Well, some time has passed in the disposal of The Layabout Sailor’s estate guns, and nothing has changed since this post. In other words, there are a couple-three rifles are still available.
Let’s start with my favorite, the Norwegian Krag chambered in 6.5x55mm.
As I mentioned earlier, the carbine has been sporterized because its original stock was literally falling apart (like, giving the unwary shooter splinters when handled). As such, it has little collector value because those old boys want it original.
But as a hunting rifle? Hoo baby. If I were younger and still hunting, you wouldn’t be seeing it here because I’d have kept it for myself. I’ve fired the rifle myself before, back when Jim and I were doing one of our many range visits together, and it’s a honey. Look, it’s not really a long-range (400+ yards) gun, because few carbines are. But if I were doing dense-brush hunting for hogs, or deep-woods hunting for whitetails or even black bears, I would take this Krag ahead of any other rifle. And I mean that.
As for its action:
Butter-smooth, of course, and that Krag loading tray ditto. None of that wrestling a stripper-clip or thumbing individual cartridges down into a stiffly-sprung magazine, no siree; throw five cartridges in the tray, snap it closed and the gun will sort it out for you.
This Krag is a proper Norwegian issue (see the arsenal proof stamps) and was made in 1908.
Honestly? I love this little carbine so much that if I had the money, I’d just buy it from the estate myself, despite my having quit hunting. It’s that nice a gun. But I don’t, so I can’t (more’s the pity).
Now here’s the deal.
I want to raffle this off to you, my Loyal Readers. There is a reserve price of $500 that must be reached first, but to make it really easy, I’m asking for a ticket price of only $10 (no limit on purchase quantity). So if I get fifty entries (assuming only one ticket per Reader), it’ll be done and dusted — I’ll do the draw immediately, notify the winner and ship it off to your FFL. Shipping is on me.
Now ask yourself the question: Would I like the chance to own a sweetie like this for only $10? (That’s the current cost of one McDonald Meal Deal, go figure.)
Zelle to [email protected]; Venmo to @Kim-Dutoit-3. (I don’t do PayPal anymore, sorry.)
And paper checks to the usual Sooper-Seekrit address:
6009 W. Parker Rd
Ste. 149-141
Plano TX 75093
Do it for me, do it for Jim’s Widow Irish, but most of all, do it for yourself. You will not regret it.
I had an 1898 .30-40 Krag with that loading tray, from my dad’s collection. (He called it a “box magazine.”) Almost certainly went to Cuba during the Spanish-American war where it was captured, as he bought it from a Panamanian guy who in turn had bought it from a Cuban expat. The lands and grooves were not in good shape (probably had hot reloads fired through it) and the stock was from a newer model, but when I went to sell it Jackson Armory still gave me $900 for it. They told me that had it been within a certain range of serial numbers they would have offered me 10x that Not sure if that’s really true. Anyway, it was a very interesting piece but kind of a pain to fire.
My understanding is that the box magazine didn’t survive because it was no good in combat – soldiers would fumble the loading in the heat of battle, scrabble for the rounds in the dirt, and introduce grit into the action. Which is non-ideal.
I inherited my dad’s 1899 .30-40 Krag. He brought down a ton (actually, a good deal more than a ton) of deer & elk with it. If memory serves, it was the first standard issue military rifle to use smokeless powder, and has the distinction of having the shortest service life of any American standard issue rifle. 10 years, if I recall correctly.