Carbine and tool questions

[plymouthairrifle]

I have 2 questions for the forum.

My carbine #117280 shows on a list as being made Oct. - Dec 1879. On another list shows no carbines made in 1879?

I bought a trapdoor tool marked US Mod 1879. My carbine only has room for the 2 piece cleaning rod and the broken shell extractor. Was a tool issued with each carbine? where was it carried?

[Tom Trevor]

A fast look in the SRS record book three shows the following carbines 110749 5th. cav. 116676 5th cav. 117258 8th cav. They do exist not in the numbers of rifles recorded but are there.
The tool was to be carried in the Mckeever box which had a pocket for it on the belt ,the boxes were issued in pairs so the soldier could carry forty rounds.
It was also carried in the M1880 rod bayonet rifle butt trap with a tip for the threaded end of the rod to use for field cleaning and a headless shell extractor. and rod bayonet rifles after that.
I have no idea where it was carried if at all by the soldiers in the field as there would be little use for it as the idea of the soldiers taking anything apart was against almost all orders in place. Note the rear sight installed with slotless screws just for this reason. Hope this helps.

[plymouthairrifle]

Thank you for your response.

[John S.]

Although no carbines were made in calendar year 1879 (per the production records accessible via the main page of this site, https://www.armscollectors.com/trapdoor/production.html) the receiver was probably made and numbered then.

Arms were NOT assembled, packed, shipped or issued in strict serial number sequence, and it is not uncommon for random outlier numbers from earlier dates to show up in perfectly correct arms assembled at a later date. That is one likely explanation for your carbine.

Of course, another very possible explanation is the Bannerman, Bubba or someone else cobbled something together in the last 5, 50 or 100+ years for pleasure or profit and we are dealing with that. It is best to check any gun against known correct examples for details, but often even a quick glance will show drastic differences in condition of various parts and amateur tinkering. While some of the put together guns are fun shooters, they are not in the same class as unaltered collector arms.

[Dick Hosmer]

I have 2 questions for the forum.

My carbine #117280 shows on a list as being made Oct. - Dec 1879. On another list shows no carbines made in 1879?

I bought a trapdoor tool marked US Mod 1879. My carbine only has room for the 2 piece cleaning rod and the broken shell extractor. Was a tool issued with each carbine? where was it carried?

I believe you meant to say three-piece rod? When the stock with trap was adopted in 1877 the prong-style headless shell extractor fitted around the center rod. In 1882, the center hole was deepened to allow the new cylindrical HSE to sit on top of the center rod.

[plymouthairrifle]

Yes it is a 3 piece rod. With the broken shell extractor on top of the center rod.