After just buying one old/antique rifle now I’m afraid I’m hooked on them. I found this 1873 Trapdoor Springfield rifle I'm thinking of buying in really nice shape. I'm trying figure out how "messed with" and original it is before I'm committed to buy it. It's an 1873 (at least that is what is stamped on the breech block) 2 band rifle. Serial number is 360XXX. It has a Buffington (?) rear sight and a "low arch" breech block. The stock is very clean (almost too clean) but it looks like it might have been stripped or sanded and then oiled at some point. The stock cartouches are barely visible and not legible. The wood to metal fit is very tight.
My Questions/concerns:
1. There is no date stamped on the lock plate. Should there be a date stamp if it's original?
2. The bluing on the barrel looks like someone wiped cold blue on it at some point and is "browner" than the receiver/breech. The bluing on the receiver, breech block and lock plate is pretty good and is a little more blue/black which doesn’t really match the look/color of the barrel. Shouldn't the breech block be case hardened?
3. The blade in the front sight has been replaced with a higher blade which is preventing the bayonet from sliding on. I’ve read that this is not uncommon because in stock form the rifle will shoot quite high at short ranges and this enables it to shoot closer to the point of aim. However, is the Buffington rear sight correct for an 1873?
4. There are no unit/company stamps on the rifle, should there be?
Does this appear to be a rifle assembled from "parts" to you? I'm really looking more for a clean old shooter than a collector’s item and the bore is very clean so it looks like it would be a good one. However, I would prefer not to have a "basket of parts" gun. The breech block, sights and lack of a date on the lock all raise red flags to me, should they? Does this sound like it's still worth $800 for the rifle or $1000 with the bayonet? The bayonet/frog and scabbard are in great shape although it won't quite fit past the front sight. Despite the questions and concerns I have regarding the rifle it still sounds like a fair deal to me but I’m pretty new to antique guns. Any help or advice will be appreciated. Thanks.
My Questions/concerns:
1. There is no date stamped on the lock plate. Should there be a date stamp if it's original?
2. The bluing on the barrel looks like someone wiped cold blue on it at some point and is "browner" than the receiver/breech. The bluing on the receiver, breech block and lock plate is pretty good and is a little more blue/black which doesn’t really match the look/color of the barrel. Shouldn't the breech block be case hardened?
3. The blade in the front sight has been replaced with a higher blade which is preventing the bayonet from sliding on. I’ve read that this is not uncommon because in stock form the rifle will shoot quite high at short ranges and this enables it to shoot closer to the point of aim. However, is the Buffington rear sight correct for an 1873?
4. There are no unit/company stamps on the rifle, should there be?
Does this appear to be a rifle assembled from "parts" to you? I'm really looking more for a clean old shooter than a collector’s item and the bore is very clean so it looks like it would be a good one. However, I would prefer not to have a "basket of parts" gun. The breech block, sights and lack of a date on the lock all raise red flags to me, should they? Does this sound like it's still worth $800 for the rifle or $1000 with the bayonet? The bayonet/frog and scabbard are in great shape although it won't quite fit past the front sight. Despite the questions and concerns I have regarding the rifle it still sounds like a fair deal to me but I’m pretty new to antique guns. Any help or advice will be appreciated. Thanks.