Trapdoor Rifles

Have any of you taken apart an original gallery load? I’ve heard they were quite popular with the state militias and used 20-30grs of 3f powder with no wadding. I’d like to verify they were really using a light uncompressed black powder load as I have always thought it should be compressed. I have a 140grain .459 button bullet mould and would like to make some as close to the original as possible.

Details on .45-70 gallery practice ammunition is found on page 116/49 of my article on "U.S. Military Marksmanship: Indoor Gallery Practice 1858-1921. Doctrine, Methods & Equipment."
It includes a sectioned cartridge and other info for the Trapdoor, plus other things from muskets to small bore rifles.
https://americansocietyofarmscollectors ... anship.pdf

Hello John
Thanks for posting that I had not seen that before.
Interestingly, I had not heard of the Hollifield Dotter until recently.

Thanks a bunch John! That was a great article and very informative. Now a days it seems gallery training has been replaced by the video game style training with converted rifles. My Kids use them in their military trainings from time to time.

A minuscule addition to that excellent article - a full sealed box of .45-20-230:

Dick Hosmer wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:35 pm A minuscule addition to that excellent article - a full sealed box of .45-20-230:
127810019 copy.jpg

“Never load a primed shell without a SAFETY-SOCKET”

What do you think is a “safety-socket”?

Jim wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:48 pm

Dick Hosmer wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:35 pm A minuscule addition to that excellent article - a full sealed box of .45-20-230:

“Never load a primed shell without a SAFETY-SOCKET”

What do you think is a “safety-socket”?

I have wondered that for years - it occurs on MANY boxes of the period. Perhaps it follows the same function - if not form - of what we call a shell-holder, which in addition to holding the case, protects the primer. Perhaps one of the lucky guys with a field reloding kit can elaborate?

There is no "safety socket" listed as part of the reloading kits.
However, there is an "anvil" which is pretty much what we would call a "shell holder" for the base of the cartridge while depriming or bullet seating. Since these were basically hand operated using a mallet, there was no need for the "anvil" to engage the rim of the cartridge against upward pressure as when primer seating on a lever type bench tool.

Check the tools, and the instructions on the main page, courtesy of the late and much missed Bill Mook, King of Krags:
https://www.armscollectors.com/trapdoor ... gkits.html

And my little addition, a neat little bit of ephemera

Thanks for all the info, it put my mind at ease to see how the originals were loaded. I have several cans of kik 3f black powder and gallery loads are the perfect use for them. I have the Lyman .459 button mould and will load those up and see how accurate they are.