U.S. Springfield M1884 Trapdoor Carbine .45-70 Single Shot Rifle Antique
SOLD FOR: $865
WOA#: WY240126MC019
Make: United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield
Model: Model 1884 Trapdoor Carbine, Saddle ring
Serial Number: 522499
Year of Manufacture: 1891, July-September
Caliber: .45-70 (Black powder)
Action Type: Trapdoor, single shot
Markings: The rear of the breech is marked “522499”. The top of the action is marked “U.S Model 1884”. The lock plate is marked with a federal eagle and “U.S. Springfield”. The left side of the barrel is marked “VP P”. The right side of the barrel band is marked “U”. The heel of the buttplate is marked “US.”
Barrel Length: 22”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade set into a barrel mounted base. The rear sight is a Buffington style rear sight. There is a dent on the top section of the rear sight, which has caused it to bend up slightly.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The wood stock has a straight grip, barrel band, two lock plate screws, trigger guard mounted sling loop, saddle ring bar with saddle ring, and metal buttplate with a storage compartment. The buttplate has pitting and heavy oxidation throughout. There are compression marks, scuffs, and scratches throughout the wood. There is a chunk of wood missing at the bottom of the lock plate. There is a chip missing from the right side of the heel of the buttstock, as well as wear at the toe. The LOP measures 13.75” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Good overall condition for an antique.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark and the rifling is shallow. There is heavy erosion in the bore.
In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 3 out of 10.
Most antique firearms have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the use of black powder. When fired, black powder reacts corrosively. NRA Antique Firearm Conditions Standards are quite lenient for bores. In some cases, the NRA standards disregarded the bore’s condition for collectors’ firearms.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains none of its metal finish. There are scuffs and scratches throughout the metal surfaces. There is pitting present on nearly every surface, with the heaviest being on the barrel exterior, lock plate, and trigger guard assembly. The saddle ring bar is also heavily pitted. The screw heads show moderate to heavy use. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition as an antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The rifle has a half-cock safety. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: Following the American Civil War, it was determined that muzzle-loading, paper cartridge rifles were a thing of the past. Research and development into a new, breech-loading metallic cartridge rifle was fast-tracked, leading to the Model 1866 Allin Conversion Trapdoor rifle, which took existing Model 1863 rifled muskets and converted them to breech-loading metallic cartridge rifles. This would eventually evolve into the Model 1873 rifle. Further improvements were made, resulting in the M1884 and M1888 rifles. These rifles would be largely phased out in the mid 1890s, but some would continue to serve in reserve duty into the Spanish-American War. This is an example of an M1884 Saddle ring carbine made near the middle of 1891. The finish is completely gone and there is a heavy amount of pitting, especially on the barrel exterior. The stock is in good shape, with some wear along with small chips missing here and there. The bore is in poor shape with very heavy erosion. While this is chambered in .45-70, it is advisable to not use modern, smokeless .45-70 in these as they are much higher pressure than the original black powder cartridges. This would fit into any American collection. Please see our photos.
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