Talk me out of buying a Trapdoor

MMMMmmmmmm ... sweet!

Buy it, you won't regret it.

I think you can get a clean original Trapdoor in the same price range as a reproduction. Might be more of a challenge loading for 19th century barrel tolerances, though.
Not so for other period rifles, a real $harp$ is expen$ive.

ford8nr said:

Talk me out of buying a Trapdoor

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No.

You need one.

Almost forgot the best part.
If you cook bacon (and who doesn't love bacon) you can take the fat, wash some of the salt out and then use it and some paraffin wax as lube.

Shoot a trapdoor and make it smell like bacon!

I can hear the sound from a distance. Buy me ...... Buy me ....... Buy me ......!

I listened to the sound and got a nice one. Love my Trapdoor.

CptnAwesome said:

BUY IT !!!!! GO FOR IT!!!!
SCRATCH THAT ITCH AND IT'LL GO AWAY

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......it will never go away....but keep a scrachin!

My question is why would I do that.
It's your life and your choices.
What reasons do you have for wanting us to take you out of it?
1 can you afford it?
2 is it priced right?
3 do you really want one? Or is it better left as a want? (I've found many of these)
4 does the wife care? (She is half of you)
5 Is there something you would rather have?
If you answer all lose truthfully. We don't need to suggest anything.

GBExpat said:

Shame on you, P5 Guy, offering a response derived from logical good sense.

You could lose your Guy Card over such carelessness.

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LOL! I speak from experience. All firearms like the TrapDoor will sit unattended to and soon forgotten.
The worst kind of firearms abuse!

“There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it, and when he can.”

―Mark Twain

<nodding> If I owned a Trapdoor, I would carefully reload for it and only shoot it a couple/few times a year ... but I would look forward to those times as Special.

Personally, when I have scratched my “Trapdoor itch,” the novelty has worn off rather quickly - I shoot it for a year or so, then it withers in the safe for a year or so, and I end up selling them.

A slick little sporterized carbine such as that @Iggy posted would be an enjoyable hunting rifle when befalling a fit of whimsy, but I’d still be hard pressed to convince myself of the logic in keeping it around under most circumstances.

Want is want, and rarely does want listen to utility.

Varminterror said:

Personally, when I have scratched my “Trapdoor itch,” the novelty has worn off rather quickly - I shoot it for a year or so, then it withers in the safe for a year or so, and I end up selling them.

A slick little sporterized carbine such as that @Iggy posted would be an enjoyable hunting rifle when befalling a fit of whimsy, but I’d still be hard pressed to convince myself of the logic in keeping it around under most circumstances.

Want is want, and rarely does want listen to utility.

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Totally agree.
I grew up very poor. My Dad taught me how to problem solve. I applied that at my work and have been blessed.
For a while I tried to fulfill all my teenage wants until I realized they were better left as wants.

Don’t bother with the smallbore. Go right to the bigger cartridge a Model 1866, 1868 or even a Model 1870. Preferably one of the latter two.

Kevin

I think the longest I've left a trapdoor sitting unfired is about 6 months.
But I had 7 broken ribs at the time so my priorities were a bit skewed.

I like taking them out and showing em off and letting random people shoot something from a time that there were only 38 stars on the flag.

I have a repro carbine that I bought new/used at a good price some years back. It is fun to shoot,(with the carbine loads), and a lesson in what it must have been like back in those bygone days.
An original would be great to have so I say Buy It.

I won't tell you what to do, just give you my experience with one.

Cool factor is off the charts, big hammer, loud clicks, the trapdoor action itself. Military history, etc.

Mine was a rifle modified to a carbine. I wasn't reloading at the time,so it was pricey 405g factory loads. Between the heavy loads, curved steel butt plate, lighter weight, it kicked like the proverbial mule. I couldn't finish a box at the range, and my shoulder said hello for days.

I didn't hunt with it and wasn't enjoying the range trips, so decided I could do something better with the money it brought. So off it went.