U.S. Springfield Model 1879 “Trapdoor” Carbine - .45-70 - Arsenal reworked excellent plus condition. - Serial number is followed by the fat star stamping, believed to indicate repair &/or refurbishing by Springfield Armory.  Extremely crisp & attractive carbine.  About 95% finish remains overall; no significant wear spots, any loss would be slight thinning of the blue & darkening or silvering of the case colors, so a bit tough to quantify.  Excellent markings on the metal. Very good mech & bore.  Excellent wood w/ storage marks; no cartouches. - The style of the rework star suggests 1881 or 1882 rework. - s/n 182017 - antq - item #RD-2017 - $3,250

U.S. Springfield Armory Model 1866 - 2nd Model Allin Conversion Trapdoor rifle - .50 centerfire; 36.5” barrel. - Very good condition. - Uniform bright metal, as original, with some very light roughness overall.  Standard markings include 1864 dated lockplate.  Hammer screw head is broken off.  Working; fairly good bore.  Stock has repaired wrist crack & moderate to heavy usage marks; stamped 9562 - antq - item #RD-0066 - $1,500

Springfield Armory - U.S. Model 1870 Trapdoor rifle - .50-70; 32.5" barrel - Excellent condition. - Excellent crisp bright metal has probably been lightly cleaned; crisp markings include 1863 dated lockplate & Model 1870 breechblock.  Excellent mech; bore should clean to excellent.  Sound stock w/ dings & faint cartouche; probably lightly refinished.  A very nice .50 cal. trapdoor. - s/n 973 - antq - item #RD-973 - $1,750

Springfield Armory - U.S. Model 1868 Trapdoor rifle - .50-70, 32.5” barrel. - Good condition. - Mottled gray patina metal w/ some light pitting around the breech; good markings include 1869 breech date, 1868 lock plate.  Good mech; very dirty bore.  Well used structurally sound stock w/ visible cartouche. - s/n 21648 - antq - item #RD-1648 - $750

U.S. Springfield Model 1868 Trapdoor Rifle - .50 centerfire; 36.5” barrel. - Fine condition. - Crisp metal; correct dark quenched finish on action, with distinct moderate case color mottling on lockplate, hammer & tang.  Barrel light brown mottled patina.  Excellent markings include 1863 date on lockplate. - Good mech; bore might clean up good.  Small chip at latch from otherwise sound stock w/ light usage marks, with 3 strong & 1 light cartouches on left side above triggerguard area. - s/n 6212 - antq - item #RD-6212 - $1,500

U.S. Springfield Model 1879 Trapdoor Carbine - .45-70 - Probably arsenal reworked fine condition. - Serial number is followed by the fat star stamping, believed to indicate repair &/or refurbishing by Springfield Armory. Crisp metal overall; barrel has even dull blue appearance, and under strong light shows about half & half blue & plum.  Frame & breechblock retain darkened mottling from case colors.  Fine markings.   - Excellent mech & bore.  Sound stock w/ moderate usage marks & very strong “SWP 1881” & “P” cartouches. - s/n 182801 - antq - item #RD-2801 - $2,850

U.S. Springfield Model 1884 Trapdoor Rifle - .45-70 - Excellent plus condition. - Exceptional specimen with extremely crisp metal, barrel retaining 99% original soft blue, breech block & tang brilliant mottled case colors, lockplate dark.  Excellent markings.  Excellent mech & bore.  Some minor nicks & scratches to excellent stock, including 2 small chips at front of lockplate, with crisp 1889 cartouche.  Buttplate does show finish wear at edges, maybe 80% there. - Appears unissued. - s/n 479528 - antq - item #RD-9528 - $2,500

U.S. Springfield Model 1884 Trapdoor Carbine - .45-70 - Fine condition. - Appearance is of even dull blue metal overall.  Strong light shows barrel 50% dull blue, with front half mostly turned plum; lockplate & breechblock gone dark, good muted case color on tang.  Scattered small areas of light roughness.  Fine markings.  Very good mech & bore.  Sound stock probably sanded & refinished; usage marks; no cartouches. - s/n 341533 - antq - item #RD-1533 - $2,350

Springfield Armory - Trapdoor rifle - .45-70 - 32.5" barrel. - Very good condition. - Dark metal w/ tiny spots of recent rust scattered overall; excellent markings. Mixture of features includes 1884 breech block w/ earlier (non-Buffington) rear sight & M1873 s/n range, smooth trigger, low arch breech block, four click tumbler. Excellent mech; bore should clean to good. Beginning cracks at rear of tang & lock plate; very few use marks on stock. - s/n44387 - antq - item #RD-4387 - $885

Very rare Colt Berdan U.S. commercial - Model 1868 - serial number 2 - .45 cal.; 32.5” barrel. - Fine condition. - Crisp metal; top of barrel & action has aged to dark mottled plum, with bottom of barrel under the wood retaining about all of the soft blue. -   Very rare English language barrel address is very light & only partially visible: “COLT'S PT. FIRE **** Co., HARTFORD CT”.   - The number 2 is stamped strong & distinct at the rear of the bottom of the barrel.  Previous cataloger reports number 7 stamped on the top of the chamber area, presumably under the rear sight / breechblock assembly, but I was unable to remove the assembly to confirm.  Fine mech & bore.  Sound stock has numerous small nicks & dings, with nearly all finish remaining. 

Designed by Berdan of Civil War Sharpshooters fame, a sale of 30,000 of these rifles to Russia helped keep Colt afloat in the lean years after the Civil War.  These contract guns were made with Cyrillic Russian language markings on the barrel.    Those are very rare in this country, but this is NOT one of those.  A very Berdans few were made as production or design rifles with English language markings, and this is one of those.  It is estimate that fewer than 100 of these were made.  Standard chambering for the Russian purchase was .42 Berdan, with at least some of the English marked guns known to be in .45-70. - This rifle has a bore that seems to be correct for .45 caliber, and was sold to me as .45-70.  However, neither .45-70 nor .42 Russian cartridges seem to chamber in this rifle.  Assuming it is indeed serial number 2, perhaps as a pre-production piece it is chambered for some other round?   The gun is operated by first cocking the hammer by pulling it straight back.  This pulls the rear part of the bolt out of the breech area, allowing a trapdoor type breechblock to be flipped up & forward exposing the chamber for loading.  The breechblock contains the front portion of the bolt & firing pin.  After closing the breechblock the gun is fired by pulling the trigger which releases the cocking piece / rear bolt straight forward halfway through the breechblock (providing a lock for the block), and driving the forward bolt & firing pin to strike the primer.   - The Berdan is sometimes called a “bolt gun”, & I'd always pictured it as some type of early bolt action.  In fact, I guess it's closer to a “straightline trapdoor” type action.  A rare & significant gun in early cartridge military rifle design.  An interesting Colt that's rarer than a Walker. - antq - item #RV-7CB - $6,750