The Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield Rifle

[cookervillpop101]

there is an 1873 trap door fore sale, all original working parts for $900 good or bad deal?????

[HuskerSeaofRed]

I have a generous hammer as well.

[SonOfAWhisker]

All that constant loading would tire your arm out lol

[jeronimoDIM]

ωραίο....!



[Hteam1422]

I wish you were my grandpa, but I'd have to live with you because I live in New Jersey and it's basically a police state lol

[bggamerman]

Nice video, good gun :)

[top2percent]

I'm Larry Potterfield, I'm a total bad ass, and that's the way it is.

[KrazenKarl]

@top2percent The way he fired those three dummy rounds.. Yeah I'd wave a white flag if I ever had to be in a duel against him!

[Hteam1422]

this guy is like magic... and his name sounds like "Harry Potter".... coincidence?

[deepfriedking]

Were is the serial number located? I have one of these rifles and in way better condition then the one shown but I can not locate the serial number

[wooki33man]

My favorite gun in the Deadlands RPG

[FearThaDeath]

these vids are awesome

[rolfisalinas]

Im not sure if i want this guy mad with me

[Yoshigiga]

Damn, this guy must have slight of hand pro

:D

[Askalijupaa]

This and the sharps are beautys!

[IsMackinac]

A Springfield 1873 rifle, the first version, with the thin wrist, no butt storage hole, old ramrod and 1873 sights, and in good condition, is worth 1600 - 1800 dollars. These are rare, since almost all were issued and saw hard use for several years. Also, many were "upgraded", with newer sights, a thicker stock, etc. But the first version was by far the most ergonomic and rifle-like to carry and shoot. They were and are excellent single shot rifles. But rare.

[swatcapt11]

can you use moden 45-70 in one of these

[chitoryu12]

@swatcapt11

I wouldn't.

[swatcapt11]

@chitoryu12 yeah i figured but i have the 45-70 gov loads are ok

[BillyBeale]

Antique gun values are all over the place..these Springfields can go from 500 - 4000 dollars depending on the condition, documentation, model, etc. etc. This one is pretty beat up, judging from the chunk of wood missing up near the muzzle. I bought a model 1888 version recently, at a local gunshop, in much better shape, for $650. They had six or seven in stock, and only one was more than $1000

[videosbythe5]

so it is the first flintlock rifle you did not have to stuff gunpowder down the barrel?

[bigdogbuc]

Larry Potterfield is my hero!

[Hteam1422]

if its an original, shouldn't it be worth much more than $550

[tacoman375]

@Hteam1422 closer to $2000, but its not in the greatest condition either so that affects its value

[WeaponX831]

What a cool gun. nuff said

[Infinet937]

This guns been passed down in my family over the years, Pretty sweet gun puts on a show at the range. It was used in the spanish american war. Springfield .45-70 US Gov model US 1873. Truly blessed to own a family treasure such as this rifle.

[SloJoe18]

I have seen one of these for sale at a local gun shop...how hard to find or expensive is the ammo? And should only black powder loads be used given the age and intentional design for the rifle?

[SgtBaker16]

The best part was when he was pretending to fire several rounds towards the end. Excellent and informative video.

[MackinacIs]

These, especially the Model of 1873, are really excellent rifles. They're ergonomic, well sighted even at 100 yards, and can be loaded quickly. You choke on the smoke, though. There's no stealth once they fire, either. Everyone knows right where you are.

My grandfather shot about 80 deer with a rifle that belonged to his grandfather. He never lost a single one, and never had to track one. One of my uncles probably has it now. Lucky guy.

[mattybock]

wow larry, way to throw brass... well actually they used copper back then and jamming was very common.

[grantdawg07]

i have one of these but it's in MUUUUUCH better shape.. anyone know the estimated appraisal of one in mint condition?

[linkin702]

god he is such a bad ass

[MrMoros1]

Anyone know what the effective range for this rifle is?

[gunguy54]

I have one.

[chickenkoopr123]

i shot this gun, i hated it. sorry its my true opion only because the butplate hurts when shooting it takes to long to load, and its unbalenced

[zanuha]

@chickenkoopr123

You obviously can't respect old, historic rifles. Yeah, it hurts to shoot it, but this would be a hoot to shoot.

[blueeyesseto]

@zanuha true but some guns like the henry leveractions now have modern versions of older rifles also he has a point old rifles like this and even the bolt-action lee enfield dont have reduction methods in them meaning the user gets the full kick thats why more and more people are buyin semi/fully auto weapons cos the gas recoil system removes kick-back personally i like rifles that kick so for me old bolt/lever/crack action guns are the best

[22ToTheMax]

it took Larry 11 seconds to fire 3 rounds

[BlockAndShock]

its an awesome gun!

[valttu94]

How can it be only 550$? :S

[Senorize]

@valttu94 because there are 700,000

[tobz5050]

teehee.

Full cock.

Nice gun though.

[over9000christian]

Fear God and Depart from Evil(Proverbs 3:7)! Repent or perish(Luke 13:5)! God is ANGRY with the wicked everyday! Psalm 7:11 The wicked shall be turned into Hell Psalm 9:17 There is coming a day when God will judge the world in RIGHTEOUSNESS Acts 17:31! The FOOL hath said in his heart there is no God Psalm 14:1! JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY WAY! HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO ONE COMES TO GOD BUT BY JESUS CHRIST(JOHN 14:6)! REPENT AND SUBMIT 2 JESUS CHRIST TODAY! Proverbs 29:1

[BrandonLeo3]

@over9000christian

umm... im a christian just throwing that out there. but what dose this have to to do with an 1873 trap door rifle? or is this a wide random spread deal

p.s. i love god and old guns

[DuescherStoltz]

I love this gun, but its not as great as the Zuendnadelgewehr, (in my opinion), great gun though.

[gorozon]

20 round at minute? seem too much for a breach Loading Rifle of that period

[bazengao]

please tell me that the bullets for this gun are cheap!!!

[jesset711]

I have an 1873 gun just like this but has an model 1878 stamp on it. what i have read said that its a mistake, is that true? does it make it more valuable? do they come with a bayonet (mine has one)? what is the value of the gun? thanks for any help!

[deathwing98]

To bad compared to the Mauser the Spanish used this gun sucked.

[ajajfuj]

@deathwing98 Are talking about the bolt-action rifles? Are you crazy? It is like comparing a biplane and a jetplane, dude.

[deathwing98]

@ajajfuj Well they were both used in the Spanish American war,Just saying that it wasn't as good as the Mauser

[ajajfuj]

@deathwing98 As I now in 1898 the Krag-Jörgensen rifle was already in service, so the US troops used a bolt-action rifle that can be compared to the Spanish Mauser (made in 1895). By the way, after the war the US Army wanted a better, Mauser type bolt-action rifle, and soon the Springfield '03 came to life, with the very famous M98 Mauser bolt-action.

[deathwing98]

@ajajfuj Yup I know that.

[ajajfuj]

@deathwing98 You still can't compare these rifles, because they aren't belong to one type, they are different.

[deathwing98]

@ajajfuj Yes Because they were both used in a war. AND The other side had a advantage.

[ajajfuj]

@deathwing98 But the Trapdoor couldn't be a main rifle, because the americans had the Krag-Jörgensen, too! Both had repeater rifles, but the Spanish had only one, but great advantage, that the Spanish Mauser (1895) can be loaded with stripper clips, but the Krag rifle does not have this advantage.

[deathwing98]

@ajajfuj Yup True and true,This video was about the 1873 Trapdoor,If it had both American rifles then I would have compared them all!

[ajajfuj]

@deathwing98 And that's the way it is.:)

[phillfoote]

found a large quantity of ammo over 100yrs old in 1978-used new primers -original brass -powder -lead-1883 rifle-hit 3ft target easily at 300+yds-found out later could have sold that ammo for price of good used car but had great fun

[AlienZygote010]

who can blame you? fun and memories are a great investment. when is the next time you will be able to smell ancient powder hanging in the air?

[lonewolf379th]

Back during the summer of 1976, I foolishly decided not to purchase an original 1873 Springfield Trapdoor Rifle complete with bayonet; the going price (then) was $125.00. My bad. :(

[pspfan68]

i want this gun i have a thing for one shot rifles but most of them are slow to reload this one is perfect one shot rifle and allows easy and quick reloading

[bitethedevil]

How much does one of those suckers weigh? I'm guessing around 12 pounds?

[SaintDapiea]

I'd love to get one of these.

[sitiaishahkeliwon]

Wau... i don't know this gun was existed

[cheezequeso]

Werent these used in the battle of little big horn?

[FoxWood2222]

Yes, the carbines (shorter version) were. I am currently in possession of one of the actual (documented) 7th. cavalry carbines!

[PaulHark9]

probably

[death5089]

@cheezequeso yea they were. The problem was that back then the cartridges for the rifle were made out of copper. When copper heats up, it expands. This caused problems when the gun heated up and the spent cartridges got jammed inside the magazine or chamber of the rifle. The soldiers were forced to pry them out with knives.

[tcalderonster]

@cheezequeso The carbines were, not the rifles

[fartsam08]

"the steel butt plate" ahahahahaha

[baconator490]

yeah the steel butt plates dont help much for recoil

[fartsam08]

yeah good point, should just be a full wood butt

[trime1851]

But steel butt plates are great for bashing in someone's head if the combat gets close and personal. This is a military rifle.

[baconator490]

maybe for this considering the round doesnt have much range . On my mosin nagant m91/30 it has a steel buttplate and bayonets were standard on them. It was just the russians being cheap because the gun is accurate out to 500+ meters

[Nick3889]

700,000!!!!!!! WOW i take it there easy to get of hold of then

[ronpaul2008rocks]

Yes. They are easy to find and not too expensive. I think you can get one which shoots for $400-$700. I've never fired one, but I've seen them around for sale.

[weitzfc1]

any body that pays 3-5 thosand dollars for a trapdoor rifle is either a sucker or from the big city. at small town gun show you can still get them for 4-6 hundred dollars. i disagree with kimosbe03. they took the best military muzzleloader of its day and converted it to the best breechloader 50-70 to 45-70. they were used to beat the irish team at creedmore. plus buffalo bill and all the great frontiersmen carried one.that says enough for me.

[kwsharps]

The irish Team at Creedmoor was beat with Rolling blocks and Sharps Rifles not the Trap door, Your mistaken sir. Best check your creedmoor History a bit.

KW

[hcanuck7]

550 dollars !?

Try 3-5 + thousand dollars !!!!

[maxwellto]

woah! old man's still got it

[gibsongod123]

my grandfather has an original one of these that he bought, but I am curious, how much is an original(not a remake) worth today?

[Gazzy150]

today the (original) old rifles are about more than 1000$

[kimosabe03]

it looks cool in all, but back then it wasnt the best gun on the field. when the bullet was in the chamber and was shot the copper casing on the gun somtimes became deformed and got lodged in the chamber, and the ejctor didnt work. so you had to take the bulllet out with your knife. oh and it was used at the battle of the little bighorn.

[hwkvoltigeur]

That problem wasn't unique to the trapdoor springfield though. Many weapons, such as the british Martini Henry, also had problems with the early metal cartridges.

[Steve17010]

Hmmm. 20 rounds a minute. Is this the same carbine that the 7th Calvary had at the Little Bighorn? I guess it is one thing to be at the firing range and another on the battlefield facing the enemy.

[Treblaine]

The high fire rate gave many victories such as at Wagon Box, Hayfield and Bozeman Trail and its advantage is clear.

But a tactical advantage is no guarantee of victory, the outcome of a battle ultimately hinges on both strategy and chance.

What exactly happened in Little Bighorn is muddied by the politics of the time but bayonet charges have been effective even as recently as the 2nd Gulf War by the British Army.

Insurgent's AK47s fire at 600rpm so rate of fire isn't everything.

[gorozon]

question between the miltary rifle of the period what was the best? i mean military rifles used between the 1866-188o as the German Mauser 1871 or the French Chassepot or the British Martini Henry? or the Russian Berdan?

[saopaulo450]

Waw....what a beutifull gun...I love it...is very similar to a percussion rifle.

[DPKFOUR7]

My dad owned this gun, till he sold it to his brother. Now he wants it back.

[EnigmaHood]

Shoot him and get it back.

[hamsterman50]

GREAT story!

[gmanweeman92]

i have this gun

[Titleification]

@gmanweeman92 are u 80 years old?

[RUCOTI]

Yea looks really cool the way he recycles the breech block. Im thinking about getting a Trapdoor but im also thinking about an M1Garand, tough choice to make. 45-70 isn't cheap and I already have a 1903 springfield

so don't know we'll see. Tell your pops to let you shoot it one day, i've never shot one myself, looks fun.

[GUMMYBEAYUH]

I love watching that thing loaded, and fired at such a fast rate. That's amazing. My pops has a .45-70 Calvary Carbine (1873). He last fired it some years back, and blew a 4 inch tree in half with it. It's in great condition.

[BeRKaoS]

yeah good piece!!