US Model 1873 Springfield Trapdoor Cadet Rifle

Indian Wars

.45-70. 29.5" barrel length. SN: 550. Blued finish with casehardened bolt mounting a walnut straight wrist stock with full length forend retained by two barrel bands. High arch breechblock, two click tumbler, single swivel to upper barrel band, two piece triggerguard with swivel, front blade and adjustable ladder Model 1873 rear sight graduated to 1100 yards. Receiver is narrow and forms a continuous line with the barrel. Firing pin is spring loaded. Lockplate is marked SPRINGFIELD without Eagle. Breechblock marking reads MODEL/1873/{Eaglehead}/US. Left barrel struck P/V/P/{Eaglehead} with additional P and T stamps. Wrist of the stock displays a circle P marking and the left wrist shows the bordered RGS cartouche of Roswell G. Shurtleff, a clerk at Springfield Armory. How a clerk's initials came to appear on some examples of Springfield Trapdoor rifle stocks remains a matter of some debate, but it is suspected that some of these may have been applied by a surplus dealer rather than the armory itself. Note, the RGS initials on this rifle are overalpping, and not evenly spaced like those shown in Daum and Pate's "U.S. Military Arms Inspector Marks." Item was likely rebuilt or assembled at some point. Comes with a flat tipped cleaning rod. {ANTIQUE}

This lot is located in Cincinnati.