Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 'Tis the season for OT bolt guns...

I picked up a M1896 Krag action with the idea of building a G&H pre war-style Krag sporter. Imagine my surprise/delight when I found it to check out on the partial list of Krag carbines issued to the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders). Evidently it was issued to one Richard Whittington, Troop G. I wonder with all my heart if he carried it up San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill, July, 1898. With my luck he was one of the guys who got dysentery right off the boat and his carbine spent the campaign propped against the [bleep] wall. I've been looking for an excuse to go downtown to the National Archives and this might be it.

The dilemma arises now in what to do with it. Like I said it is a (complete) action only. If I 'restore' it to originality it won't be any more 'original' than if I stuck to the original plan of building a classy sporter on it. Frankly, I'm leaning in that direction. 'Restoring' it will cost as much, if not more actually, than Plan A. (Original 1896 Carbine sights alone fetch about as much as a Stith setup for a 99. Minty original barrels fetch as much as a new premium barrel. I don't even want to think about what an original nice 1896 carbine stock is worth.)

I wonder what Trooper Whittington would do?

decissions decissions life is full of those little things ,whatever you do will be right [at least in your mind]
not necessarly insomebody elses

Richard spelled out S-P-O-R-T-E-R on my Ouija board.

p295 Richard broke his leg.

I keep finding G troop.

"WHITTINGTON, Richard; Gallup, NM; Pvt., G Troop; 25, 5ft., 9-3/ins., fair, brown, light-brown; born Charleston, WV; joined May 3, Santa Fe, NM; miner; single. "

You're right, Troop G.

Another tidbit about the RR's was that T.Roosevelt used his influence as a recent undersecretary of the Navy to get the guys issued Krag carbines. Other Volunteer units had to make do with Trapdoor Springfields and resented the 'glory boys' of the RR's their Krags. Officers in the RR's were issued with Winchester 95's, in .30 Army (.30/40 Krag). I wonder if they had to purchase those '95s or if TR bought them. Too bad they didn't go with Savage 95's. The amazing thing was they declared war in early April, then formed the Volunteer units, and had them in combat by the end of June. I wonder which parts of the training program they skipped.

Everything between "Son, Let me buy you a drink" and "FIRE!"

Gary id go with the Sporter plan, shoot and enjoy it, Plus you have the History, on the reciver, nice to talk about in hunting camp, savage fest ect.!

John

Hey Guys
What data base are you accessing to get your information?. In 2005 I had to send off to Springfield Research Services to get information on a Krag I bought at a gun show. Turns out it was used in the Phillipines insurrection by a trooper who had a drinking problem and spent a lot of time in confinement. Would be interested to know if this information is now available on line.

I got this info in the serial # lists in the back of Mallory/Olson's book on the Krag. They listed all of the known RR #'s that they knew of back when the book was published, but is only a partial list, containing maybe 1/5 of that unit's #'s.

I just checked and SRS is defunct, as of when Frank Mallory died.

I got my info in a google search for "Rough Riders Richard Whittington"

very interesting, thanks

I agree with John. Can you have it done by the Savage Fest?