The Krag Rifle [Hardcover]

William S. Brophy (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Gun Room Press (1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882270257
• ISBN-13: 978-0882270258
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,669,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the Krag collector, February 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Krag Rifle (Hardcover)

This book covers the history and traces the changes this fine rifle went through as the US forces converted from black powder to smokeless. It is a great resource for identifing proper parts makeup for that rifle you are looking to collect. The rear sight options are extensive.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Krag Rifle by Lt. Cl. Wm. S. Brophy U.S. Army Ret., July 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Krag Rifle (Hardcover)

Lt. Cl. Brophy has done a decent job of outlining the history, machanical changes and service use that the U.S. Model Krag- Jorgenson rifle was involved in. Chapters are layed out in cronological order beginning with the quest for smokless powder and ending with the inception of the Model of '03.

Yet after reading and rereading this work, it becomes apparant that the author could have been much clearer in the way that he layed out the facts most important to the arms collector. Perhaps the one charactoristic that contributed to the lack of clarity in this book is that much of the text are reprinted copies of the Springfield Arsonal's formal records and corespondances on the arm, and the many changes that underwent. As a result the book tends to bog down and the reader is left with no alternative but to skim along looking for the facts relevant to the collecting of these arms. The vast majority of these transcriptions would have been better left for the appendicies, (of which there are many). Yet, the appendacies that were constructed for this work are written in such small font that they are all but unreadable. (There are typically four transcribed pages to each appendacized page).

In addition the author's use of pictures was less then optimal for the reader wishing to collect the Krag. Many of the pictures in this book are too dark to clearly illustrate the small details for which they were provided. This proves frustrating to the reader. Also, with regard to pictures, the author did not use them to compare and contrast various configurations of the rifle by placing different configurations along side one another. He did however do this with some pictures of some of the internal parts of the weapon which was indeed helpful.

This book is fine as a coffee table book. It provides an excellent look into the inner workings of the Springfield Armory at a very critical time in the history of firearms development, as well as some information on the detailed changes that took place on the martial arm of that time. Yet if one seeks information pertinent to the collecting of this arm, such as is found in "The Trapdoor", by Earnst and Wait, or in any of the "Collector Field Guide Series", by J.C. Harrison, they are looking in the wrong place.