1884 Trapdoor 45-70

[Bohunter]

I just purchased an 1884 Springfield trapdoor. I took it to a gunsmith and was told she was in good shape. My question/concern: I purchased some 45-70 ammo from Black Dawg (bpc 45-70), the cartridge went in nice and smooth and gun shot great, but the spent cartridge got stuck in the chamber...appears to have swollen the brass.....any ideas what happened??

I knocked out the spent cartridge with a cleaning rod...it was tight.

Thanks
Bohunter....

 

[M-Cameron]

can we get pictures of the chamber and the brass?

 

[Bohunter]

I will try to get some pictures of the cartridge and chamber. The cartridge has some tiny dents...maybe there is some pitting that I didn't notice, would this cause the cartridge to hang up?

 

[AJumbo]

Clean the chamber THOROUGHLY before you fire the rifle any more. I suggest a chamber brush and some Kroil. Brush the chamber, swab it with Kroil, and leave it alone 'til tomorrow. Repeat as necessary. Do the bore while you're at it, too. The Kroil will work its way under the fouling and allow it to be brushed out.

I'm working on the theory that years of standing muzzle-up in a gun rack has allowed oil to collect in the chamber, where it has coagulated. My own Trapdoor extracted and ejected OK when I first got it, but I couldn't find a bullet that wouldn't keyhole at 50 yards. A benchrest shooter turned me on to Kroil, and the rest is history.

 

[dprice3844444]

make sure for safetys sake,you only use the lead 405 grain bullets loaded to that factory specs for that old rifle.sights are set up for that. just an fyi.

 

[Bohunter]

Yes, 405gr lead bullets, loads are black powder by Black Dawg.

 

[StrawHat]

I thought that by the time the 1884 had been issued, the Army had switched to the 500 grain lead bullet?

The Trapdoors are a lot of fun, and if you handload, they are even more fun. Lot's of information is available on line for them.

 

[Cosmoline]

The brass will swell and is supposed to swell. That alone should not be enough to cause it to stick unless there's crudola in the chamber or pitting that grabs the brass.

I'm assuming the smith checked headspace.

 

[Bohunter]

Trapdoor

I am not sure what the gunsmith checked, he gave her a good look over and said shoot the gun with low pressure loads.

Anyway I cleaned the heck out of the gun and shot it a couple more times. The brass now ejects about half way out and I can easily pull it with my fingers to remove, however I am hoping with additional cleaning the brass will eject completely.

The gun is shooting great, so far it appears to be very accurate, all 3 shots are holding 1 inch high at 50 yards.

Question: is the brass suppose to look a little dented after its shot??

Thanks for everyones advice and help.

 

[BSA1]

If this is a original Trapdoor what is the condition of the bore? It stands to reason that the chamber will be in the same condition as the inside of the barrel.

 

[Bohunter]

Trapdoor

The bore is nice and shiney, I don't see any pitting.

 

[Mr Woody]

TrapDoor

you might go into a bit more detail on how the brass stuck. Did the trapdoor open-rip the head off the case? How hard was it to remove the case? What's the condition of the extractor?

 

[Bohunter]

Trapdoor

Good questions, after a good cleaning the brass pops out about half way and I can remove it easily with my fingers. I am now questioning the condition of the extractor? I am looking for an exploded view of a trapdoor extractor, so I can see what a good one looks like and how it should operate.