M14 Forum

762x51shooter

I would have posted this in the Hollywood section but it seemed reserved for the M14. I was watching "To Kill A Mockingbird" tonight, the old B&W 1962 version with Gregory Peck as Atticus. In the scene where Atticus kills the rabid/mad dog I noticed that the rifle he used was an old Krag. The unique magazine on the side of the receiver really stood out to me as I watched. I guess it was a much more common rifle back then. Anyway, I thought I would share this.

GCBurner

The Director of Civilian Marksmanship, forerunner of the current CMP, sold tons of surplus Krag rifles and carbine conversions through the NRA back in the 1920s and 30s. I believe they went for around $10.

762x51shooter

Yeah, I am familiar with the NRA sale back then. Still, to see it in a movie made some 30 to 40 years later is still interesting. It appeared to be a an original carbine version, but I am not very much up on the Krag. I have a sporterized one, missing sighs and reworked stock that I picked up off of a friend a couple of years ago. It was already tapped for scope so I found a weaver side mount for it and added a 4X Leupold. These rifles are over 110 years old now and still interesting to play with.

Crawfish

Just ambled across this old thread. Hope it's okay to resurrect it.

Just wanted to add a note: The Krag in the movie is (assumably) brought to the scene by the sheriff, Heck Tate, who passes it off to Atticus, as the sheriff claims Atticus is a much better shot than he. I say assumably because when they arrive in the same car, the sheriff gets out with the rifle in hand. I'll bet there were lots of DCM guns in the racks of LE offices back then.

kabanchik

I noticed the same thing when I first saw the film, back in the early 60's, as we had had a Krag in the family some years before, and I still remembered it's lines. My father's Krag was loaned to his brother in the late 50's, as he was going up Alaska way to homestead some land near Tok, and needed a rifle for meat and protection. From what he told us later, he shot a moose, and was paddling downriver with the carcass, when the canoe overturned, losing moose, gear, rifle, and damned near his life. I remember handling this rifle as a six-year-old, and can still recall its buttery smooth action, gorgeous workmanship, and ingenious magazine design. It made a deep impression on me, which has remained strong all these years.
Helluva movie, though. It ranks right at the top as my favorite film of all time.

Seventh Fleet

I have two Krag Carbines and as well as a nice rifle. There's always been a soft spot in my heart for Krag's especially these three since they belonged to my dad who's been gone since March 89. Everytime I pick one of them up I can still remember him in his gun room when I was a kid. He took pictures of his gun room to show me his latest additions and sent them to me when I was in the Nam. I still have those pics in my photo album.

7th

USMC6094

theres a scene in "The Fighting Sea Bees" where John Wayne is in a fire fight with the Japanese and hes using a Krag, that scene always cracks me up cause hes the only guy in the movie use'n one.