Springfield Armory ~ Model 1898 ~ .30-40 Krag

Although its service life was short, the Springfield Model 1898 Krag-Jørgensen, the "Krag" is one of our more interesting vintage military rifles. "Krag" rifles hold several historic distinctions. They were chambered for the first smokeless-powder cartridge adopted by the U.S. military. They were not of domestic design, so adoption was hotly contested by American engineerswho even sued the U.S. government in outrage. And although heralded as the ideal balance of assault-stopping repeater and accuracy-promoting single shot (with the magazine cutoff engaged), the Krag was proven inferior in combat. It also was the shortest-lived military longarm in U.S. history. Not quite 750,000 were made, in all variations, worldwide. About 500,000 were manufactured at Springfield Armory. They were quickly decommissioned and sold as surplus after the Springfield 1903 was adopted, so Krags were plentiful and cheap during the early part of the last century. This example is still in the original configuration and presents well. A nice collector piece for those liking surplus rifles.