New (to me) 1884 Springfield Trapdoor

[Ugly Sauce]

Ha, here she is in that very spot, taking a lunch and cigar break. Still has the buffington sights on it, not sure how I would have got a good sight picture on the dark side of a bear, in a deep dark gloomy cedar jungle with the Buffingtons. !!!!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Same place, same day, different spot.

 

[Durango_Dave]

My apologies to the OP if we've hijacked your great thread with the LBH discussion. Perhaps that should be another thread?

No problem at all.

 

[Miguel Loco]

Sorry for the hijack.....Great to see another cigar smoker Ugly Sauce! One of the few bad habits I have left, but man....I do love it! I'm lucky enough to get to "work" in a cigar/gun shop in Tombstone..... and won my Trapdoor in a raffle there in Tombstone. Only time in my life I've been lucky like that.

 

[Durango_Dave]

I'm lucky enough to get to "work" in a cigar/gun shop in Tombstone..... and won my Trapdoor in a raffle there in Tombstone.

Hey just one week ago I was in the Cigar/gun shop in Tombstone. I looked at the rifles: Trapdoor, Rolling block, Winchester Lever Action. I was on my motorcycle so I couldn't haul a long gun home with me. I ended up buying a holster for my Ruger Blackhawk. Was that you, Miguel Loco, that I bought that holster from?

 

[Miguel Loco]

Hey just one week ago I was in the Cigar/gun shop in Tombstone. I looked at the rifles: Trapdoor, Rolling block, Winchester Lever Action. I was on my motorcycle so I couldn't haul a long gun home with me. I ended up buying a holster for my Ruger Blackhawk. Was that you, Miguel Loco, that I bought that holster from?

I don't think so.... unfortunately....would have been great to meet you. We do seem to have a pretty good selection of firearms....we're low on gunleather though....I need to get busy!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Sorry for the hijack.....Great to see another cigar smoker Ugly Sauce! One of the few bad habits I have left, but man....I do love it! I'm lucky enough to get to "work" in a cigar/gun shop in Tombstone..... and won my Trapdoor in a raffle there in Tombstone. Only time in my life I've been lucky like that.

An acquired taste, (Like Springfield rifles) I enjoy them most after a lunch break when in the mountains, or around a camp-fire. Dang...combo gun and cigar shop...I may have to come out of retirement and "work". I don't know of any such place here in Eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

You could always move South!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Well, if I had to move, I think Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico would be on the top of my list. Before I moved up here to Washington State, I knew the desert well and learned to love it. I would miss my mountains though...but I often miss the desert too. (using "desert" as a general term, compared to the North West)

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

We have mountains here too. And pine trees and everything. Plus cactus and all kinds of pokey things!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I know, it looks beautiful. I watch Arizona and Nevada and New Mexico and Utah videos all the time. I can imagine me-self roaming them mountains with my Trapdoor Springfield Carbine, and riding the dirt-bike on those endless dirt roads with a six-shooter on my hip. Probably a better political climate than Washington State. However, wouldn't see much of the grand-kids anymore, and that wouldn't go over so big with the you-know-who. !!!! I'd have to go alone, and be forever known as the "Lonesome Kid".

 

[Miguel Loco]

I hear ya....I spent 50 years in the Spokane area, north and central Idaho. I fell in love with southern AZ when we traveled though when I was in high school. Move here almost 20 years ago and love it even more. The terrain, the history, the weather.....it's all awesome. Political climate is good here....relaxed concealed carry laws etc. I'll never move. Helping in the shop in Tombstone just makes it all even sweeter. We fly up to see grandkids 3 - 4 times a year....and they come down here a couple times as well.

 

[Bubba32]

Glad ya'll are having success shooting them flat base .458 slugs. My '84 trapdoor slugs out at .465" and has a near mint bore. I haven't got around to casting the Lee hollow base slugs yet but have made up and shot some of the round ball loads from the Pat Wolf book. Shot very well! Was great finally putting some rounds through it!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Hope to shoot my carbine tomorrow, make sure she's sighted in, going to try a slightly different sight-picture. Will be taking it up camping in the mountains in a few weeks. Should pop the rifle off a couple of times while I'm at it, even though I know she's on.

I've never tried the round ball loads. Sounds "interesting".

On the Lee slugs, I have two molds, one with the hollow base, and one I modified to have a flat base. I can't really tell any difference between the two as far as accuracy. The flat-base weighs a bit more. I also use pure lead, and get no leading. SPG for lube.

 

[Bubba32]

pure lead will really help the bullet expand under the pressure to the bore diameter. The roundball load is basically a .457 round ball, lubed with lee liquid alox. I think the charge was 40 gr of 3F, but I used Pyrodex P. Used a felt wad over the powder and seated the ball with a short starter. Make sure it seats firmly against the powder, not a real tight fit, but the layer of tumble lube helps. I just made a visual inspection of each one before firing. Didn't group them, but we shot up a few cans of cheap brew we hated, and they shot well in my rifle at about 30 yards or so.

 

[Bubba32]

Some states now allow vintage black powder cartridge rifles to be used in muzzle loading season. Who has that option now?

 

[hawg]

Some states now allow vintage black powder cartridge rifles to be used in muzzle loading season. Who has that option now?

Not just vintage rifles. MS allows modern copies of rifles. The H&R Handi Rifles in 35 Whelen and 45-70 are what most people use here with smokeless powder and scopes.

 

[Dave T]

hawg, I think Bubba was talking about shooting cartridges loaded with black powder in black powder cartridge rifles during the muzzle loading season.

Bubba, I'd like to know what states allow that as I am strictly a black powder cartridge shooter...even in my revolvers.

Dave

 

[Bubba32]

Yes, I meant black powder cartridges in original BP guns. Unless the law has changed, Virginia allows this as of a few years ago.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Man, in Washington State, we had a big row over both modern primers, and saboted bullets when they were proposed. Both passed though. "reliability" was the main argument for the primers, which I found ironic as my flintlocks, 1861 Springfield, and replica Remington 1863 Contract rifles are all 100% reliable.