Not sure why you "must" always X out part of the serial number. What's somebody going to do with your serial number? Call the cops and report the gun stolen? Making a false police report is a felony and will cause the prankster far more trouble than it will cause the gun owner.
Anyway, the Krag has an interesting if short history with the U.S. military. I believe it has the shortest length of service of any U.S. Army rifle, only about 8 years or something like that. The Krag has a very slick action but be aware of the noted situation with one locking lug.
The Krag got a bad rap in the Spanish-American War and folks say it fared poorly against the Mauser 95s in 7x57 the Spaniards were using in that conflict. I always felt that one big problem was the 220 grain round nose load the Army used in the Krag. Had they used a 165 grain spitzer bullet at 2500 FPS the Mausers would not have seemed so superior. The Mauser was faster to reload with stripper clips, for sure.
When I was a kid my best friend's dad carried an old Krag deer hunting each season. I thought it a very elegant looking action and wanted one. But by the time I was old enough to seriously look collectors were driving the prices beyond what I was willing to pay. All during the 1980s and into the early 1990s I searched for a shooter Krag priced at no more than $150. I searched in vain.
Then, in early 1992 I went to a local gun show (this was right before I left CA) and at the first table was a Krag that had been crudely sporterized. I casually asked how much and the dealer said $90. I fought the urge to rip out my wallet and counter-offered $80. I walked away with it for $85. Two tables over a guy had a used set of RCBS dies for $8 and I was in business.
Since then I have found two more Krags at $70 and $75. I bought both but sold them for what I paid to friends who wanted them.
A few years ago I decided to upgrade the old girl with a new stock. It was supposed to be 95% inletted but that was a lie. I spent countless hours making the stock fit. Would have helped if I had known what I was doing. Oh well. One more thing I need to do is replace that shark fin front sight with something on a ramp to look a little racier.
Here's how it looks now.