Slick Pilot
Member
A model 1866 Trapdoor Springfield rifle fired for the first time in at least 60 years last Saturday, March 4, 2006. Apparently, it is a 2nd Allin Conversion of the 58 caliber 1863 rifled musket. The rifle was converted to a breech loader by milling out the top half of the barrel ahead of the breech plug, cutting a chamber, and adding a hinged breech block about 140 years ago. To bring the caliber down to about fifty, a rifled sleeve was inserted into the barrel and braised to secure it. It is the first rifle chambered for the 50-70. My dad acquired it in 1946 by trade for some weather-stripping work.
The cases were loaded with 3.8 cc of Pyrodex RS (then compressed about one-eighth inch), pushing a Lee 515-450-F cast bullet made from range lead that easily scratches with a fingernail. The bullet was hand lubricated with 50-50 beeswax and petroleum jelly. The case was Starline brass with a Remington 91/2 large rifle primer.
First shot was by remote control with the weapon secured against a tree and observed from about 50 feet. Upon opening of the trapdoor, and holding the gun with the muzzle up, the case slipped out without encouragement. Visual inspection of the case indicated absence of bulges or other defects and the primer area gave no indication of excess pressure.
My father, who will be eighty-three next month, fired the next round. He did not complain of recoil and allowed me to fire the third and successive shots. The recoil was about that of a 12-gauge shotgun.
We chose an old fence post as a target and discovered that the rifle shoots about 1.5 inches high and two inches left at roughly thirty yards. Several of the bullets went though the post, which is about eight inches in diameter.
I plan to shoot it some more and try to get the bullet to stay aligned with the vertical plane of the sights. I will report progress.
But it was FUN to shoot, and my dad got a kick out of it.
The cases were loaded with 3.8 cc of Pyrodex RS (then compressed about one-eighth inch), pushing a Lee 515-450-F cast bullet made from range lead that easily scratches with a fingernail. The bullet was hand lubricated with 50-50 beeswax and petroleum jelly. The case was Starline brass with a Remington 91/2 large rifle primer.
First shot was by remote control with the weapon secured against a tree and observed from about 50 feet. Upon opening of the trapdoor, and holding the gun with the muzzle up, the case slipped out without encouragement. Visual inspection of the case indicated absence of bulges or other defects and the primer area gave no indication of excess pressure.
My father, who will be eighty-three next month, fired the next round. He did not complain of recoil and allowed me to fire the third and successive shots. The recoil was about that of a 12-gauge shotgun.
We chose an old fence post as a target and discovered that the rifle shoots about 1.5 inches high and two inches left at roughly thirty yards. Several of the bullets went though the post, which is about eight inches in diameter.
I plan to shoot it some more and try to get the bullet to stay aligned with the vertical plane of the sights. I will report progress.
But it was FUN to shoot, and my dad got a kick out of it.
