This U. S. Model 1873 Springfield rifle trapdoor rifle has a bright shootable bore. The rifle appears to be a mixture of period parts, which was common for guns sold as military surplus. The Director of Civilian Marksmanship offered Trapdoor rifles to NRA members at low cost, and such famous mail order merchants as Bannermans and Sears and Roebuck listed such guns in their early catalog. Stocked in walnut the wood has been sanded and the cartouche marks are no longer visible. The barrel, and most of the furniture have a well aged dark brown patina. Internally the bore is bright, and appears it would make a fine shooter for a BPCR enthusiast. Weighing in at 8.9 pounds, with a trigger reach of 13-1/4" it will fit today's modern size shooter well.
The wood has been sanded, which has removed all the cartouche marks. The stock has a dark black area at the butt end that appears to be epoxy. The military style buttplate if wide and lightly curved, made to absorb the recoil of the .45-70 cartridge. Our top view of the trapdoor shows off the thumbnail comb extension of the buttplate, clearly marked U.S.. The buttplate has aged to a dark brown patina. Moving up the stock, the short tang can be seen, the tang bolt has some wear to the slot from a improperly fitted screw driver. The serial number of the rifle, 151xxx, can be seen at the forward most portion of the breech. The trapdoor itself is also marked U.S. / MODEL / 1884 in three lines, which is much later period than the action.
Ahead of the breech and trapdoor, the barrel is 32" to the muzzle. The proper 1879 ladder style rear sight and front blade can be found on the rifle. The screws that mount the rear sight have some damage to the screw slots. The markings on the barrel are quite visible, the classic V over P over the upraised eagle's head with an addition P at the breech. From below the rounded toe of the rifle can be seen leading forward to the blued triggerguard. The toe of the stock has some small chips missing as well as dents that were too deep to remove with sanding. The stock cartouche behind the triggerguard is no longer visible. The triggerguard has a sling swivel on the forward bow that is matched by a front swivel on the front barrel band.Two barrel bands hold the barrel to the stock while also supporting the ramrod below. Each of the bands is properly marked with a U, the open end of which faces toward the muzzle. Below the barrel the 1878 period cupped face ramrod is held securely in position, its open channel has chips on both sides behind the muzzle cap. The rear view reveals some of the small handling marks that were not removed with sanding on this U. S. 1873 Springfield rifle.
The lock works crisply, and the trigger release is positive and smooth at about 3 pounds pressure. The lock plate is marked with an eagle next to U.S. / Springfield in two lines. The lock has the three position tumbler. The lock panel has some chips behind the lock plate along the upper rear edge. For additional information on the trapdoor rifles, see the book The .45-70 Springfield by Joe Poyer and Craig Riesch.
This antique Trapdoor Springfield Rifle is assembled from mixed period parts with a bright shootable bore. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
