Springfield Model 1873 Trapdoor
Springfield Armory (US Government) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: U.S. Rifle Model 1873, Trapdoor Springfield, Allin Conversion, Model 1873, Trapdoor
Overview
The Springfield Model 1873 'Trapdoor' was the first standard-issue breech-loading rifle of the United States Army, adopted in 1873 and serving as the principal U.S. service rifle through the Indian Wars and into the Spanish-American War. Designed by Master Armorer Erskine S. Allin at the Springfield Armory, the rifle employs a distinctive hinged 'trapdoor' breech-block that pivots upward and forward for loading, earning it the enduring nickname by which it is universally known. Chambered originally in the powerful new .45-70 Government centerfire cartridge, the single-shot rifle offered a dramatic improvement in range and accuracy over the muzzle-loading rifle-muskets of the Civil War era. The Army variant featured a long 32.6-inch barrel for infantry use while the Cavalry Carbine version used a shorter 22-inch barrel suited to mounted troops. The hammer-fired action, operated by thumbing back an external side hammer and then flipping open the breech-block to insert a single cartridge, reflected a conservative institutional preference for a simple, rugged, and economical design that could be manufactured by converting existing stocks of Civil War rifle-muskets. Approximately 700,000 Trapdoors of all patterns were produced at the Springfield Armory between 1873 and 1893 before being superseded by the bolt-action, magazine-fed Krag-Jorgensen M1892. The Trapdoor is forever associated with the catastrophic defeat of the 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn in 1876, where contemporary accounts and later investigations cited spent copper cartridge cases fouling the extractor as a contributing factor to the unit's destruction by Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4082 g (144.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1321 mm (52.01") |
| Barrel Length | 826 mm (32.52") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 410 m/s (1345 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2200 J (1623 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 275 m (301 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 558 mm (21.97") |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .45-70 Government · primary — also known as .45-70 Govt, .45-70, .45-70-405, 11.63x53mmR
- .50-70 Government — also known as .50-70 Musket, .50-70-450
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Trapdoor Breech Block, Single Shot, Hinged Breech, Buffington Rear Sight, Ramrod, Bayonet Lug, Walnut Full Stock, Iron Military Sights
Variants
- Springfield Model 1873 Cavalry Carbine — Cavalry Carbine
- Springfield Model 1884 — Improved Model
- Springfield Model 1888 Ramrod Bayonet — Ramrod Bayonet
- Springfield Model 1892 — Late Production
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1873 · as U.S. Rifle, Model 1873
- United States Cavalry · adopted 1873 · as Model 1873 Carbine
- United States National Guard · adopted 1880
- United States Volunteers · adopted 1898
Conflicts
- American Indian Wars (1873-1890)
- Great Sioux War (Custer's Last Stand) (1876)
- Nez Perce War (1877)
- Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)
- Spanish-American War (1898)
- Philippine-American War (1899-1902)
Production
Estimated total produced: 700,000 · Production years: 1873-1893
Total across all Trapdoor patterns (Models 1873, 1877, 1879, 1884, 1888, and 1889) manufactured at the U.S. Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Superseded in service by the bolt-action Krag-Jorgensen M1892.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Erskine S. Allin
Discontinued: 1893
Notes
Though mechanically a falling/tilting hinged breech-block rather than a turning bolt, the closest schema match for the Trapdoor's manually-operated single-shot action is 'bolt_action'; the defining 'trapdoor breech-block' is documented in the features list and description. The Model 1873 Rifle (Army) has a 32.6-inch barrel and overall length of 51.9 inches; the Cavalry Carbine has a 22-inch barrel and overall length of 41.3 inches and weighs approximately 7 pounds. Earlier First (1865) and Second (1866-1868) Allin conversions were chambered in .50-70 Government before the Army standardized on the .45-70 Government with the Model 1873. The rear sight was upgraded to the sophisticated Buffington pattern on the Model 1884. The rifle's service life spanned nearly every major Indian Wars engagement including the Red River War, Great Sioux War, Nez Perce War, and Ghost Dance War. Issues with the copper-cased early cartridges expanding and jamming in hot chambers contributed to extractor failures that became infamous after Custer's defeat; brass cases were adopted shortly thereafter.
Background
On 25 June 1876 the Trapdoor Springfield stood in the hands of every trooper of the 7th Cavalry as Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was annihilated at the Little Bighorn; later archaeological surveys of the battlefield recovered scores of pried-open copper cartridge cases, lending weight to the grim legend that the rifle's own extractor jammed on spent brass while Lakota and Cheyenne warriors armed with Winchester and Henry repeaters closed in. Erskine Allin, a civilian Master Armorer at Springfield, received no royalty for his design because he had developed it on government time using government tools - a detail that helped the Ordnance Department win a decade-long patent dispute against outside inventors.