigger guard, and barrel band. The finish is thinning on the barrel band, magazine, and receiver. The rear sight has a heavy amount of surface rust on the base and the ladder is bent. The magazine door does not stay open. The action and bolt show operational wear. There is dried preservative grease at the rear of the receiver. The cutout for the magazine cutoff is rough and there is corrosion in the slot. The screw heads show moderate use. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The rifle is missing its magazine cutoff. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes in a green CMP hard case.

Our Assessment: Following the advent of smokeless powder in the late 1880s, the United States Army Ordnance Corps began the process of replacing the aged single-shot trapdoor rifle design. In the early 1890s trials were held for a new smokeless powder magazine-loaded rifle, which led to the adoption of the Norwegian designed Krag–Jørgensen rifle in the form of the M1892. Production would begin in 1894 and, over the course of several rifle iterations, end with the M1898 in 1903. M1896 and M1898 rifles would primarily see service in the Spanish-American War, where they and their .30-40 cartridge were outclassed by the Spanish M1893 Mauser. One of the primary issues was the side-loading magazine which was slow to load and clumsy in comparison to the charger clip fed Mauser design. This would lead to the development of the veritable M1903 rifle. This is an example of a late production M1898, made in 1902. Curiously it retains a first variation 1901 rear sight and was not updated to the 1902. The upper handguard and forend have been sanded, but other than that the stock has no structural issues. The metal is worn, with many areas of surface rust. The magazine cutoff switch has been crudely removed. The magazine door does not stay open, which would make loading it rather difficult. The rear sight ladder is bent. But, the bore is in very nice shape and is quite bright with very little erosion. This would fit into any US milsurp collection. Please see our photos.

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