Trapdoor Rifles

Some years ago there were several "cadets" at Cabela's here in Maine. Thing was, there were 2 cut down rifles and one real cadet, I got the real cadet, the least expensive among all the "Cadets" I purchased it knowing full well what it was. It is something like 30 or 40 away from Richard Hosmer's 1873 Cadet. Last weekend I picked up another for short money. It is in rough shape but the bore is wonderful. I purchased it because I like orphans and I like fixing them. Right now the breechblock is with a friend, a blacksmith and metallurgist of the highest order. I am hoping he can remove the firing pin that is stuck in the breech block. If he can't I'll be searching for an early high-arch breechblock! The first number in the serial number is 6, after that all the numerals have been destroyed.

I have several high-arch blocks (just went through my parts for another member).

Good to know, thanks Richard

Are there serial numbers indicating "batches" of the 1873 Cadets?

Mark Daiute wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 9:36 pm Are there serial numbers indicating "batches" of the 1873 Cadets?

Hard to tell, really. Waite/Ernst (useless for a lot of things) might actually be your best bet there, tempered by using it side-by-side with Frasca. Cadet production was pretty limited, and we do not have a whole lot of specimens recorded. I would THINK they would have batched them, even though rifles and cadets have more in common then either does with carbines.

Also, MANY of the low-number "cadets" found today are Bannerman jobs. If someone swapped in a proper lock plate, it might be hard to tell. I was gratified to find that Burt Kellerstedt's 1877 cadet (the rarest variety, only 1000 produced) was very close to mine (82K). The 1879s seem to occur around 205K, but it's really a crap-shoot.

The cadet I recently bought is marked model 1878 , serial # 183500 if that data helps any.

gew98 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 9:22 pm The cadet I recently bought is marked model 1878 , serial # 183500 if that data helps any.

No other cadets are recorded near that number. SA is known to have converted thousands of standard rifles to cadet configuration in the late 1890s. Yours could be one of them. The indicator is a VERY well-done wood filler in the old rod-keeper mortise, only seen if barrel is out of stock. Some were re-cartouched, others not. The most interesting one (to me) is the 1,800 that bear [JSA/1895] the mark of the regular Krag inspector. Your "1878" will, under good light and magnification, prove to be a heavily-struck "1873".

I had to look at it good and hard and side with 78. It's not certain , but you could very well be right its a hard struck 73. The stock has been refinished at some time so no cartouches visible. I'll have to pull the action out and look at the rod keeper area and see if I see what you note.

The 1873/1878 thing has been going on for years. The written records do not show that 1878 was ever used. MOST of the people agree that it is 1873, after adequate investigation. That said, some DO defy explanation - I have a photo (which MAY have been Photoshopped) that I would have to say does show "1878". If I can find it, I will post it, but, I go with the records AND the preponderance of evidence that show it to be a heavily struck 1873. YMMV, it's a free country.

I also have what I was beginning to think is a cadet variant but have some doubts now. This one is a high arched block with model 1873, eagle, crossed arrows than US serial# 28914. The stock had been repaired, refinished and patched with a lot of wood putty so I ordered a new replacement. That’s where the issues started. This rifles barrel is about 29 5/8” long. The stock that was on it is cut for a spoon shaped ramrod retaining spring near the breech end of the barrel. The replacement stock is much longer so the forward barrel band needs to be set back about three inches. This has me thinking that the rifle is a Bannerman rework. Your opinions would be of value to me.
IMG_0584 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr