In terms of American military long arms very little attention is given to a predecessor of the much-heralded M1903 and M1 Garand, the Springfield Trapdoor rifle. The Springfield Trapdoor was produced for over 20 years and would play a pivotal role in the Indian Wars and America's expansion Westward after the Civil War.

Rock Island Auction Company's August 15-17 Premier Auction in Bedford Texas features multiple examples of the iconic Trapdoor, including a U.S. Springfield Model 1873 identified by serial number in published lists of 7th U.S. Cavalry carbines returned after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. We'll take a closer look at this historic example, some of the other August offerings, then examine the history and evolution of the Trapdoor rifle in depth.

Little Bighorn-Era Trapdoor

This historic Trapdoor carbine was manufactured in 1875 and is one of the few carbines documented as issued to Troop C of the U.S. 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars. It was turned in as unserviceable in 1877 due to a broken stock and was sent to Springfield Armory for repair.

The included Springfield Research Service letter notes that "Carbine no. 12221 was one of 9 unserviceable Springfield cal. .45 carbines received from Capt. Henry Jackson, 7th Cav., and collected by the Chief Ordnance Officer, Dept. of Dakota, during the 2nd quarter of 1877. These carbines were subjected to a Board of Survey that convened at Ft. Totten, Dakota Territory, on March 20, 1877. This Board found that these carbines had broken stocks. Although not specifically stated in the report of the Board, it is very likely that these carbines were rendered unserviceable at the Battle of Little Big Horn, Montana Territory, on June 25 & 26, 1876, as were other weapons surveyed at about the same time."

Given this carbine’s issuance to Troop C and subsequent recovery damaged, it might have been damaged in the battle itself, possibly after being used as a club or crushed by horse. Another possibility is that it was damaged by one of Troop C's troopers that were detached during the battle. Some of these men were with the pack train and/or participated in the hill top fight with Reno.

More Trapdoors for Sale

Antique and vintage arms bearing clear, identifiable U.S. military proofmarks can enhance the value of a gun, and Trapdoor rifles are no exception. These proofmarks are typically stamped by government inspectors, indicating that a firearm was officially issued or tested for U.S. military use. August's Premier Auction includes several Model 1884 Trapdoor rifles that include numerous proofmarks and inspection cartouches.

Both the example pictured above and below include "V/P/eagle head" on the left breech, "US/MODEL/1884" on the low arch breech block, a federal eagle and shield next to "U.S./SPRINGFIELD" on the lock plate, the boxed script inspection cartouche of Samuel W. Porter stamped on the left stock wrist, circled script "P" proof stamp behind the lower tang, and "US" on the two-piece trigger guard and trigger bar assembly, serrated trigger, and smooth buttplate.

Trapdoor Rifle Origins

Throughout the 1860s, the War Department wanted a breechloading rifle. To be specific, they wanted a breechloading rifle that would chamber a self-primed, metallic cartridge.

An Army Board was formed in 1865 to host trials of different rifles by makers both foreign and domestic. The idea of the Master Armorer at the U.S Armory at Springfield, Mr. Erskine S. Allin, was to take the existing Civil War muzzleloaders, of which there were thousands, and convert them by adding the now well-known “trap door” to the receiver.

Converting surplus muzzleloaders appealed to the Board for a number of reasons:

1. It used existing materials, thereby saving money and manufacturing time.
2. Money was even more important with the War Department’s newly slashed budget.
3. Single shots were viewed as more reliable and rugged than repeaters or magazine rifles.
4. It looked like proven guns of the past, especially with its pronounced hammer.
5. Their priority on long range accuracy over rate of fire.
6. Single shot rifles were thought to force a more efficient use of ammunition.

Trapdoor Rifle Testing

The Army Board adopted the National Armory’s (a.k.a. the U.S. Armory at Springfield, later just “Springfield”) design, now referred to as the “First Allin.” However, this “adoption” was more of a test drive than a final acceptance.

As reports came in from the field in subsequent years, the Trapdoor rifle would be adapted, redesigned, and replaced in the field in small numbers. This went on for about 5 years from National Armory’s Model 1865 to their Model 1870, until on September 3, 1872, the Board of Army Officers held another trial.

This trial was designed to find a rifle with more in line with their preference toward range and power than the Model 1870 being “test driven” by soldiers in the field.  The Board, now known as the “Terry Board,” was headed by Brigadier General A.H. Terry and requested roughly 100 different breechloading rifles from various makers to put through trials.

They again received both foreign and domestic submissions from some of the most prominent firearms manufacturers of the day such as: Winchester, Remington, Springfield, Sharps, Spencer, Whitney, and others. All but 21 were rejected almost immediately and only two of those were modifications of the current .50 caliber Trapdoor.

Road to the .45-70 Cartridge

At this point, a “sidebar” study was held by the Terry Board. It was a separate, yet related, study to determine which combination of caliber, powder charge, and bullet weight would provide the best performance.

They tested .40, .42, and .45 caliber bullets, powder amounts from 65-80 grains, several rifling variations, and bullet weights from 350-450 grains. Each variation had its own barrel and was tested with 20 shots at 6 targets 500 yards away.

The winner would be barrel #16 with the #58 ammunition, which would be the 45-70-405 cartridge. We know it better as the .45-70 Government. The round was deemed so effective that Colt would be making Gatling guns to utilize that round later that same year.

It is surprising that both government and private manufacturers took so long to realize that by increasing powder and lessening bullet weight, they could produce rifles with much greater range. The development of this round and its subsequent rifle, literally made for each other, would mark the American shift from muskets to longer range rifles.

By the time the .45-70 was decided upon, the Terry Board had further narrowed the field of long arms to six possible candidates. Each was altered to use this new cartridge and tested further. In the end, their bias to an older style of warfare and rifle won out and the trap door action was selected. The preference for a powerful rifle that would be accurate at long distances also implies interesting things about the state of American conflict at that time.

The Civil War having ended a short 7 years earlier, the thought was to again select a weapon that would perform nobly in a similar type of conflict. The thought of fast-moving battles against Native Americans may have been a secondary priority at that time, hence the lack of urgency to adopt repeating and magazine based rifles.

Trapdoor Rifle Use

It is known that Trapdoor rifles were not developed until after the Civil War and through Springfield’s manufacturing records one will find that the first 1,940 Model 1873 carbines and 2 rifles were not made until the final months of 1873 with an additional 6,521 weapons ready by March 31, 1874. The Model 1873 was the fifth improvement of the Allin design.

The Spanish-American War would not start for another 24 years. Until that time the Allin System longarms would be used in the American plains for two purposes: killing buffalo and fighting American Indians. As a buffalo killer, the weapon was apt. Its muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet/second would allow it to penetrate 17 inches of white pine at 100 yards, certainly enough to kill a buffalo. This power when combined with its long range accuracy also made it an excellent hunting rifle for other large game of the prairie and coyotes.

The classic cowboy song “Home On the Range,” was first published in 1873 with its now well-known lyrics of buffalo roaming while deer and antelope play. Little could author Brewster M. Higley have known how much the Springfield, developed that same year, would affect those animals.

The Allin System’s performance in the Indian Wars is much debated. Often cited are the “large number” of empty cartridges found at the Battle of Little Big Horn which exhibited signs of malfunction. Such examples were found, however, they are a small percentage (2.7 – 3.4% by some counts) of the thousands rounds that were fired in that conflict.

The concern over jamming weapons in the Indian Wars is not a modern one. Even at the time, it was a known concern among soldiers. This was due in large part to the use of a copper alloy (“Bloomfield Gilding Metal”) in the manufacture of the ammunition’s case.

Copper was prone to expanding in the breech upon firing and could also prevent the extractor from properly functioning. This often required the user to pry the cartridge from the breech or to push it out by using the ramrod. Such a remedy was not an option on the carbine version which did not include that valuable tool.  This brought about the use of brass cases to reduce expansion, a material still in use to this day.

The Springfield Model 1873 carbine was the standard issue longarm of all U.S. Cavalry units from 1874 to 1896, but the rifle would be switched out in 1886 for the improved Springfield Model 1884 Trapdoor rifle. The Allin system would not be replaced as the standard U.S. rifle until the adoption of the Krag-Jørgensen (a.k.a. Springfield Model 1892-99) which would also be produced by the Springfield Armory from 1894 to 1904.

For those paying close attention to dates, this means that the Krag, using its smokeless ammunition, was the primary rifle used in both the Spanish-American War as well as the Philippine-American War, though the sheer number of available Trapdoors inevitably meant that the outdated black powder guns would still see use.

Trapdoor Rifle Variations

It’s hard to see how any troops could complain about the Springfield Trapdoor. With a new variation out almost every year of its production, any issues could be dealt with rapidly and remedied in subsequent iterations. This resulted in some truly rare variants and prototypes.

The only issue that could not be easily fixed was the Trapdoor's relatively low rate of fire, a quality inherent to its loading method. The example below was a rare attempt to remedy that disadvantage by installing a tubular magazine under the barrel and modifying the breech mechanisms so that opening and closing the breech also operates an elevator to ready the next shot.

For an exhaustive list of the changes and varieties in all their minutia, please consult what many consider to be the bible of Springfield Trapdoors, Robert Frasca’s 'The .45-70 Springfield.' With his list of all the parts that were altered from 1873-1894, it is difficult to imagine one piece remaining throughout all 20 years of production.

Not only did the Model 1873 miss the major conflicts of the 19th century, it was also vastly overshadowed by the iconic Winchester repeater and Colt revolver released that same year. It was a rifle languishing in the past by a population in the throes of the Industrial Revolution and hungry to adopt the new technologies that accompanied it.

The Model 1873 was relegated to ill-chosen government contracts, slaughtering buffalo, and killing Native Americans. Outdated in its loading system before it was even adopted by the government and lacking the celebrity of a military conflict, the Springfield Trapdoor plays a quiet role in the story of U.S. military arms, yet remains a highly desirable collector’s piece with its unique loading system, endless varieties to collect, and aesthetically pleasing components like the lockplate, hammer, and sweeping breech block.  

Trapdoor Collectors Today

Even a highly dedicated collector would stay busy for decades happily collecting this long arm of the American plains. From rare, experimental variations, extremely high condition models, unusual calibers, accouterments, and many different years of production, the Trapdoor genre covers a wide range of development.

The Springfield Trapdoor rifle stands as an enduring icon of the Wild West and American frontier, embodying the rugged spirit of an era defined by exploration, conflict, and expansion. If early American militaria and rifles are your passion, the Trapdoor rifles alone will be enough to get you champin’ at the bit.

SOURCES:

Frasca, Albert J., and Charles R. Suydam. The .45-70 Springfield: Springfield Caliber .58, .50, .45 and .30 Breech Loaders in the U.S. Service, 1865-1893. Springfield, OH: Frasca Pub., 1997. Print.