![](media/image1.jpeg){width="8.253472222222221in"
height="1.207638888888889in"}

**Fact Sheet #2**

**THE \"TRAP DOOR\" RIFLE**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="5.995138888888889in"
height="1.273611111111111in"}

**Springfield US Model 1888 Rifle**

At the end of the Civil War the US Government had on hand over one
million single-shot, muzzle-loading .58" caliber rifle muskets of the
Springfield pattern, most of which were still serviceable. Wartime
experience had shown that muzzle-loaders were becoming obsolete: it was
difficult to load them in other than a standing position, and as they
became fouled from repeated firing, it became increasingly difficult to
ram a cartridge home. As a result, soldiers would frequently fail to ram
the bullet fully down on the powder, so that the weapon burst on firing.
Also, it was relatively easy to ram more than one load into a
muzzle-loader by mistake.

Because of these glaring defects, most European armies had already
adopted breech-loading arms. In 1865 the US faced the possibility of war
with one of these powers: France had installed a puppet government in
Mexico while the US was distracted by the Civil War, and many Americans
believed war would be necessary to dislodge the French-backed Emperor
Maximilian.

At the same time, the usual postwar mood of retrenchment had set in and
a penny-pinching administration was reluctant to scrap large numbers of
usable weapons and initiate a costly replacement program. Instead, the
Ordnance Department was directed to convert the existing muzzle-loaders
to a standard breech-loading arm. The system that was selected was a
relatively simple one developed by Erskine S. Allin, the Master Armorer
of Springfield Armory. This \"Allin conversion\" consisted primarily of
removing the top portion of the rear of the barrel and replacing it with
a hinged breech block, which soon was nicknamed the \"trap door.\" Five
thousand Model 1865 conversions were produced at Springfield, utilizing
the older rifle muskets and retaining their .58" caliber.

The basic \"trapdoor\" design lasted more than 25 years, but many
gradual modifications resulted in steady improvement of the weapon. The
.58" caliber was considered too large,

so in 1866 the arm was redesigned and converted to .50" caliber. This
was accomplished by reaming out the bore and brazing in a new .50" cal.
liner of wrought iron or steel. The breech mechanism and extraction
system were improved, and the new .50" cal. cartridge was center fire
instead of rim fire.

The model of 1866 received its baptism of fire on July 31, 1867 in the
celebrated \"Wagon Box Fight\" near Fort Phil Kearney in the Wyoming
Territory. Here 28 soldiers and four civilians under the command of
Major Powell held off repeated attacks by Chief Red

Cloud\'s vastly superior force of Oglala Sioux. Powell\'s detachment
inflicted several hundred casualties, while sustaining only three
themselves, demonstrating conclusively the value of their new
breech-loaders.

In 1868 and again in 1870, under the influence of Major J.G. Benton, the
new commanding officer of Springfield Armory, further improvements were
made. The caliber remained at .50", but new barrels were made rather
than relining the old muzzle-loader barrels. Surplus Civil War parts
continued to be used on the remainder of the weapon. The Model 1870 was
similar to the 1868, except for a few minor modifications such as a
shortened receiver and a changed rear sight.

Major changes took place in 1873, based on the recommendations of a
board of Ordnance officers under Brig. Gen. A.H. Terry. The resulting
Model 1873 had the caliber reduced to .45" and saw Springfield Armory
producing the entire weapon from new parts. A new cartridge was adopted,
the .45"-70-405, meaning that it was .45" caliber, contained 70 grains
of black powder and a bullet weighing 405 grains. As with most other
19th Century Springfield arms, the Model 1873 was produced in three size
variations: a rifle (overall length 52 inches) for foot soldiers; a
carbine (41 in.) for mounted troops; and a \"cadet rifle\" (49 in.) for
use by military school cadets.

Continuing gradual improvements in the basic trapdoor design led to new
model designations in 1879 and 1884. Because of these constant changes,
as well as later repairs and modifications, it is difficult to find two
trapdoors exactly alike, although the operating mechanism remained
essentially the same. The Model 1884 was designed to handle the newer
.45"-70-500 cartridge\--the same used in the Gatling Gun\--whose heavier
bullet provided for more complete combustion of powder in the barrel.

The final model of the famous \".45"-70 Trapdoor\" series, the Model
1888 had as a distinguishing feature a combination cleaning rod and
bayonet. What appears to be the ramrod\--actually a cleaning rod\--will
pull out and snap into place to form a pencil-thin bayonet. All of the
earlier models were designed for a more conventional detachable
triangular socket bayonet.

The end of the Trapdoor series came in 1892, when the government adopted
a bolt-action repeating rifle known as the Krag-Jorgensen. Many National
Guard units, however, carried the .45"-70 into the Spanish-American War
of 1898 and the weapon is still highly prized by collectors for its
workmanship and accuracy. More than 500,000 were produced in .45"
caliber alone, serving the army well during a colorful period of
American history.

**BIBLIOGRAPHY:**

**Frasca, Albert J. and Hill, Robert H., [The .45-70
Springfield]{.underline}, Springfield Publishing Co., 1980.**

**Waite, M.D. and Ernst, B.D., [Trapdoor Springfield]{.underline},
Beinfeld Publishing Co. 1980.**