98 Springfield value/quote

[ID_shooting]

There is a guy I kow here at work that has this old 98 rifle. It was his grandfather's during the war and he even has a picture of the man and the rifle during the war. The guy from my work is getting up in his years and has no kids or relative to pass this rifle on to. I would like it, but I want to make a fair offer. He does say the the color is not rust as the metal is smooth.

What do you think?

 

[ID_shooting]

more pics:

 

[Jim Watson]

Uncut Krags are pretty valuable these days, a good many hundreds of bucks. I'd do a search on the sale and auction sites and see what they were actually selling for.

 

[Jim K]

Which war? That is a U.S. Model 1898, commonly called the Krag-Jorgensen. Unless it has been altered, it fires the cartridge called the .30-40 Krag. The Krag was phased out of active service with the adoption of the Model 1903 Springfield in that year, but some were issued in WWI for rear area duty. A Krag in WWII would be a rarity and a picture to prove it would be an additional item of value.

The gun appears to be in only so-so condition, with a lot of the original finish gone, but if not altered it is still worth in the neighborhood of $400-500. Note that the safety is missing; that should be replaced before firing or selling the gun.

Jim