Model 1868 Pistol	NRA Very Good = $? NRA Excellent = $?

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Model 1868 Pistol

The Model 1868 Pistol was fabricated and tested at the request of General William Sherman. He thought a single shot pistol would be advantageous for cavalry use. Needless to say, he was not happy with the revolver concept.

Springfield made two of these .50 caliber pistols with a rifling twist of 42". The pistol was tested using .50-45-450 cartridges. It was not found to be satisfactory and the bullets had a tendency to tumble in flight. For a short time, some testing of a .36 caliber pistol or pistol action was tried, but nothing positive resulted.

There are a number of non-armory produced pistols available that look very similar to the ones that Springfield produced. Typically they were constructed from .50 and .45 caliber parts. Some were produced for the movie industry and some for "other" reasons. The only two Springfield made .50 caliber trapdoor pistols reside in museums: the Smithsonian and the Springfield Armory museum.

For additional photographs, descriptions and specifications see:
The .45-70 Springfield-Book II-1865-1893.

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