- #1873 SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR HOW TO SPOT ORIGINAL SERIAL NUMBER#
- #1873 SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR HOW TO SPOT ORIGINAL PLUS#
Initially sold as surplus for as low as 75 cents in the late 1890s, the trapdoors increased in value over the years, but lately they aren’t bringing the prices they once commanded.Īlthough there are modern reproductions to be had courtesy of Harrington & Richardson, Pedersoli, and a few other outfits, any shooter or collector’s goal should be to score an original one. Improvements were made every year to the M1873 to that point and despite the adoption of the Krag in 1892, the M1873 saw service in the Spanish American War in 1893 with second-line troops. The M1873 saw service for over 20 years, and was replaced upon adoption of the M1892 Krag Bolt Action rifle in that same year.
This was shown to be a major improvement, and brass became the primary material used in the United States military cartridge to this day. Later that year the cartridge was redesigned with a brass case, since that material did not expand as much as copper. By then the rifles were manufactured rather than converted from muskets, although many of the old musket parts were used in their building. The infantry round had a muzzle velocity of 1350 feet per second compared to the cavalry’s 1,100 feet per second.Īfter its adoption into service, it became known as the Model 1873 Springfield rifle and carbine. It made for a powerful and effective load, at least for the Infantry.Ĭavalry types who used the carbine version found the lighter load charged with 55 grains of powder was more effective on horseback. 45 caliber bullet weighing 405 grains charged by 70 grains of black powder.
#1873 SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR HOW TO SPOT ORIGINAL PLUS#
Plus Allin was a government employee and thus no design royalties would need to be paid.Īlthough a number of different experimental rounds were used during the trials, they found the most effective cartridge to be the “.45-70-405.” This denoted a. All that is necessary is to cut away the barrel on the top at the breech and add the block and shell extractor, cut the recess in the breech-screw and modify the hammer. “It is particularly adapted to the alteration of the Springfield rifle-musket (or any other), as it can be done without changing the features of the musket or without throwing away any of its parts. A large stock of muskets was ready for conversion, and as Allin explained, Much like today’s military weapon selections, this was based on costs. The Trapdoor gets its name from its top-opening, hinged breech, which is no paragon of strength but adequate for the hottest black-powder loads of its heyday, and for many normal 45-70 loads. armed forces from 1873 until it was supplanted by the Krag around 1892.
It could fire 8-15 rounds per minute and was called “No. The Trapdoor Springfield has a golden history, having been used by the U.S.
#1873 SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR HOW TO SPOT ORIGINAL SERIAL NUMBER#
MODEL 1873 While the wood stock bears a military inspectors cartouche with what appears to be dated as 1880 (however the serial number dates this to early 1881).
45″ in diameter, and made use of a trapdoor in the breech block to load the rounds and remove the fired case. This is a wonderful example of the classic Springfield trapdoor rifle, its breach block is marked: U.S. Allin converted them to cartridge use, replaced the. Allin submitted a rifle based on the surplus Civil War rifles, of which there were thousands. The single shot platform was deemed to be more reliable. These rifles had to be accurate and reliable, and had to have a high rate of fire on the order of 15 rounds per minute. Lever-action rifles were included in the test, but these rifles were still in relative infancy and could not chamber a round that was truly effective at the ranges that the army was looking for. Over 100 designs from domestic and foreign manufacturers were tested for rifles and carbines for the U.S. Terry, decided the rifle should be able to chamber a self-primed, metallic cartridge. In 1865 a military board, headed by Brigadier-General Alfred H. Total score, 124.Brought to you today courtesy of GEMTECH: World Class Silencers.Īt the end of the Civil War, the US War Department decided to switch to a breech-loading rifle for general issue. 4th Artillery Team of the Division of the Pacific, 1881 Two scores five consecutive shots at 200, 400 & 600 Yards. Photographed by Paul Goodwin The silver engravingįourth Prize Marksman Rifle Awarded by War Department to Private E.C. MILLS & PRAIRIE BELTS, MCKEEVER / DYER POUCHES & CARBINE BOOTS * * 1865-1893 MILITARY: BAYONETS, KNIVES, ENTRENCHING TOOLS/TROWELS, * INDIAN WAR & SPAN-AM WAR: TRAPDOOR ARMS * SPRINGFIELD RIFLES & CARBINES PRODUCED BETWEEN 1865 & 1893 * INFORMATION CENTER THIS SITE SPECIALIZES IN: Springfield Trapdoor Rifle Information Center THE U.S.