$475 is over the top for the average sporterized Krag. The usual range is $275-375 but if I were looking for guns to fix up and make over - I am not these days - I would pay $500 for one with a mint bore. A rifle or carbine with a simply cutoff stock and uncut barrel can be restored - someone sells forend pieces that can be grafted on quite heatly. A gun like that is worth more.
Case coloring unstressed parts on a custom job is a neat idea, you could do a steel buttplate, the magazine left side cover, the big magazine box, the trigger guard, and some of the bolt parts. I have a Holland & Holland Norwegian Krag with a colored guard, albeit done by Mark Silver while doing some other work on the rifle. I did not think of it for the Jerry Fisher Krag because thet rifle is on an "American interwar sporter" theme and colors would not have fitted in. But on the rifle Steve is planning, with a contoured barrel and Germanic stock, they would be excellent. If it works out as planned, Steve's rifle will be splendid. Including Steve's, I now know of four high grade custom Krags under order, three of them however from one customer, another Manhattan lawyer, two of them from one gunsmith. I hope we are starting a revival.
