Trapdoor Rifles

Until the adoption of the 45/70 series, most shoulder arms produced by Springfield left the armory with a finish described as "National Armory Bright", which in essence meant that all metal parts which were not case hardened or oil-quench blacked were polished bright. The degree of polish ...

John' I really look forward to seeing your pics of the 50/70 pistol. Many years ago, a large scale local dealer acquired what appeared to be a real one. He graciously allowed me to strip and photograph it for my own research. In my humble opinion, it could only have been faked by a dedicated and tal...

I have heard of such butt plates fitted to Remington NY State rolling blocks for match or Creedmoor use. Don't know for sure.

Yes, this one has the lead.

The one fact that holds my attention is that everything about the gun screams "Springfield". The work is arsenal quality, to my old eyes-- and, believe me, I have examined a thousand examples of Bannerman, S. H. & G, and other such pieces over the years. I'm going to endeavor to get th...

To add one other odd fact: The stud used to fix the bayonet socket was never a sight-- it has not been slit for the blade. So if it was attached purely to orient the blade at 6 o'clock, why was it necessary to turn the barrel 90 degrees to the right? The stud could have been put anywhere and the bar...

I have an odd-ball trapdoor fencing rifle that I haven't been able to ID. Possibly a put-together, but it looks like arsenal work. The SN falls in 196000 range. The stock appears to be modified from a standard service rifle stock, no modifications to the wrist area. Where the inspector's mark and da...

My thought has to do with a 50-70 rifle barrel "carbineized", but who knows? It certainly appears to have been together for a long time--- like me!

There's an 1870 trapdoor carbine listed on GunBroker, item 1056468711. Well worn, but good appearance. Looks right except rear sight (rifle sight, I think) too far forward of the receiver bridge.

I'm still searching for a Forager 1881 marked breechblock for an otherwise quite respectable 20 gauge Forager. As a possible matter of interest, the unaltered rifle block that was installed when I got it functioned nicely with original issue shells. A surprise, since I assumed the milled-away sectio...