Springfield 1873 Trapdoor..gifted to me

Breakaway500

Breakaway500

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An old friend gave this to me yesterday. I honestly don't know much about them other than they are antiques and fire the 45-70 cartridge,I believe this one is black powder. I was able to look up the serial number of this one (472614) and it appears to have been made in 1890?
Shiny bore,no cracks in the wood and metal bits all seem to be in great shape. It's awfully long at 52" overall and only fits in one of my gun safes.
Crude,but I'm sure it was effective.
Maybe some day Ill find some black powder 45-70 cartridges and fire it. Maybe not..:)
 

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Breakaway500 said:
An old friend gave this to me yesterday. I honestly don't know much about them other than they are antiques and fire the 45-70 cartridge,I believe this one is black powder. I was able to look up the serial number of this one (472614) and it appears to have been made in 1890?
Shiny bore,no cracks in the wood and metal bits all seem to be in great shape. It's awfully long at 52" overall and only fits in one of my gun safes.
Crude,but I'm sure it was effective.
Maybe some day Ill find some black powder 45-70 cartridges and fire it. Maybe not..:)
Click to expand...

I see folks firing original .45-70's at our range. The are finding (or making) low power loads to shoot in them. I think they make Cowboy loads for them. Would not hurt to check. I am sure someone will come along and set us straight.
 
SS336 said:
I do believe the Remington 405 gr loading will work just fine.

Click to expand...

The Remington 405 gr JSP is the legacy .45-70 commercial loading, but jacketed bullets are not a good idea for the soft original Trapdoor barrels.

Really, blackpowder with lead is what you want, but the commercial lead CAS loads seem to work OK for most folks, despite the unknown pressure time history of the smokeless propellant used. The Trapdoor in good condition is not as weak as some pundits claim, but they are still subject to late 19th century metallurgical variances, and not a test bed for the lastest .45-70 performance loadings.
 
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It would be a good idea to have someone experienced with black powder rifles, and trapdoors in particular examine it before firing it. They are great old guns, but a lot can happen to a gun in over a century.

If it checks out OK, I would shoot the heck out of it with black powder hand loads tailored to it.


Simple is a word I would use rather than crude.

I started out shooting Winchester Falling Blocks and Remington Rolling Block black powder cartridge rifles, and only later did I discover how interesting Trapdoor Rifles are. I believe more Buffalo were exterminated with surplused 50-70 Trapdoors than any other rifle.
 
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bulletslap said:
It would be a good idea to have someone experienced with black powder rifles, and trapdoors in particular examine it before firing it. They are great old guns, but a lot can happen to a gun in over a century.

If it checks out OK, I would shoot the heck out of it with black powder hand loads tailored to it.


Simple is a word I would use rather than crude.
Click to expand...

Typing at the same time!
 
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The Trapdoor Springfield rifles date from shortly after the Civil War through about 1890 (the Krag-Jorgensen .30 caliber bolt-action repeater series was introduced in 1892).

Many of the earlier trapdoors saw service during the Indian Wars period, which was winding down by the mid-1880s. Many trapdoors also went out to state militia and national guard units and remained in inventory until about WW1.

During the 1880s and 1890s the US Government was practically giving away the rifles and ammunition for use in the buffalo hunting trade, which was largely conceived as a means by which the plains Indian tribes could be forced onto reservations and eliminate raiding. I have seen accounts of Trapdoor rifles being sold for $1.50 to $2.00 each, and ammunition either free or at very little cost.

Some of the National Guard rifles remained in excellent condition, while those seeing more active service are usually degraded by extensive use with black powder and corrosive priming as well as marginal field maintenance.

From what I can tell in the OP's photos, this rifle appears to be of the late 1884 pattern with the very accurate and desirable Buffington rear sight. Infantry rifle model, typical 31.5" barrel, and I see no glaring alterations.

Not really rare, but the nicer specimens are still in demand by collectors.

The trapdoor design is little more than a breech-loading modification to the earlier US Springfield muzzle-loading rifles of Civil War era. The action is relatively weak and should be limited to ammunition pressures not exceeding the original black powder specifications. In addition to general weakness of the action locking mechanism, the receivers were case-hardened only (not heat treated as has become a more standard practice) and the steels used at that time were not as strong or resilient as the more modern alloys. Standard rifle load was .45 caliber lead bullet of 500 grains with 70 grains of black powder, producing about 1150FPS at around 15,000 to 16,000 CUP. The carbine load used a .45 caliber 405-grain bullet with 55 grains BP, much reduced recoil in the lighter carbines.

I shoot my Trapdoors frequently with low-pressure cast bullet loads. IMR 4198 is my go-to powder for this use, charge of 25.0 grains with the 405-grain cast bullet, 28.0 grains with the 340-grain cast bullet. Lyman Handbooks are my favorite source of loading data, each load lab-tested and pressures reported.

Some years back, just for grins, I loaded up some 500-grain cast bullets with 60 grains of Ffg black powder and used that load on a Colorado elk hunt. Young bull about 80 yards away angling away from me on an uphill slope. My shot went in just behind the left ribcage, through the chest cavity, exiting at the right front shoulder after breaking the bone. About 4 feet of penetration! A very convincing kill on a critter weighing about 500 lbs.

Enjoy it for what it is! A little common sense is all that should be needed.
 
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I’ve loaded for original trapdoors and Rem Rolling blocks. I load cast bullets the 405gr was standard, but I liked the 322gr Gould Express, I have Lyman Ideal molds for both. I use Unique for powder. Most manuals will give separate loads for the old originals. Having said that 45/70 factory is loaded to insure a idiot will not blow up an old gun. I hate black powder and wouldn’t put it through a good gun.
 
Breakaway500 said:
An old friend gave this to me yesterday. I honestly don't know much about them other than they are antiques and fire the 45-70 cartridge,I believe this one is black powder. I was able to look up the serial number of this one (472614) and it appears to have been made in 1890?
Shiny bore,no cracks in the wood and metal bits all seem to be in great shape. It's awfully long at 52" overall and only fits in one of my gun safes.
Crude,but I'm sure it was effective.
Maybe some day Ill find some black powder 45-70 cartridges and fire it. Maybe not..:)
Click to expand...

I am also the recipient of a gift of a Trapdoor Springfield. It was given to me by my dad because I was doing Cowboy Action Shooting. It gave me the incentive to buy good safes because nothing could replace the gun my dad gave me.
 
Beautiful gift
U are very blessed
Thank u for sharing it with us
God Bless,John

Sent from my SM-S515DL using Tapatalk
 
Drm50 said:
I hate black powder and wouldn’t put it through a good gun.
Click to expand...

Every time I get the urge to get into black powder shooting, I remember the words of one of my dad’s best friends “the new wears off after about two shooting sessions—one if you did not clean the revolver correctly after the first session!”

Then I read the opinions of those here whom I respect and I wise up.
 
I always wanted an 1873 Springfield, after I saw the "Trapdoor competitions at the Chabot Gun Club near Oakland, California. I waited many years until I finally found one and bought it. I shot it with the starting load of imr 4198 in the Lyman manual, I used a Hensley and Gibbs 375 grain bullet that I had cast, with exceptionally good results. Additionally, it was a very pleasant load to shoot. I hope you enjoy your trapdoor as much as I have enjoyed mine. Regards, Steve
 
My first agency (1962) officers purchased their personel service revolvers, therefore there was a lot of "Gun Trading" between officers. In one of many trades I ended up with a Springfield Model 1873 .45/70 rifle. I was able to purchase a few factory cartridges to test fire it.
My first shot went though a oak tree with a six inch trunk, traveled on and went though a junked dump truck driver's door peeling the outside door knob, though the back rest, and on out the passenger door off into the woods. I carried that rifle in my patrol car trunk in case I needed to stop a suspect vehicle that ran a road block.
 
jimmyj said:
My first agency (1962) officers purchased their personel service revolvers, therefore there was a lot of "Gun Trading" between officers. In one of many trades I ended up with a Springfield Model 1873 .45/70 rifle. I was able to purchase a few factory cartridges to test fire it.
My first shot went though a oak tree with a six inch trunk, traveled on and went though a junked dump truck driver's door peeling the outside door knob, though the back rest, and on out the passenger door off into the woods. I carried that rifle in my patrol car trunk in case I needed to stop a suspect vehicle that ran a road block.
Click to expand...

I would think just seeing that big bore would stop anybody from trying to run a road block.
 
Neat gun! You have quite the friend.

Bannerman’s sold a lot of surplus Trapdoor’s at the turn of the last century. Many were assembled from parts and refinished. They typically have good bores and shoot just fine.

Original breech blocks were color case hardened and the stocks had a cartouche on left side near the wrist, a proof mark behind the trigger guard and various other inspector stamps. Buffington rear sights were marked “R” on rifles and “C” on carbines. They needed different regulation because of the different barrel lengths.

If you think it’s long now, attach a bayonet! ;)
 
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