Trapdoor Rifles

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.

That's one of those that make you scratch your head. The whole rear-sight set-up is - if not wrong - totally different from ANY other TD. The long standoff pin was NEVER used in the TD - no matter the model (68 or 70) or sight location, it ALWAYS hit the receiver. It's a RIFLE sight, or at least slider. Front sight looks good, crown doesn't. Band should be the thin one from a 69 Cadet, not sure of that one. Locks are USUALLY dated 1865. That's an 1868 thumb latch. OA patina is good, sling bar is correct. It is NOT, IMHO, a typical/standard "production" M1870 Carbine. Whether it is something IN the line of descent (A legit "1868-1870") or something from the bowels of Bannerman's basement will be up to the buyer to determine (I do not think it is a MODERN forgery). I certainly would not want to pay any more than the current price, if that.

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!

Yeah, I'm afraid you and I are getting close to ancient. How many people can say they are still in contact with a person they bought a gun from in 1970? The days of the $185 "really hot Custer range" carbine are LONG gone!!!!

There's a story behind that GB .50 carbine, but I sure don't know what it is.

That rear sight looks like the ones that Springfield put on the Burnside contract Spencer carbine to rifle conversions and the CW Sharps carbine to rifle conversions. The front sight looks suspiciously Sharps as well.

Tony Beck wrote: ↑Tue Jul 02, 2024 9:30 pm That rear sight looks like the ones that Springfield put on the Burnside contract Spencer carbine to rifle conversions and the CW Sharps carbine to rifle conversions. The front sight looks suspiciously Sharps as well.

Well yeah, the long pin was used on everything that took that sight, EXCEPT TDs (and Ward-Burtons). I'm not qualified to comment on Sharps front sights, but it looks just like my W-B carbine, other than. the brass blade which is correct for the TD (but steel on the W-B).

So, is it (1) a "rare" first attempt before settling down to "production", (2) one of the twenty replacements when they might not have been so careful as to detail, or (3) some vintage of Bubba/Bannerman? One thing for absolutely certain sure, it is NOT a 100% kosher "standard production M1870 Carbine". I seem to recall that there is some question as to whether the 20 .50 cal. "replacements" of 1876 were carbines or cadets. Supposedly correct cadets HAVE been seen with short receivers. While I lean towards (3) I sure wish the mists of time would part for us every so often . . . .