Information on a 1873 trapdoor I inherited.

[New2BP.45-70]

Hello!

I have just inherited a Springfield 1873 Trapdoor from my mother in law. I have heard a little of its history, but want to add as much as I can so when I pass it onto my son he has the information as well as the weapon.

The story I heard was that her Great Uncle used this in a war. I dont know which one. He then gave it to his nephew. He would take the weapon down every new years and shoot a blank to bring in the new year. Mostly he kept it hanging from the mantle until he passed away.

His daughter then took possession of it and has since passed it down to me.

From what I have looked up, it seems to have been made between October and December of 1885.
The serial number is 262002. I am including pictures of all the markings I found to help with identification.

Thank you very much!
Kimball.

 

[Johnm1]

First off, welcome to the forum. Although I own a similar rifle, I'm certainly not an expert. This forum has some knowledgeable members and one will be along shortly.

If you intend to shoot it the general thought is to limit it to lead projectiles. Some believe the steel of the barrel is too soft for jacketed bullets. I don't know if that is actually true but I do limit mine to lead bullets. I shoot everything I own but don't see a reason to push the limits. Beware, there are cartridges made for modern made rifles and they should never be fired in your original. Because of the disparity of strength between an original and a newly made rifles, commercial ammunition that is safe to fire in a trapdoor is clearly marked as safe for trapdoors. Though some of the safe ammunition does include jacketed bullets. Ammunition manufacturers are concerned about the antique action and not so much concerned about barrel wear.

Your rifle is very nice. I hope you will have the opportunity to shoot that piece of family and US history. An evaluation of how safe it is to shoot needs to be done before you do. It is over 130 years old.

Thanks for the good pictures. You will get better responses from the experts by posting them.

 

[AlexanderA]

The "U" marking on the bands is just a reminder for their proper orientation -- the open end of the "U" is supposed to point toward the muzzle. (The inside of the bands is slightly beveled.)

"VP" on the barrel stands for "Verified Proof."

The serial number indicates production in the last quarter of 1884. That is, that's when the receiver was made. Trapdoor serial numbers are tricky. Receivers would be made (and numbered) and then would be put into storage, perhaps for years, before being assembled into complete rifles. Usage of the receivers appears to have been random, not on a systematic "first-in, first-out" basis.

There was no Model 1878. Yours looks to be a Model 1873, with the "3" stamped so that it appears like an "8".

It has the M1879 "buckhorn" rear sight.

Considering that the M1884 and M1889 rifles, with "Buffington" rear sights, went into production shortly thereafter, I would guess that your rifle was assembled in late 1884 or early 1885. The stock cartouche says 1884. I don't know anything about the "Detroit Board of Commerce" stamp.

It looks like this rifle has all the correct parts.

War usage would have been during the Spanish-American War.

 

[New2BP.45-70]

Thank you!

 

[Acorn Mush]

Congratulations on receiving this great piece of your family's history, and welcome to the forum.

You have received a VERY nice rifle! Thank you for the good pictures, and for being interested enough in its history to glean all the information you can to pass it on to your heirs.

The "Detroit Board of Commerce" stamp is particularly interesting and I hope one of the more knowledgeable members here can shed some light on it.

By the way, what is the condition of the bore? I was wondering if your mother-in-law's father did any cleaning after his annual New Year's celebratory firing. Hopefully he did. You did not state whether or not you are interested in shooting it but if so, I believe Johnm1 gave you a sound recommendation regarding the use of lead bullets.

 

[AlexanderA]

The "Detroit Board of Commerce" stamp is particularly interesting and I hope one of the more knowledgeable members here can shed some light on it.

I've seen several Trapdoors for sale online with the same stamp. The "37" next to it appears to be a rack number.

 

[Johnm1]

No wonder a lot of people believe there is a model of 1878. That date looks definitely like an 8!

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

See #5: https://www.trapdoorcollector.com/FAQ.html

https://www.midwestguest.com/2016/07/the-spanish-american-war-and-michiganders.html

https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/board-of-commerce-building

https://www.horsesoldier.com/products/firearms/longarms/20127

https://www.icollector.com/Two-U-S-...9-Rifle-with-Detroit-Board-of-Comme_i24908114

 

[AlexanderA]

https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/board-of-commerce-building

Interesting. According to this reference, the Detroit Board of Commerce was established in 1903, five years after the Spanish-American war. That means that this gun could not have been used by the OP's relative in the Spanish-American War, and then taken home afterwards. (Veterans were allowed to take home their guns, especially if they were obsolescent models.) But, instead, it was surplussed out to the Board of Commerce, from which the relative (or someone else) obtained it. (Perhaps the Board of Commerce used it for some kind of honor guard?)

Maybe the relative served in the Spanish-American War, and later wanted to have a gun like the one he was issued.

 

[New2BP.45-70]

Thank you everyone for the information. I really appreciate your time and effort. I don't think I am going to mention what you have found until after my mother in law has passed so as to not break her heart. This was a very cherished item of hers, with the history making it so special.

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

Ancestry has lots of military records if you want to find out what war your ancestor fought in.

 

[Johnm1]

I don't think I am going to mention what you have found until after my mother in law has passed so as to not break her heart.

You have a good heart.

You can think of it this way. Wood is perishable and gets replaced. Not one of us can be sure the wood on any of our 100 plus year old rifles is original. So the story is 'Plausible ' As the line from "The man who shot Liberty Valance" goes

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"