- 1873 Springfield Trapdoor
- Springfield Trapdoor Carbine Serial Numbers
- 1873 Springfield Trapdoor Stocks
- U.S./Springfield Armory Model 1873 Trapdoor' Carbine (single-shot/ breech-loading/ black powder/ cartridge ammunition) During the Civil War, General George A. Custer led U.S. Cavalry, armed with Spencer repeating carbines, in many charges against Confederate forces. After the war, however, the Army selected new guns.
- Need a bit of help along same line. Have a chance to acquire a 1873 Springfield trapdoor 45-70 SN/256020. Am wondering year of manufacture and possible value. Has no cleaning rod or bayonet. With no picture to supply can only say wood and metal in good shape, no buffington sight, duel front sling swivels one split, 32-1/2' barrel. Thanks, James.
Serial numbers for 1873 Springfield started at 1, according to Flayderman, so you are ok there. They did not apply proof marks to the barrel until no 50,000. Maybe yours was refurbished and re-proved; the Army sure wasn't throwing away usable guns or parts in those days. Caliber is.45-70 Government.
This is an excellent example of a Type I Officer's Trapdoor Rifle that was manufactured by Springfield Armory between 1874 and 1881. The rifle features the distinctive Type I checkered walnut half-stock with detachable, checkered pistol grip, high-arch breechblock, rounded, nickel plated forend tip, nickel plated front and rear ramrod tips. In addition to the Type I features, the rifle has well-executed scroll engraving on the forend cap, barrel band, receiver top, breechblock, tang, cam latch, lock plate, hammer, trigger guard and buttplate. The straight grain walnut stock (rich patina) has checkered panels that remain sharp on the wrist and forearm. The barrel is fitted with a single ramrod pipe that secures a hickory ramrod with slotted ferule and milled head. The rifle has a single set-trigger, two-position tumbler, carbine trigger guard without stacking swivel, hammer with oval knurled panel and 1877 Buckhorn 'R' (rifle) marked rear sight. The rifle was ordered with the tang mounted peep sight and globe front sight found on most Officers' Model Trapdoor Rifles. The barrel is fitted with a dovetail mounted front sight with nickel-silver blade. The receiver is, correctly, not serial numbered. The breechblock has the standard, three-line, markings, 'U.S./MODEL/1873'. In addition to the open scroll engraving, the lock plate is roll-stamped with the Springfield 'Eagle and Shield' motif and 'U.S./SPRINGFIELD' 1873 in two lines; 'U.S.' is stamped on the buttplate heel centered by engraved scroll work. The left side of the barrel is stamped with the Springfield, 'V/P/Eagle Head/P', proof and acceptance marks. An encircled script 'P' proof mark is stamped on the underside of the stock at the terminus of wrist checkering. The rifle has a blued barrel and color casehardened barrel band, receiver, breechblock, lock plate, hammer, tang, trigger guard and buttplate. The Officer's Model Trapdoor Rifles were manufactured to provide Army officers with a high quality sporting rifle chambered for the .45-70 service cartridge. Springfield Armory manufactured only 477 of these fine rifles between 1875 and 1885. This rifle is numbered 45 on the upper stock forward of the buttplate. (Springfield Research may be able to identify who purchased this rifle, or to whom it was presented.)
![Carbine Carbine](https://www.trapdoorcollector.com//pics_html/Fig17.jpg)
Condition: Excellent. The barrel retains 95% of the slightly faded original blue finish; 85% of the casehardened finish on the receiver, breechblock, tang and hammer remains; strong case colors. The barrel band and trigger guard show minor handling wear; with approximately 50 60 60 percent original case colors fading to bright finish. The buttplate case colors have faded to silver-gray patina with scattered age spotting. The masterful scroll engraving remains crisp and deep. The barrel, breechblock and lock plate markings are sharp. The bore is bright. The ramrod is in excellent condition with nearly all of the plated finish on the ferrules and minimal wear on the rod itself. The walnut stock and detachable pistol grip are both in excellent condition with most of the original finish, sharp checkering and only very light handling wear. This is an excellent example of a rare Type I Officer's Model 1875 Trapdoor Rifle. A fine addition to any advanced Springfield collection.
459-28 Datagrip 2016 2 2 download free.
(Redirected from Springfield Model 1873)
Springfield Model 1873 | |
---|---|
Type | Breech-loading rifle Single-shot rifle |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1873–1892 (some were still used during the Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War) |
Used by | United States Army |
Wars | Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War |
Production history | |
Designer | Erskine S. Allin |
Designed | 1873 |
Manufacturer | Springfield Armory |
No. built | approx. 700,000 |
Variants | Cavalry Carbine with 22 in (560 mm) barrelCadet Rifle with 30 in (760 mm) barrel |
Specifications | |
Length | 51.875 in (1,317.6 mm) |
Barrel length | 32.625 in (828.7 mm) |
Cartridge | .45-70-405 |
Action | Hinged breechblock |
Rate of fire | approx. 11-12 rounds a minute |
Muzzle velocity | 1,350 feet per second (410 m/s) |
The Model 1873 'Trapdoor' Springfield was the first standard-issue breech-loadingrifle adopted by the United States Army (although the Springfield Model 1866 had seen limited issue to troops along the Bozeman Trail in 1867). The gun, in both full-length and carbine versions, was widely used in subsequent battles against the American Indians.
The model 1873 was the fifth variation of the Allin trapdoor design, and was named for its hinged breechblock, which opened like a trapdoor. Cat 279c operators manual. The infantry rifle model featured a 325⁄8-inch (829 mm) barrel, while the cavalry carbine used a 22-inch (560 mm) barrel. It was superseded by an improved model, the Springfield model 1884, also in .45-70caliber.
Selection process[edit]
model 1888, breech open
In 1872–1873 a military board, headed by Brigadier-General Alfred H. Terry, conducted an examination and trial of 99 rifles from several domestic and foreign manufacturers including those from Springfield, Sharps, Peabody, Whitney, Spencer, Remington, and Winchester pursuant to the selection of a breech-loading system for rifles and carbines for the U.S. Military. The trials included tests for accuracy, dependability, rate-of-fire, and ability to withstand adverse conditions. Both single shot and magazine equipped systems were considered but, at the time, the single shot was deemed to be more reliable. Firing tests were held at the Springfield Armory and Governor's Island where the average rate of fire for the Springfield was 8 rounds per minute for new recruits and 15 rounds per minute for experienced soldiers. The board recommended 'No. 99 Springfield' which became the model 1873.[1]
Ballistics[edit]
The rifle cartridge was designated as '.45-70-405', indicating a .45 caliber (11.63 mm), 405-grain (26.2 g) bullet propelled by 70 grains (4.5 g) of black powder. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet per second (410 m/s), making it a powerful and effective load for the skirmish tactics of the era.[citation needed] A reduced-power load of 55 grains (3.6 g) of powder (Carbine Load) was manufactured for use in the carbine to lighten recoil for mounted cavalry soldiers. This cartridge had a correspondingly reduced muzzle velocity of 1,100 feet per second (340 m/s) and a somewhat reduced effective range.
Use in combat[edit]
The rifle was originally issued with a copper cartridge case and used in the American West during the second half of the 19th century, but the soldiers soon discovered that the copper expanded excessively in the breech upon firing. Another issue was the copper held in leather carriers created a green film that would effectively weld the case into the breech of the carbine when fired. This sometimes jammed the rifle by preventing extraction of the fired cartridge case. A jam required manual extraction with a knife blade or similar tool, and could render the carbine version of the weapon, which had no ramrod to remove stuck cases, useless in combat except as a club.
1873 Springfield Trapdoor
After the annihilation of Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer's battalion (armed with the carbine and carbine load ammunition) at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, investigations first suggested that jamming of their carbines may have played a factor, although archaeological excavations in 1983 discovered evidence that only 3.4 percent of the cases recovered showed any indication of being pried from jammed weapons.[2] This did not account for cases removed by a ramrod or other 'stick' nor for jammed rifles cleared away from the immediate battle area and outside the very limited archaeological survey area. Every Custer battalion weapon became Indian property. Captain Thomas French, M Company Commander was kept busy on the Reno defensive position line using the cleaning rod from his infantry rifle to clear the jammed carbines passed to him from the cavalryman on the line. The cartridge was subsequently redesigned with a brass case, since that material did not expand as much as copper. This was shown to be a major improvement, and brass became the primary material used in United States military cartridges from then to the present. After the Little Big Horn disaster, troops were required to perform target practice twice a week.
The black powder Model 1873 continued to be the main service rifle of the U.S. military until it was gradually replaced by the Springfield model 1892 bolt-action rifle, essentially a copy of the Norwegian Krag-Jørgensen action. Replacement began in 1892, and despite its obsolescence, the Model 1873 was still used by secondary units during the Spanish–American War in Cuba and the Philippines, where it was at a major disadvantage against Spanish forces armed with the 7 mm Spanish M93 Mauser bolt action rifle.
Springfield Trapdoor Carbine Serial Numbers
There are reports of the surplus trapdoor Springfields being issued to civilians living in coastal areas during World War I to provide for an armed militia in the event of a German invasion.[citation needed]
Gallery[edit]
- Reenactor firing a Springfield model 1873 breech-loading rifle at Fort Mackinac in 2008
- Geronimo (right) holding a Springfield model 1873 alongside his fellow Apache warriors in 1886
References[edit]
- ^BOARD of OFFICERS (1873). Ordnance memoranda, Issue 15. United States. Army. Ordnance Dept. pp. 99–106.
- ^Fox, Richard A., Archaeology, History and Custer's Last Battle, 1993, University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN0-8061-2998-0, pp. 241–242
External links[edit]
- Shoot! Magazine article on the .50-70 cartridge, predecessor to the .45-70
- Uberti web site with images of currently cataloged reproduction
1873 Springfield Trapdoor Stocks
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