Trapdoor Rifles

Very nice one, and not often found; the matching carbines are extremely rare. I blundered into a rifle about 30 years ago - have not seen one since, and have never seen a carbine (something like 10 believed to exist). Still better than the Sharps trials carbine with NONE known.

Kudos to an extremely meticulous and dedicated researcher, and an all-around gentleman, whom I am proud to call my friend.

Buy Ed's books! You will NOT be sorry...

I can help with a trigger guard assembly (and would beat the dealer price) but would have to see a photo of the sight prep to tell you if its' been monkeyed with. The base IS very similar to the CW style. I do not believe that I have a sight - but will check. This afternoon I did a search on ebay a...

Great find! There are, AFAIK, four different .45-80 cardboard boxes. I had three of them - and that is the one I never found... When I sold my LRR 162036 a couple of years ago, I threw in a box to seal the deal (wish i hadn't) so am now down to just two. I THINK the first type two piece box with red...

Even though you say you do not particularly care - at this time - about condition or collectibility, you should at least consider the day when you want to upgrade and sell, so, the more you know, the better off you are. Suggest the late Joe Poyer's ".45-70 Springfield, 4th edition" for $35...

Friends- I just wanted to tell everyone how much I appreciate the work that Don Harpold (".45 Govt") does for this site. You won't see it, but there is a lot of busy work behind the scenes to approve new posters and kill spam posts. Not real high tech, not real time consuming, but just en...

I did pay attention to what you said... Read what I said (they didn't make that many model 1870's". Therefore it is probably a M1868 with a M1870 block. Again, my apologies - I guess it was just the way I interpreted your comment- seemed to be going over already-settled ground. There is no &qu...

It looks like the block aligns closer to the bottom of the hinge pin than the center. I was told some time ago the blocks weren't interchangeable but... The other red flag for me is the 25,xxx serial number on the receiver and barrel. They didn't make that many model 1870's. Sorry to be blunt, but ...

Thanks for the info.... My assumption might be correct. What I am looking at is a M1868 with a later breach block (it is stamped Model 1870). Then you are looking at two things: (1) Proof that the blocks DO interchange (several people have said over the years that they do not) and (2) a not-as-made...

Welcome! You have encountered one of the prime confusions of the era. The M1868 and the M1870 .50-70s are frequently misidentified. As you say, the 1868 has the long nose, while the 1870 has the short, just like all following .45-70s. The 52,500 M1868s were dated 1868 ( extremely rare) 1869 (less co...