This rifle was manufactured by the Springfield Armory in 1900 and is one of a limited number of Model 1898 Krag rifles produced after June 1899 that utilized stocks made from Italian walnut. The Italian walnut stocks were lighter colored than American walnut and had a finer grain. Collectors referred to them as the "Officers Model Krag". The rifle has the Model 1902 tangent rear sight with sliding peep aperture and elevation knob with cartridge rim slot. The barrel, upper and lower barrel bands, trigger guard, sling swivels and buttplate have the high polish, nearly commercial blue, finish utilized by Springfield Armory around the turn of the 19th Century. The bolt is bright with a fire-blue extractor. The loading gate, receiver, side plate, bolt sleeve, safety lock and cocking piece are casehardened with a muted, dark blue, finish. The top of the magazine cut-off lever is blue and the underside is polished bright. The left side of the receiver is roll-stamped: "U.S./MODEL 1898. SPRINGFIELD ARMORY 277284" in two lines. The left side of the stock wrist is stamped with the Ordnance final inspection mark "JSA" over the date "1900" surrounded by a rectangle with flattened edges. An encircled, script, "P" proof mark is stamped on the underside of the stock behind the trigger guard.

Excellent plus. This rifle is as issued and un-fired except for Armory proof firing. This rifle is all original and retains 99% plus of the bright blue and casehardened finish. Nearly all of the bright blue finish is present on the barrel, upper and lower barrel bands, trigger guard, sling swivels and buttplate. The buttplate has several very minor storage scratches. The extractor retains nearly all of the fiery niter blue finish. The excellent bolt is original armory bright and has dried grease in protected areas. The casehardened finish on the loading gate, receiver, side plate and bolt components is 'frosty' and shows no handling wear. The receiver markings are extremely sharp. The stock and handguard are in the same, near new, condition as the metal components and are almost entirely free from handling. The "SWP/1900" final inspection stamp and "P" proof mark are perfect. The only wear on the stock or handguard is some light discoloration or bruises on the underside of the stock about six-inches below the lower barrel band. The bruises were probably the result of contact with a sling hook. This is one of the very best Model 1898 Krag rifles with scarce Italian walnut stock extant and one of the very best 1898 Krag rifles we have ever offered. You will not find a better example of a Krag Model 1898 rifle.