Trapdoor oddity!

As a rule, I never buy 'bubba'd' military rifles. They are historic pieces that have a story to tell, and messing with them messes with that history.
However, I ran across something today that just begged to be brought home. It is a Model 1873 uh..'carbine'.
Whatever work was done to it was done quite a long time ago, and done pretty darn well. Its a mini '73 infantry trapdoor! No, a carbine..no, rifle...what the heck?
What strikes me odd about it is if someone was going to copy/fake a cavalry carbine, it seems to me it would have been a lot easier to just shorten the stock and add the saddle ring. We have the saddle ring, and what seems to be a lot of pretty nice work.
Altered buttstock? Doesn't look like your typical 1873 buttstock.
Enjoy the pics...I like this one!

Looks like it was done a long time back too...

The reason is money. Carbines sold better than rifles. Sears Roebuck had their gun company do the conversion as did a few other companies. Recently Golden State made up No.5 "Jungle Carbines" from No.4 and No.1 rifles. Things don't change that much.

I have also seen surplus dealers buy condemned rifles where the barrel is bulged at the muzzle at scrap prices and cut the barrels down to make "special" and "rare" carbines out of them.

Very true.

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I'm under no allusion that this is some rare prototype or anything like that..someone made a 'carbine' out of a rifle a long time ago.
That said..it has recently been brought to my attention that this may be a South American conversion of some kind. Would be curious to hear any thoughts on this. BTW, I can find no reference to this, but it wouldn't surprise me if some of these made it down there.
Either way, whoever did it for whatever reason I'll probably never really know. Its unique. I'm taking it to the range next weekend, will get some video up! Should be fun.

It's a carbifle!

Exactly!

I'm betting the forearm was joined to the stock under the rear band

I reckon you could be right! It would be the easiest way to do it.

Anzac15, have you removed the bottom ring and looked closely at the wood? Is there a "duffle cut" there?

I attempted to disassemble it a while back, those bands are not budging...I decided to leave well enough alone!