Trapdoor Springfields?

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
What are good shooter grade ones going for nowadays? Stopped by a little shop which I don't frequent often. Except that the stock had been cut back (buttplate is still there) and handguard removed, it seems completely original. Bore looked very good and all the rest appeared in very good condition. Asking price was $699.

Strongly thinking about this, .45-70 is about the most fun for the buck a guy can have and I always shoot light loads at 100 yards anyway..
 

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
Looking at Gunbroker, prices are all over, but this doesn't seem that far out considering no shipping or transfer fees.

Are replacement stocks and hardware available? I'd like one to be as close to original as it could be.
 

JustJim

Well-Known Member
Al Frasca (trapdoorcollector.com) is the gold standard for pricing. Right now, for example, he has an 1884 infantry rifle made in 1885 that he describes as "minty" for $1595 + S&H. You can sometimes catch a more-common rifle for $1100-ish. Complete, as issue, no worries. Mr. Frasca wrote the book(s) on 45-70 trapdoors, and is a well-known collector.

He also has parts, sometimes, and there are some others who list parts in his "classifieds". Figure you're probably looking at a minimum of $300 shipped for a correct (correct variation for your action and barrel) replacement stock. The only real source of parts is from rifles that have been parted out, now or in the past.

Stepping down to Gunbroker (a "step down" only in the sense that it is a step away from almost-exclusively collector-grade arms), for the past few months shooter-grade as-issue rifles have been going in the $700-1100 range. Cut-downs for less, rifles with particularly good finish or bore (or salesmen) for perhaps a bit more. This is getting into the range of Mr. Frasca's goods . . . .

I bought mine via Gunbroker a couple months ago. Total with shipping was around $750 for mine. Just a shooter-grade rifle: stock refinished, metal treated to a rattle-can black finish, perfect bore and the sights I wanted. I also watched for several months, and knew exactly what I was looking for ("perfect bore" and "sights"). A can of airplane stripper took care of the paint. I lucked out, no parts were missing or broken. (Over the years, the only parts I can recall breaking or acquired broken were an extractor, a firing pin, sears and notches in tumblers, and a bent barrel (that last on an 1868 50-70, more's the pity). Missing parts are another story!
 

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
Thanks! No epert by any means, but this one appears that all they did was cut the forend back, which, of course, removed the two bands on it, otherwise, looks like nothing was done to the rifle. Bore is good (I'll look closer if it looks like I'm gonna buy it, didn't have a bore light, but what I could see looked darn good). Sights were what I have always seen on them. I think it would be a good shooter.
 

JustJim

Well-Known Member
It doesn't sound like one I'd trade a gun I liked for, or I'd ever expect to get my money back on. But ultimately, you are the one who needs to be happy--not me!

Do check the extractor, and the firing pin (push and hold the end the hammer hits and make sure you can feel the rounded tip of the pin. Check the muzzle crown for excess wear--if you aren't sure how, we can walk you through it. If you get it, post pics of the side of the open breechblock so we can make sure it isn't a high-arch block (easy swap if it is--the bore is far more important!). There are enough of these around that it is fairly easy to find a very-good-to-perfect bore.

Good luck!