Welcome to right this moment’s Picture of the Day! Right here we’ve got one of many Military’s intelligent cost-cutting measures – a Mannequin 1898 Krag chambered in .22 rimfire for coaching. Solely 841 had been made in 1906-1907, making this scarcer than most experimental rifles. The genius was within the simplicity. These rifles look similar to plain .30-40 Krags externally, with solely a small “CAL./.22” marking making a gift of the key. Springfield engineers designed an auxiliary .22 extractor that interfaces with the usual bolt extractor, and offset the breech so the common firing pin works with rimfire ammunition.
The Military was coping with large coaching prices as they expanded after the Spanish-American Struggle. .30-40 Krag ammunition was costly, and indoor ranges had been changing into fashionable for year-round coaching. A .22 model let troopers observe bolt manipulation, sight image, and marksmanship fundamentals with out the fee and noise of full-power cartridges.
This instance was constructed as a whole rifle reasonably than only a barreled motion, identifiable by the four-letter script cartouche and “R.D.R.” marking behind the set off guard. The usual blade entrance sight and folding ladder rear sight maintained the coaching worth whereas holding prices down.
What makes these rifles traditionally vital is how they present the army’s rising sophistication about coaching methodology. Slightly than simply drilling with dummy ammunition, the Military acknowledged that precise taking pictures – even with diminished masses – was important for growing marksmanship abilities. This .22 Krag represents that evolution in army coaching philosophy in the course of the early 1900s.
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“U.S. Springfield Armory 1898 Krag-Jorgensen .22 Apply Rifle.” Rock Island Public sale, www.rockislandauction.com/element/4095/195/us-springfield-armory-1898-krag-jorgensen-22-practice-rifle. Accessed 12 Aug. 2025.
