Gun Collectors Dream Auction 63 Day One
Lot 411:
This Antique U.S. Springfield Model 1884 Trapdoor Rifle is Chambered in .45-70 Breach block marked U.S. Model 1884, The butt plate is marked U.S., Single barrel band is"U" marked, Serial # 532436 Dates to October-December 1891. VP Eagle Marked 22" Barrel With Blade Front Sight, Hammer Cleanly Locks into all 3 Positions, Overall Appears in Good Condition. The U.S. breech loading Springfield "trapdoor" rifle was introduced in 1873 in .45-70 caliber. Basically it was the rifle the U.S. Army used to open the West and Springfield trapdoor carbines were used by Custer’s Cavalry at the massacre at The Little Big Horn. In 1884 the integral Round Rod Bayonet was introduced, which could double as a cleaning rod, a development that met with very limited success. It was finally replaced in 1892 with the .30-40 caliber Krag bolt action magazine Rifle. Model 1884 rifles saw service in the Spanish American War. The regular army was issued the new Krag rifles and the guard units received the trapdoor. There are a number of stereopticon pictures that show guard units armed with of 1884 rifles. The Model 1884 round rod bayonet rifle was Springfield’s third attempt at a rod bayonet system on a trapdoor rifle. They had used the triangular rod system on the Model 1880 and some Model 1882 rifles. The Model 1884 RRB rifle utilized a different, but no more reliable mechanism for retaining the rod. Because the small locking "fingers" are not clearly visible, the gun has been nicknamed "flatlatch."
Share this lot:
Powered by Brand Used Works
