Trapdoor Rifles

What are these numbers on the bottom of this 1869 built model 1868?

Does the barrel match the receiver? If so, I cannot imagine what the other numbers were for, UNLESS the parts had required dismounting and reassembly for some reason BEFORE serializing?

Yup both numbers match.

The metal parts on this gun have some rust on the bright parts but the blued action lock and block are probably 98% and a like new bore. The wood is not great unfortunately. The numbers sure are large lol.

Texcl2 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2024 11:56 pm What are these numbers on the bottom of this 1869 built model 1868? . . . .

As Dick said, I suspect they are “assembly” numbers.

I haven’t had time to clean this gun up much. It has thick hard what I assume is dried grease or oil over surface rust on the bright parts. The wood looks like it was scraped clean in the distant past, only faint shadows of what were cartouches remain. Bore is like new.

I found numbers on the bottom of my recently acquired 1868/70 today when I disabled it.
#43 on both barrel and receiver.

Interesting, I wonder what the connection is? Seem like assembly numbers would be logical, pre serial number.

Could be pre serial number as the numbers look to be the same style and size as yours.
I had disassembled my 1868/69 last week but there were no numbers stamped on the bottom.