.30-40 Krag. 22" barrel. SN: 25087. Blued finish, casehardened receiver, steel furniture, walnut carbine stock with 6.75" hand guard. Bolt action repeating military carbine with side mounted fixed magazine, M1896 "C" marked carbine rear sight with sight protecting single barrel band, Barleycorn post and pinned blade front sight, saddle bar and ring and trapdoor in butt for cleaning rods and oiler (not present). Receiver marked in a two lines: US/1895. SPRINGFIELD ARMORY 25087. Traces of a correct weak script JCA (James C Ayers) cartouche over an illegible date are present on the reverse wrist with a weak {Circle-P} firing proof behind the triggerguard plate. The Model 1896 Krag Carbine was officially adopted on May 23, 1895 with the first issues taking place in March of 1896. Some of the earliest production receivers were marked only with the 1895 production date, like this example. In William Brophy's seminal work on the subject he notes that the lowest 1896 carbine receiver number he had noted was 25,293. This example is slightly lower than Brophy's non-scientific study had recorded, suggesting that this is one of the very first of the 1896 Krag Carbines to be produced. Most serial number lists place the beginning serial number for 1896 production of Krags at about 30,000. A search of the Springfield Research Service serial number books supports this, as 1896 Carbine #25,083 (only 4 numbers from this gun), was noted as being tested at Springfield Arsenal and later shipped to San Antonio Arsenal. #25,231 was also a test gun which was used by a Captain Fuller for those purposes. Other SRS documented M1896 Krag Carbines close to this gun include #25027, #25095 and #25,101 which were all sold as surplus by the Raritan Arsenal on July 31, 1922. A rare, early production Krag carbine in reasonably good condition. {ANTIQUE}