Krag-Jorgensen M1897
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 520 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.38 kg
- Introduced
- 1897
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 is a Norwegian bolt-action carbine chambered in 6.5x55mm, issued to mountain artillery and engineer troops as the Karabin m/1897. A compact half-stocked derivative of the Gevaer m/1894 service rifle, it shares the distinctive Krag-Jorgensen side-mounted, hinged-door integral box magazine that lets loose rounds be poured in without a stripper clip, plus a magazine cut-off for single-loading while keeping the five-round magazine in reserve. With a 520mm barrel and an overall length of just over one metre, it was essentially identical to the M1895 cavalry carbine, differing only in how the sling swivel was mounted, and the two were issued in a single production series.
Norway fielded a whole family of short Krag carbines for troops who could not lug a full-length infantry rifle - cavalry, mountain artillery and engineers each got their own model. The M1895 and M1897 were mechanically identical, distinguished only by where the sling swivel was screwed to the stock.
The M1895 cavalry carbine and M1897 mountain artillery/engineer carbine differed only in sling-swivel placement and were produced together as one series, with roughly 9,300 examples made between 1898 and 1906. Later Krag carbines (M1904/M1907) were stocked to the muzzle, whereas the M1895/M1897 retained an exposed barrel forward of the forend.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- Norway
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1897 to 1906
- Variant of
- Carbine
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 520 mm
- Overall length
- 1016 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.38 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side loading magazine
Magazine cutoff- Integral box magazine
Half stock carbine
V notch iron sights- Cock on closing
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 3.38 kg | 3.00 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 1016 mm | 895 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 520 mm | 406 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 5 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Krag-Jorgensen M1897
How much does the Krag-Jorgensen M1897 weigh?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 weighs 3.38 kg (7.44 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Krag-Jorgensen M1897?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 is chambered in 6.5x55mm Swedish.
How many rounds does the Krag-Jorgensen M1897 hold?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 holds 5 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Krag-Jorgensen M1897?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 is 1016 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 520 mm (20.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the Krag-Jorgensen M1897?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 is made by Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk (Norway). It was designed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, Erik Jorgensen.
When was the Krag-Jorgensen M1897 introduced?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 was introduced in 1897 and discontinued in 1906.
How does the Krag-Jorgensen M1897 operate?
The Krag-Jorgensen M1897 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Norwegian Army
- 1897
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/krag-jorgensen-m1897' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "krag-jorgensen-m1897", "name": "Krag-Jorgensen M1897", "manufacturer": { "id": "kongsberg-vaapenfabrikk", "name": "Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk", "countryCode": "NO", "foundedYear": 1814, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "82608d925f094cc477278b4fee02a76abce31db3df38f56ecd3ebb324d0c6d62" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "NO", "year_introduced": 1897, "barrel_length_mm": 520, "weight_empty_g": 3375, "action_type": "bolt_action"}