got this Krag from a fellow ODTer recently. Stock was nearly black from 114 years of oil, dirt, grime etc....I took a chance and wanted to clean the stock without touching the original stain and finish. Used murphys oil wood cleaner and 0000 steel wool very lightly. As I was cleaning the dirt, oil and grime was coming off like crazy. This left a beautiful red finish. Have posted these pictures on a couple Krag collector forums and they say the finish looks exactly as it should. And by the way, this thing shoots like a dream and without question the smoothest bolt action ever. If you think there is a smoother bolt, it's because you haven't fired a Krag.
The cartouche pictured was nearly invisible prior to cleaning.
The cartouche pictured was nearly invisible prior to cleaning.