1868 trapdoor sporter

hello all. first time posting. love all the good info on this site. anyways. just picked up a sporterized 1868 trapdoor Springfield a few weeks ago. couldnt pass it up for the money. good working condition. stock cut down of course. original sights removed. goofy looking peep sight added. didnt think it was too big a deal for the price. got it home and inspected it closer. noticed the barrel was sleeved for a smaller caliber. it was supoosed to be a .50-70. its now somewhere in the .38 pistol cartridge range i think. bore is around .365 as best i can tell. chamber is only cut about .9 inches before you hit rifling. cant say for sure but im thinking .38 smith and wesson short or .38 colt short. so my question is has anyone ever ran across a trapdoor that had been sleeved for a smaller caliber and if so what caliber was it is? ive looed at hundred of sportered trapdoors on the internet over the past couple weeks and i have yet to find one that wasnt still in the orignial caliber. thank you all!

What did the previous owner say?

We need pictures to assist you.

previous owner was no help. said he obtained the rifle from either his grandfather or his wifes grandfather who was an avid hunter who went on multiple trips all over america and one or two to africa. he didnt know anything about. probably why i got such a good price. he didnt want it taking up room and wanted to get rid of it to someone who would appreciate it more than he. so no help there. ill try and post pics later today.

My mistake. Bore measures .357 to .359. Somewhere in between there. I'm bad with measuring calipers. Lol.

Pics. Hopefully. Lol

Interesting old piece for sure. I'd slug the bore to be sure what caliber and then if its truly a .357 I would see to it I could use at least 38 Spl...and get to work shooting it. I'd want more conventional sights though. It's waiting for resurrection.

Not sure about .38 special. I don't have a .38 special round laying about to check but it seems to me that it would be a bit too long to fit correctly in the chamber. Could be wrong tho. Does anyone think it's worth to sort of fix it up to original shape? Being rechambered and all I mean.

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Originally Posted by rpchachee

fix it up to original shape

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You'd have to sink lots into it. You need everything.

I'd cut a 38 Spl chamber if it was me but then I have the reamer.

I figure a replacement stock would be the worst thing to try and obtain. I don't mean a full on restoration. Just give it back that "look" ya know?

I’d second the 38 special idea. That would be just too cool in a trapdoor.

I take it you got a good deal on it as a cut down 50-70.

In my opinion this would translate to a fantastic price for a unique 38 Special Trapdoor.

You still need to do a slug of the bore and probably a chamber casting to see where you're starting out... Even if it's a fat 38spl chamber you can get enough brass to not worry. That is if you do that.

The stock you can keep an eye for, you may find one or these guys might have one if you post a WTB hereabouts...

Thanks for the insights everyone. I will definalty consider the .38 special if it isn't already. I'll post more info when I find more out.

---------- Post added at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 AM ----------

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Originally Posted by rcathey

I take it you got a good deal on it as a cut down 50-70.

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As best as I can tell from the info I'm looking at online, the barrel is still the original length. Reciver and barrel serial numbers both match and have the same number font. I feel I got a pretty good deal. I just threw a number out there to the guy and he agreed. Paid $300. Not sure what sportered trapdoor go for tho. Never owned one till now lol.

Measure the diameter of the chamber and the groove for the cartridge rim, and the depth of the chamber to the shoulder. It will give you the dimensions of the cartridge case, which will give you an idea of the cartridge. Should be easy from there to find the cartridge.

whatever happened with this rifle? did you ever find the caliber?

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Originally Posted by rpchachee

I figure a replacement stock would be the worst thing to try and obtain.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

The stock you can keep an eye for, you may find one or these guys might have one

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Dunlap woodcrafts Chantilly, VA. I handled a couple full length trapdoor stocks last time I was in his shop a couple months ago.

no sadly i havent figured the caliber yet. ill look at it for a while and then it sits in the corner for awhile. its an on and off curiosity.

---------- Post added at 04:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 AM ----------

thanks for the info. ill check it out.

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Originally Posted by rpchachee

no sadly i havent figured the caliber yet

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Sounds like you might need to cast the chamber with Cerrosafe
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...y-prod384.aspx
It's cheap and melts easily in a spoon. Could be real fun shooter if if it's something common like 38 special. I haven't seen any trapdoor barrels in good condition for sale that weren't already on fully assembled rifles.

thanks for the reply. yes cerrosafe is real easy to use. what part of PA do you live in? i'm just north of scranton.

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Originally Posted by free1954

what part of PA do you live in? i'm just north of scranton.

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a little south of clearfield.

My recommendation: don't waste a lot of money in trying to make it into a military-looking trapdoor again.
And don't mess with the chamber. You don't (yet) know what it is.
And don't trust bore measurement with calipers. Just not precise enough, because of the grooves.

As suggested, you need to slug the bore. You need a well-greased SOFT lead slug. Do you know any ML/percussion shooters? A 36-cal round ball would be suitable. A 38er might also go, but would be harder work.

If a modern 357/38 Special bullet falls through the bore, then you have one of the predecessors. I have a rifle which is like that. It took me quite some time to work out that it is chambered in ... (take a deep breath) ... 38 Long Colt Outside Lubricated !

So once again: don't assume anything, don't mess with the chamber or trust calipers.

Let us know the results!

Patrick

i will most certainly update everyone on my finds when i get around to looking at the rifle again. winter is coming so im sure ill find some time soon to look at it again. thank you all for the advice and insights.

i thought maybe if you were closer we could get together and try a couple of different rounds in the chamber. using cerrosafe is the easiest way to find out for sure. good luck.