I don't know about that, but I've owned a sh*t ton of them in my life.
First one was in 1969, at age 16, M1896 cavalry carbine- for the exorbitant cost of $30. It coincided with my first bullet mold- a 155 grain plain base design. I cast the first bullets using an empty soup can and a propane torch and immediately stuffed 20 or 30 of them into Krag cases (with no lube on them, first mistake) over top of a pretty stiff charge of 2400 (second mistake). Out in the neighbors field at my "private shooting range" I rapped those twenty shots lickity-split downrange. First couple shot to the sights and I was cock-a-hoop. By the time I fired the last shot they were spraying all over the hillside. Heck, one or two might still be flying for all I know. I trudged home feeling not so hot after all. That night when I went to clean the gun I saw that the rifling grooves were packed level with lead- it looked like a smoothbore. Lesson learned, at the cost of several evenings and a few bore brushes: lube the damn*d bullets, and don't shoot them at around 2000 fps without a gas check. I went on to kill my first deer with that gun.
Favorite one was a Krag built by Sedgley. It was a three shot repeater (two in the magazine, one up the spout) with its magazine box removed but with the follower and spring cleverly fixed under the solid wood RH side of the classic-styled pistol grip stock, Lyman 48 sight. It went away along with a few other treasures 30 years ago, to help finance 36 acres of Pennsylvania woods.
I think I posted pics of my .22 Maximum Lovell single shot Krag custom, with heavy Marksman-style stock and double set triggers? Built by Hervey Lovell himself probably sometime in the 1930's. It's a whizzer.
Current on again-off again project: a M1896 attributable to a Trooper in the 1st Volunteer Cavalry, (Rough Riders). It came to me as a bare action and is being built as an homage to Townsend Whelen's custom Krag sporter. Griffin&Howe-style stock with kidney cheekpiece, ebony forearm tip, steel furniture, new Criterion barrel, Lyman 48 receiver sight, pretty crotchwood black walnut stock. I'll post pics at some point- it's at a gunsmith buddy's shop where I'm doing the work on it. (The college laboratory workshop that is my day job is not exactly a gun friendly environment.)
