My new 45-70

[chez323]

I went to a gun auction today and came home with an H&R Model 1873 Springfield Trapdoor 45-70 Officer model. I remember seeing this in a store when I was a kid, tried to convince my dad to buy it but no such luck. They had 2 of them at the auction today, the 2nd one came home with me.







She's a beauty!

 

[Al Thompson]

Super! Going to shoot it?

 

[Badlander]

That is A beauty!!!

 

[chez323]

45-70

yep, it will be shot. Not into buying guns just to have them. : ) I'll post a report once I make it to the range... which might be this weekend if all goes well.

 

[chuckles]

I have one just like it, with unusually fancy wood. It doesn't show up well in your pictures but the engraving is really nice too. Make sure you keep the screw that secures the thumb latch tight. it's the screw on the bottom of the breech block and it will work loose. Google it up to see what I'm talking about. I have heard of guys that fit original breech bolts to these H&Rs to solve the thumb latch issue. My suggestion is to use mild "cowboy" loads. YMMV, but they certainly are good looking rifles. I bought mine for $300 NIB, unfired, from a guy that had bought it new in the late 70s-early 80s. Have you found any info to determine when it was manufactured? I have never looked very hard into dates but it would be interesting to know. My SN is in the 211X range.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

Sweet!

 

[BCRider]

That is VERY nice.

It's a shame that H&R has been reduced to what it is today after changing hands a few times. With a little updating I think an action of that style with a good, accurate barrel could still be a winner among the crowd that enjoys single shot guns for hunting and target work.

 

[chez323]

my 45-70

I hit the range today and put some rounds down range with my new trapdoor. I must say the kick was not as bad as I thought it would be. The gun is actually quite pleasant to shoot and accurate.

I only put 20 rounds down range but it was accurate, though the peep/tang site took a bit to get used too. Once I did it was pretty accurate and a blast to shoot!

 

[788Ham]

Load up some 460 gr. bullets and let them go downrange, those boogers really fly hard. Nice looking rifle.

 

[Hay Creek]

She's a beauty!

Be sure to check your tang sight after every shot. Sometimes, the spring won't hold the stadia in place from the recoil and it gets canted forward. Also, make sure your eye piece doesn't work loose.

 

[Cosmoline]

Out of curiosity, how much real downrange accuracy difference is there between these reproductions and the high-end ones?