1873 Trapdoor Springfield Questions

[GreenMntRanger]

A friend asked me about this Springfield, and I am woefully ignorant when it comes to them so I have to ask. My friend is looking for a fare asking price and realizes that the blockage will diminish value.

Here is the email he sent to me with descriptions and pictures

Emails I have received concerning this rifle.

Ron, here is the pics and info on the Springfield,thanks for you help,Bruce

the barrel is 25 1/2 ",the blockage is 6" from the breech,it is 45-70,i took pics of the markings,on the bottom of the butt there is a P with a circle around it,on the left side a box with 3 letters SWP(maybe) with 1884 under the letters,on each barrel band there is a U,on the barrel there is some markings also

"doesn't seem to be any swelling at (at the plugged point),when i got the gun,there was a wood plug with epoxy in the barrel end,i drilled that out,i tried to pound the other one out and it won't move"

"Got the serial # 257964"










Any help would be greatly appreciated

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Patrick Chadwick]

My friend is looking for a fare asking price and realizes that the blockage will diminish value.

I cannot say anything about your local market, but wherever you are, a Trapdoor in good shooting condition is worth a 4-figure price, but a wallhanger is only worth hundreds - as decoration or a source of spare parts..

So the determining factor is:

a) Can the blockage be removed?
b) What is the state of the bore after the blockage has been removed?

It is impossible to answer these questions from a distance, with only external photographs to go by, as the problem is internal.

The hopeful signs are that you see no external evidence of bulging, and the barrel was blocked by "a wood plug with epoxy in the barrel end".
So one may hope that the remaining blockage is also something glued into the barrel. If it had been brazed or welded, you should see evidence of that on the outside. The blockage may have been glued, soldered or upset to jam in the barrel.
Of course, by pounding the blockage, you are probably be upsetting it to jam even more firmly in the barrel !!!

It would be advisable to drill it out. You need a long sleeved drill that will reach deep enough but no steel must be allowed to touch the barrel metal. A drill tip will, of course, ruin the barrel instantly, and even a steel shaft rotating in the bore will spoil the lands and the muzzle.

The answer is to use an undersize drill mounted in an extension formed by a brass tube or rod, itself adapted to hold the drill. There should also be a running sleeve at the muzzle end to keep the setup straight and prevent rubbing on the muzzle.

The drilling should be undertaken at a very low speed, to prevent the extension rod flapping about in the bore and rubbing on the lands. In a similar case which I dealt with, I took great care to have the drill extension mounted in a lathe chuck, with the barrel set up in a travelling steady. The most fiddly aspect was holding the back end of the barrel on the lathe axis.

By now it should be clear that you need good workshop equipment and a lot of patience. If you do not possess both, you are likely to irretrievably spoil the barrel, and should give the job to someone else. Depending on what comes out after drilling (wood? brass? steel?) one can determine what to do next to remove the remains of the plug.

[gtodan]

Good advice. Seek a pro, depending on asking price of course.

[browningautorifle]

Agreed with all that's been said here, except that I'd be seeing that bore clear. I just can't stand people doing that sort of thing...but do it carefully... The sling is even nice, looks like the correct one in decent shape considering it's age.

[Dick Hosmer]

The rifle has already been modified by someone outside SA, so the barrel obstruction is not the only problem. No known TD has a 25.5" barrel. The stock, of course, is also compromised, leaving the action parts, etc. I'd think a fair value for what is there would be around $300 (NOT an offer). I'd also wonder at the quoted value of over $1,000 for a TD in shooting condition - that would be pretty high on today's market - at least from where I sit (Northern CA) and given my 45 years of TD collecting experience.

[Patrick Chadwick]

You are certainly correct - I hadn't realized that the barrel had been shortened.

As to values - of course I do not know your local market, and cannot compete with 45 years of collecting experience. But collecting is not the same as shooting. And good shooters are somewhat rarer than merely "collectable" pieces. At least, that is my experience over here, where a proven competition-quality Trapdoor costs 4-figures in Euros. You may consider yourself fortunate to live where they are so plentiful.

[Dick Hosmer]

Yes, I'd hate to have a deep interest in trapdoors and be located in Germany! Over here, common models in moderate (smooth but turning brown) exterior condition but with good to fine bores do have value as shooters, and sell briskly, but generally for much less than the really nice examples which are either not shot, or shot much less frequently. The gun shown has been severely modified and would be a very slow mover here in the States, even if the bore was pristine.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

I sold a TD "Shooter" in a little better condition at a show a couple of weeks ago in Dallas for $600. I think that's about all I could get for it here.