The last chapter of the Trapdoor rifles -serial number 561529 dated 1893.

[Hank Stone]

I never post about guns?But I couldn't resist posting on this valuable rifle.

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/cal30.html

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.

[jsl1944]

Just picked up a similar rifle with the "A" on top rear of barrel. It has an 1891 cartoushe. The "A" per Waite and Ernst or Frasca and Hill indicates arsenal rework.
I am curious about the trap in the butt plate. I would surmise that it is there to provide for the cleaning rod as there is a bayonet rather than a rod.
Am I correct in this?

[daveboy]

Well, since we are showing off...here are some photos of SN 556144.

daveboy
Attachment 23305Attachment 23304Attachment 23303Attachment 23302Attachment 23301Attachment 23300

[Fred G.]

Just picked up a similar rifle with the "A" on top rear of barrel. It has an 1891 cartoushe. The "A" per Waite and Ernst or Frasca and Hill indicates arsenal rework.
I am curious about the trap in the butt plate. I would surmise that it is there to provide for the cleaning rod as there is a bayonet rather than a rod.
Am I correct in this?

The butt trap was designed to hold the model 1879 take down tool as well as a little jag tip to screw onto the threaded end of the ramrod bayonet so that it can be used to clean the bore. It also held a broken shell extractor whose body was formed to ride down the bore on the end of the rod that was pushing it while the extractor body would turn freely with the rifling, being pretty much a cast of the bore itself. All of these items can be easily obtained to put into an 1888 rifle.

[A square 10]

what a fantastic bunch of rifle , thanks for posting them , i love looking at what others have found ,

i did find and have the various buttrap items in mine , i really like the accoutrements

[waltmilan]

I look at serial numbers and production figures and I can never figure out why they made so darn many Trapdoors and Krags. The Army had what, 25,000 men? Does anyone know?

[Southerner]

I recently acquired two trapdoors from an estate sale. One is a model 1884 with the rod bayonet in great condition. It has an 1893 cartouche, the Buffington rear sight, and was a shooter. The serial number is 5622**. It had an 1879 rifle tool and a case extractor in the butt trap.

The other is a model 1873 with an 1881 cartouche. It is also a shooter, but not as pristine as the first. It is stamped with a large GA in the wood on the top of the butt stock in front of the butt plate tang. It is also marked/stamped on the left side with S.V.G with a three digit number under it.

I will try and post photos as soon as I am able. Anyone know what the SVG represents or whether it is a desirable designation?

[Southerner]

[IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG]Photos of the 1873

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http://<a href="http://<a href="http...VG.jpg</a></a>Photos of the 1873

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http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...TrapdoorGA.jpg

[Jim K]

FWIW, I have 524856, cartouche date 1891.

As in most cases, the .30 Army (.30-40) cartridge was developed before the rifle was selected, so all the testing was done with modified TD rifles.

Incidentally, the officer who selected .30 for testing (and set the US Army standard for the next 80 years) was once asked why he picked that caliber. His reply was that it seemed like a nice round number. So much for ballistics, research, and so on.

Jim

[A. F Medic]

I was emailed about a TD that a fellow vet owns. I had placed images of it in a prior post. Its' serial number is 565430