Pedersoli Trapdoor Springfield

Allin’s Conversion

For the most part soldiers in the American Civil War were armed with single shot muzzle loading rifles of mainly Springfield or Enfield designs and manufactured by a number of independent factories as well as the Government arsenals. The relatively small number of cartridge long arms used in the confl ict, while playing an insignificant role in the outcome, nevertheless convinced the military leaders of the day that this was the way forward in the development of military weapons. Such was the state of the United States economy immediately after such a costly war that the cost involved with designing and manufacturing new rifl es was not of paramount importance. Besides, there were many thousands of serviceable percussion rifl es in the armouries and consideration was given to trying to convert these to breech loaders. After trying several systems they finally chose that of E.A. Allin, Master Armourer at the Springfield Armoury which was based on the Model 1861 Springfield musket. Using the existing barrel, the percussion lock was replaced with the ‘trapdoor’ mechanism and around five thousand of these rifl es, chambered for .58 rimfire ammunition, were produced. The weak link proved to be the copper-cased cartridges so a new .50-70 centre fire round, still copper-cased, was developed. To accommodate this ammunition, the Model 1863 musket had its .58” calibre barrel bored out to .64” and then fitted with a .50” liner. Some twenty five thousand examples were made before a .50” calibre barrel was produced for subsequent guns, the first carbines appearing about 1871.

Along with the decision to adopt the Colt SAA revolver the Army chose to standardise the calibre of their principal small arms and, being satisfied with the operation of the new trapdoors, the result was the introduction of the .45-70 Government cartridge. For the next nineteen years this was the standard U.S. rifl e cartridge until it was replaced in 1892 by the .30-40 Krag. During this period a total of over half a million of these Springfields were manufactured in rifl e and carbine configuration. Although the Allin design was a simple, strong and reliable mechanism, in the early days it was still let down by the copper cased ammunition. These centre fire cartridges had an inside primer and outwardly resembled a rimfire case. Poor quality control in the fabrication of these thin cases caused many to swell in the breech upon firing with the result that the head was often torn off by the extractor. Obviously well known to the military leaders, the official solution to this situation was as follows: “Prise the ball from another cartridge, pare with a knife so as to be able to insert it in the muzzle, and then ram the ball hard with the ramrod when the breech is closed; this will upset the ball and fill the headless shell. Open the breech block and the ball and shell can be easily pushed out with the ramrod.”
This would have been a suitable solution on a target range but would hardly have helped Custer’s 7th Cavalry, particularly as they only had one ramrod between ten men. There are reports of many broken knives around the bodies of the soldiers at Little Big Horn, not from “paring the ball” but trying to extract the broken cases from the rifl es. It is doubtful that better ammunition would have affected the outcome of that particular battle but the soldiers would at least have given a better account of themselves.

Quality

I don’t think anyone will give me an argument when I say that David Pedersoli make quality reproductions. Having visited the factory some years ago it was gratifying to see a contented workforce taking a pride in what they did, and the results are evident in the finished product. This carbine looks and feels right as soon as you take it out of the box. The one-piece, straight grained walnut stock has a pleasing colour and an oiled finish. It is in the stock that I found one of two very minor blemishes on this rifl e – there is a very slight gap at the top of the cut-out for the lock plate. As these apertures are cut by computer controlled machines I find this difficult to explain. Perhaps the wood was a little dry in that area? Elsewhere the wood to metal fit is excellent. All of the metal is a nice gloss black (except one screw head – see photograph of lock plate) apart from the trapdoor, which shows lovely case colours, and the barrel band retaining spring, which is a strange purple colour, a feature that I encountered the last time I used one of these rifl e some eight years ago. The front sight is a tapered blade on a block which is brazed to the barrel about 15mm from the muzzle. The rear is a tip-up ladder arrangement, the base of which is screwed to the barrel. The two sides of this base form stepped wings between which the ladder rests for use at the shortest distances. The right wing is marked from 1 to 5 on the steps, with the ladder having 6 to 12 markings on its right leg. The ladder is held firmly in the vertical position by a good spring and the step is a very tight fit so that it does not move once set. When this step is at the ‘12’ position it is so high that you need to lift your chin away from the comb to use it.

The lock is basically the 1863 percussion model with a couple of small modifications. There is a cut-out on the plate to accept the trapdoor latch pivot and the hammer face is fl at rather than cupped as on its predecessor. The lock is held in place by two screws entering from the left side of the stock, these screws also secure the saddle ring bar which enabled the cavalryman to carry the weapon on a leather sling over his shoulder. The lock plate is marked with the correct eagle and ‘U.S. SPRINGFIELD’. That large Springfield hammer has a nice chequered oval for a thumb purchase and the gun cocks very easily. When the hammer is at rest the trapdoor cannot be opened as it obstructs the wing on the trapdoor latch. The first of three clicks on the hammer also keeps the lock closed and presumably is a safety position which will permit the rifl e to be carried loaded. Pulling to the second or half-cock position allows the trapdoor to be lifted to insert the cartridge. The gun still cannot be fired from this position but it would be possible to accidentally open the trapdoor and eject the cartridge so if it was to be carried loaded lowering the hammer to the first notch would be the way to go. Pull the hammer all the way back to full cock and the gun is ready to fire.

Downloaded

I do not need to tell anyone that the double digit nomenclature for this calibre means a .45” calibre bullet backed by 70 grains of black powder. When used in the full length Springfield rifle this was a potent and manageable load but for cavalry use in the shorter and lighter carbine was found to be a little excessive so the cartridges for the carbine were loaded with only 55 grains of powder. This load, topped with the correct sized grease cookie, proved to be perfect behind a 405-grain lead bullet with very manageable recoil. I also tried some smokeless loads (12.5 grains Trail Boss) and although there was negligible difference in performance and the latter was a little cleaner, there is no substitute for black powder in these old style guns that were designed for it.

I must confess to being a fan of the trapdoor action and it performed perfectly throughout the day, being both simple and very solid. Upon opening the trap after firing, the empty case is fl icked rearwards by a springloaded ejector situated on the left side of the breech. Just as the case fully clears the barrel, the head contacts a stud in the base of the action, effectively fl ipping it clear of the gun. Oh, how the 7th Cavalry would have loved this brass-cased ammunition! It is claimed that a proficient shooter can get off twelve rounds per minute with this gun.

Stripping the gun for cleaning is quick and easy. The barrel and action are separated from the stock by removing the front barrel band and the screw in the top tang. The two screws holding the saddle ring bar in place also retain the lock mechanism.

For those looking for a longer barrel with the same action, Pedersoli offer a couple of alternatives to the carbine. Long range ‘Quigley’ shooters may want to look at the full-stocked model with a thirty two and a half inch barrel. In standard form it comes with the same sights as the carbine but long range Creedmoor rear and tunnel foresights are available. There is also a twenty six inch barrelled Officers Model with case hardened lock and hammer and a single set trigger. This model comes with the aforementioned long range sights as standard. If your pockets stretch to it there is also the option of engraving and gold inlay. GM

PRICE: £995.00 (due to currency fluctuations please check for current price)