Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield Reliability

[gabrielvox]

Hi all. I am mulling over the above gun by Perdasolli (sp?) in 45-70 carbine. Does anyone have any experience with it? It'sd not an action I'm familiar with having used a Sharps Carbine for years. Is it reliable? Something I can take out in the field as well as fun? I've used my Sharps 45-70 for game up to buffalo size, although I don't intend to go after anything that big in the forseeable future.

Thanks for any help.

 

[General Geoff]

I think reliability is a safe assumption to make with any quality single-shot rifle, trapdoor springfield included..

 

[gabrielvox]

No offense meant, but I don't make any assumptions of reliablity on something I can't shoot first and I can't find anybody locally with a trapdoor I can try. I've had a no name Firestar 9mm that has never given me or its next owner (a relative) any problems in 20 years, and I had a brand new Stoner AR-15 that I sold after months of nothing but problems.

But if you have experience with it or any other replica brand I'd like to hear from you.

 

[General Geoff]

I've never once had ANY single shot firearm EVER fail on me, and I've shot my fair share of them. No trapdoors in particular, I HAVE fired a Shiloh Sharps long range express in .45-70 though. Expensive but worth every penny...

 

[green country shooter]

I have a trapdoor made in the 1870s which has never failed to fire in my hands.

 

[Z71]

I have an 1881 model rifle, and it works great. Ejects emptys with authority, and accuracy is superb.

Considering Pedersoli's reputation as an excellent replica arms manufacturer, I would presume their Trapdoor replicas to be an excellent product. However, I can't say I've ever seen one in person.

The original Trapdoors can be found in decent condition for somewhat less than the Italian replicas. Plus the original Springfield made trapdoor rifles are of superb quality. Why not buy an original for $600-$800 vs. the Pedersolis for $1000+?

 

[JWF III]

I have 2 originals. One rifle and one carbine. Never had a bit of problems out of either.

Just be sure not to use the "new" hot ammunition. Even in a brand new gun, the action is weak compared to Ruger No.1s and the Marlin 1895. The original load (or smokeless equivalant) is all that should be fired in a Trapdoor, of any age. Most of the ammo I've seen loaded to these specs put a 405 gr. LFN bullet at about 1300 fps.

Wyman

 

[TomADC]

I have the H&R version, if I could find another I'd probably buy they are great shooters and a lot of fun to boot. Go for it.

 

[WC145]

I have a Uberti 1873 Trapdoor Springfield carbine and have never had an issue with it. It is accurate, reliable, and has a great trigger.

And, I agree with General Geoff. Like my Uberti, the Pedersoli is a high quality replica of a very simple firearm and there is no reason you can't assume that it will be accurate and reliable out of the box.

You could also check with the guys at the American Single Shot Rifle Association forum, someone there may have info specific to the Pedersoli. http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

 

[rcmodel]

It's a pretty safe bet that any rifle that was the standard issue U.S. military rifle for over 20 years is going to be reliable.
When it was finally replaced, it was not due to any problem with the design, other then it was a single-shot in a rapidly changing world of repeating army rifles.

As for a Pedersoli replica, I couldn't say, but I would bet it would be just fine too.

rc