With the invention and subsequent adoption of smokeless powder by most of the major militaries in Europe, the United States Military began a search for a new service rifle beginning in 1891. A competition was held in 1892, comparing 53 rifle designs including Lee, Mannlicher, Mauser, and Schmidt–Rubin, along with a handful of designs submitted by domestic manufacturers, like Winchester and Remington. The trials were held at Governors Island, New York, and the finalists were dwindled down to a handful of competitors - all of them foreign manufacturers— Lee, Mauser, and a Norwegian design submitted by Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen. The "Krag-Jorgensen" featured an internal magazine that was is integral with its receiver. Instead of a standard box magazine that needed to be loaded from the top of the action while keeping the bolt withdrawn, the Krag featured an opening on the right hand side with a hinged cover. Single cartridges were inserted through the side opening, and are pushed up, around, and into the action by a spring follower. The US military was particularly impressed by this magazine design, as it could be topped off as needed without opening the bolt (thus putting the rifle temporarily out of action). Ordnance officials also believed the Krag's magazine cutoff and lower reloading speed to be an advantage, one which conserved ammunition on the battlefield. The US Ordnance Department awarded the contract to Krag-Jorgensen in August 1892 and the Norwegian design officially became America's first repeating service rifle.
Production lines were immediately set up at Springfield, but initial production was deferred as the result of protests from domestic inventors and arms manufacturers. Two rifle designers, Russell and Livermore, even sued the US government over the initial selection of the Krag, forcing a review of the testing results in April and May 1893. In spite of this, an improved form of the Krag–Jørgensen was again selected, and was again awarded the contract.
In addition to the adoption of the new rifle, the U.S. military also adopted a new cartridge. Officially designated "cartridge, caliber 30, U.S. Army", but also known as "30 Government", ".30 Army", and ".30-40 Krag", the new cartridge reduced the .45 caliber round of the .45-70 to a smaller and faster .30 caliber bullet. This would allow the soldier to carry more ammunition without having to carry more weight. Additionally, the new bullet would be propelled by a "smokeless" nitrocellulose powder which burned hotter and cleaner than the black powder of old. This new powder allowed the Krag's 220 grain bullet to travel at an impressively fast 2000 feet per second.
Around 500,000 "Krags" were produced at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts from 1894 to 1904. The Krag–Jørgensen would be used during the Boxer Rebellion, the Spanish–American War, and the Philippine Insurrection. A few carbines were used by United States cavalry units fighting Apaches in New Mexico Territory and 2,000 Krag rifles were taken to France by the United States Army 10th–19th engineers during World War I; but there is no evidence of use by front-line combat units during that conflict.
The Krag was fairly-well received by those who were issued them - the lack of traditional magazine follower made cycling the gun's action extremely smooth; with many calling the Krag "the slickest bolt action ever made". Ironically, the feature that had attracted Ordnance officers to the Krag design in the first place would ultimately become the rifle's greatest weaknesses. This became especially apparent during fighting in Cuba, when US U.S. soldiers encountered Spanish troops armed with the 1893 7mm Spanish Mauser which was not only stronger than the Krag action, but could also be quickly reloaded with 5 round stripper clips; while the Krag's side loaded magazine could only be loaded one-at-a-time and was vulnerable to dirt and mud.
After the lessons learned during the Spanish–American War, the US military began drafting new designs for a service rifle based on the Mauser action in 1902. By 1903, the design had been refined to the point that is was officially adopted as the M1903 Springfield rifle, with the last of the Krag rifles rolling out of Springfield in 1904.
This particular M1898 Krag rifle was made in 1900. It remains in excellent, collector-grade condition. Unlike many Krags that were shortened and re-worked into deer rifles, this rifle remains in its original martial configuration.
The stock is full length and has an excellent crisp, "P" firing proof on the wrist behind the triggerguard - an excellent indicator that the stock has never been sanded or refinished.
The metal components are all in great condition with an overwhelming majority of their original bluing still present.
The action is buttery smooth and the barrel is in excellent condition with sharp rifling and no real rust or pitting to speak of - a rare feature for a Krag, as most examples feature very pitted "shot-out" barrels due to the corrosive ammunition used in the early 20th Century.
The original front and rear sights are intact and in great condition, and the furniture is all original and matching. This rifle also includes are fairly rare brass "muzzle protector" which originally issued to help keep moisture and other debris out of the gun's muzzle when the weapon wasn't being fired.
Despite its relatively short service life of on 12 years, the Krag-Jorgensen's legacy is hard to ignore. It represented many "firsts" for the American military, including distinctions of being the first US standard infantry repeating weapon, and the first American military weapon to chamber a smokeless cartridge. The popularity of the Krag has risen substantially in recent years, with many collectors adopting them as faithful deer rifles. Still others appreciate it for its sleek profile, distinctive magazine and remarkably smooth action. An increase an collector interest also brings with it an increase in price, with the average price of a Krag rifle rising more than 25% in the past 5 years. Despite this price increase, the Krag rifle still remains one of the more affordable US service rifles on the market with prices continuing to climb every year. For this reason, I consider the Krag to be a fairly safe investment for those looking to invest in antique military arms, as these iconic guns are sure to continue climbing as years go on. Don't wait on this one!
*This weapon was made after 1899 and MUST be shipped to Federal Firearms License holder for transfer. Never bought a gun through an FFL before? Give us a call at (262) 473-5444 and we'd be glad to walk you through this simple process!
