Krag-Jorgensen M1898 Gallery Practice Rifle

Springfield Armory (US Government) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1906

Also known as: Model 1898 Gallery Practice Rifle, Krag .22 Gallery Practice Rifle, Springfield Model 1898 Cal. .22 Gallery Practice Rifle

Overview

The Krag-Jorgensen M1898 Gallery Practice Rifle is a bolt-action single-shot training rifle produced by Springfield Armory in 1906 and 1907. Built by rebarreling standard .30-40 Model 1898 Krag service rifles to the low-cost, low-recoil .22 Short rimfire cartridge, it let soldiers practice marksmanship on indoor gallery ranges while retaining the exact size, weight, sights and manual of arms of the issue rifle. The .22 barrels are marked 'CAL. .22', and the bolt uses an auxiliary rimfire extractor with an offset firing pin to fire the rimmed cartridge. Only about 850 were made, making it one of the rarest Krag variants.

Specifications

Weight (empty)4080 g (143.9 oz)
Overall Length1247 mm (49.09")
Barrel Length762 mm (30.00")
Action TypeBolt Action
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity1 rounds
Magazine TypeInternal
Muzzle Velocity329 m/s (1079 fps)
Muzzle Energy102 J (75 ft·lbf)
Effective Range25 m (27 yd)
Maximum Range200 m (219 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Base model

Krag-Jorgensen-M1898

Service history

Operators

Production

Estimated total produced: 850 · Production years: 1906-1907

Approximately 841-850 rifles produced by rebarreling existing .30-40 Model 1898 Krag rifles for indoor gallery marksmanship training; among the rarest of all Krag variants.

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Designer: Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jorgensen

Discontinued: 1907

Notes

Externally identical to a standard Model 1898 apart from the 'CAL. .22' barrel marking. The five-shot side-loading magazine was retained on the receiver but the rifle was fed one rimfire round at a time, effectively a single-shot. Production ended after the U.S. Army standardized on the M1903 Springfield.

Background

As the U.S. Army transitioned from the Krag to the M1903 Springfield, hundreds of surplus Model 1898 Krags found a second life on indoor gallery ranges. Rebored to the cheap .22 Short, they gave recruits the feel of the full-size service rifle at a fraction of the cost and noise, a training concept the Army would repeat for decades with dedicated .22 trainers.