Posted: 8/17/2013 6:35:18 PM EDT
My buddy just inherited this from his dad... any idea what it is? He will get it next week... just wondering if anyone can tell me more about it before then?
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Quoted:
Low pressure ammo. It was converted from a muzzleloader for the U. S. Army, designed for Black powder cartridge loads ( 45 caliber, 70 grains Black powder) High powered hand loads or superperformance ammo will result in unpleasentness. +1. Don't fire modern loads out of it. BP cowboy loads only. |
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1873 trapdoor Springfield... all sorts of variations but appears to be standard infantry rifle...ancestor to the M16/M4 series weapons...earlier trapdoor variations were converted from Civil War rife/muskets but later versions(this one) were made new
A top-notch arm of it's day..the quality was impeccable..although use and abuse and black-powder ammo and being sold fukin' cheap as surpus has taken a tally on most surviving specimens |
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I've read they were kept in National Guard armories well into the 20th Century.
At one point, the U.S. Govt' sold them off as surplus for a matter of a few dollars each. While finding one in as good a shape as that one isn't necessarily ultra-rare, it's not that common either. Many were being used by reenactors as late as the '80s from what I read, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. That looks like a really nice specimen. I would baby the hell out of it. As posted above, that action isn't strong enough for modern smokeless powder loads-black powder only. Also, Google "Allen conversion" for more history on the design. |
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Quoted:
Should the new owner decide to play with his inheritance. There are low pressure smokeless recipes that will provide much shooting pleasure. Can PM info. Those trapdoors are a lot of fun. Yeh...I own and shoot an 1881 vintage version of same thing...like 31.5" non-chromed barrel!  ..with 405gr cowboy loads shoots great.
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