Krag-Jorgensen Military Rifle Series (Norwegian Versions)

Notes: Norwegian use of the Krag-Jorgensen began in 1894 after 4 years of trials with several weapons (most of which were Mauser and Mannlicher variations), and another 2 years of grueling field tests with the Norwegian Army.

The first Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen was designated the Krag-Jorgensengevaer M/1894. It used the Danish Gevaer m/89 as a base, but was a far better version of the Krag-Jorgensen than the Danes would ever have. The feed tray hinged downward rather than to the left, which allowed a side benefit of the addition of a rotary cutoff that prevented rounds from feeding from the magazine if necessary. The design of the bolt was altered to increase reliability and allow more positive locking. The bolt handle was turned down and seated in a groove in the receiver when the weapon was cocked. The stock was of the pistol-grip-wrist type, with a finger groove behind the rear sight. At first, the stocks were made from walnut, but this was quickly switched to birch to reduce costs. Though the handguard was longer than that of its Danish cousins, room was left for a lug for use with the Model 1894 knife bayonet. The rear sight was a tangent-leaf, with a hooded bead in front. Original chambering was for the M/94 and M/97 rounds, which were Norwegian versions of the blunt-nosed 6.5mm Swedish round. In 1923, a new version of this round with a spitzer-type pointed bullet was approved by the Norwegian government – however, conversion of existing M/1894s to the new round, along with the new sights, was so slow that the conversions were not completed until 1938. The barrel used was 29.9 inches long and used the then-new 4-groove concentric rifling. Most were issued to the Norwegian Army, but the Navy actually got first issue. (Naval versions had a butt trap for a cleaning kit, but are otherwise identical to Army rifle for game purposes.) An attempt was also made to turn 1000 M/1894s into marksmen’s rifles by adding mounts for a German-made Ajack 4x scope, but the scope performed poorly in the icy weather often present in Norwegian winters. The troops that had to use these marksmen’s rifles complained bitterly to the Army for years, but it took until 1923 for the Army to replace the troublesome weapons with purpose-built marksmen’s rifles. The M/1894 marksmen’s rifles were returned to the standard M/1894 configuration at this time.

Like many countries at the time, carbine versions of Norwegian Krags were also made. The first of these, the Krag-Jorgensenkarabin for Kavaleret M/1895 (Cavalry Carbine), had half-length handguard that narrowed quickly towards the front (a weight-saving measure), sling swivels to the left side of the single barrel band and under the stock behind the pistol grip wrist, a much shorter 20.45-inch barrel, and no bayonet lug. The bolt hold-open/stop was deleted in 1897, and the rear sling swivel was moved to the left side of the stock behind the pistol grip wrist. Production of this carbine stopped in 1912. The Krag-Jorgensenkarabin for begartilleriet og ingenøvåpnet M/1897 (Mountain Artillery and Engineer Carbine) was virtually identical, but the rear sling swivel was located under the stock, 4 inches in front of the butt. In 1904, the Norwegian Army’s Engineer Corps received their own carbine version, the Krag-Jorgensenkarabin for ingenøvåpnet M/1904. The M/1904 was for the most part the same as the M/1897; however, the handguard was extended to the muzzle (but narrowed quickly towards the muzzle), the handguard also had space to allow a cleaning rod to be slid into it, and a bayonet lug was added beneath the handguard which allowed it to accept the M/94 knife-type or M/12 sword-type bayonets. In 1907, field artillery also got a new carbine, the Krag-Jorgensenkarabin for feltartilleriet M/1907; this was virtually identical to the M/1904 except for the position of the sling swivels (one on the left side of the rearmost barrel band and one under the stock 4 inches ahead of the butt), and the weight.

Of course, infantrymen eventually began clamoring for their own carbine, leading to the Krag-Jorgensenkarabin M/1912, with a 24-inch barrel. The stock (originally of walnut, but later made from beech), used a handguard that extended so far forward that it almost enclosed the muzzle itself. The handguard had a space to allow a cleaning rod to be slid into the front of the handguard, and underneath the front of the handguard was a bayonet lug accepting an M/12 bayonet. After field use showed that the stock’s nose cap was rather weak where it joined to the stock, a steel collar was added to prevent the nose cap from falling off; in addition, while bolt handles on the M/1912 were bent down, M/1912s built from 1916 onwards used straight bolt handles. Starting in 1923 the tangent-leaf rear sights were recalibrated to keep up with ammunition using more modern propellants. There were, however, a lot of infantrymen who preferred the longer-barreled M/1894 with its greater accuracy, so the M/1912 never fully replaced the M/1894 in Norwegian service, despite being built until 1935, and service extending until 1942. A further infantry carbine, the M/1894-43, was essentially an M/1894 modified into the same configuration as the M/1912 during the Nazi occupation of Norway. Essentially the same (for game purposes) as the M/1912, these weapons were stamped with Nazi ordnance makings instead of Norwegian markings, had protective ears for the front sight bead, and were generally used in the same manner as similar Danish models.

Several purpose-built marksman/sniper versions were also built. The first of these, the Skarpskyttegevaer M/1923, was designed to replace the ill-fated M/1894-based marksman’s rifle. The Ajack was replaced with a micrometer-adjustable open aperture sight (and a few were also fitted with scope mounts). The stock was full-length, with a pistol grip wrist that was deeper and had a sharper angle than the stocks of the other M/1894-based rifles; the pistol grip wrist and handguard were also checkered to improve grip. The barrel was a heavy, floating, and 26.2 inches long. Though the M/1923 was far better than its predecessor, it was still not quite satisfying enough and production stopped in 1925, and the existing M/1923s were converted to M/1930 specifications. While the M/1930 was being developed, an intermediate design was produced, called the Skarpskyttegevaer M/1925; unfortunately, the M/1925 was a bit of a step backwards, as it basically just a modified M/1894 which was given the barrel and sights of the M/1923 in addition to having protective ears for the front sight. About 110 were built, and for game purposes, they are identical to the M/1923. Both of these were replaced by the far better Skarpskyttegevaer M/1930; this version used 29.9-inch floating bull barrel. They were fitted with the same rear sight as the M/1923, but most also had scope bases; the front sight was a hooded blade. The stock used a half-length handguard, but was otherwise the same as that of the M/1923. 150 M/1930s were new-built rifles; another 90 were upgraded from M/1923s.

A training version of the M/1894 was also built; this version was designed for basic rifle marksmanship training by military cadets, students in the Norwegian equivalent of high school, and some firearms clubs. Designated the Krag-Jorgensenkarabin for Skoler M/1906 (Cadet Carbine), this rifle was more commonly referred to as the "gutte karabiner" (boys’ carbine) and was built from 1906-12. It was basically the same design as the M/95 Cavalry Carbine, but used an extremely short handguard to save weight (and cost). Most training was done with sub-loaded ammunition to allow safer practice on small ranges and allow for the smaller stature for the students using the M/1906, but the M/1906 was also capable of firing standard M/94 and M/97 ammunition.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

M/1894 Rifle (Early)

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

4.05 kg

5 Internal

$1262

M/1894 Rifle

6.5mm Norwegian

4.05 kg

5 Internal

$1262

M/1894 Marksman’s Rifle

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

4.15 kg

5 Internal

$1362

M/1895 Cavalry Carbine

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

3.4 kg

5 Internal

$1166

M/1904 Engineer Carbine

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

3.81 kg

5 Internal

$1166

M/1912 Short Rifle (Early)

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

4.02 kg

5 Internal

$1202

M/1912 Short Rifle (Late)

6.5mm Norwegian

4.02 kg

5 Internal

$1202

M/1923 Marksman’s Rifle

6.5mm Norwegian

4.16 kg

5 Internal

$1268

M/1930 Marksman’s Rifle

6.5mm Norwegian

4.32 kg

5 Internal

$1280

M/1906 Cadet Carbine

6.5mm Norwegian (M/94 and M/97)

3.78 kg

5 Internal

$1147

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

M/1894 Rifle (Early)

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

85

M/1894 Rifle

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

102

M/1894 Marksman’s Rifle

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

85

M/1895 Cavalry Carbine

BA

3

2-Nil

7

4

Nil

56

M/1904 Engineer Carbine

BA

3

2-Nil

7

4

Nil

56

M/1912 Short Rifle (Early)

BA

4

2-Nil

7

4

Nil

70

M/1912 Short Rifle (Late)

BA

4

2-Nil

7

4

Nil

77

M/1923 Marksman’s Rifle

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

93

M/1930 Marksman’s Rifle

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

108

M/1906 Cadet Carbine (Standard)

BA

4

2-3-Nil

8

4

Nil

102

M/1906 Cadet Carbine (Sub-Loaded)

BA

2

1-Nil

8

2

Nil

54