From the desk of Larry Potterfield, Columbia, Missouri- August 2025- My interest in collecting Trapdoor Springfields began shortly after the Midway gun shop opened in 1977. It was a pair of 1870s (50-70 Government) rifles I bought at the Tulsa Gun Show that got me started.
I studied, learned, and began shooting the 50-70 at that time, before ever purchasing a 45-70 Trapdoor. As every black powder shooter knows, you must clean the firearm the same day you shoot it. Always do it before going to bed.
I had been reloading, casting my own bullets, and shooting black powder for several years before that purchase, so shooting these two rifles was no problem. Many people do not know, but the Springfield 50-70 was the first widely used U.S. rifle/cartridge with a centerfire primer. What a logical cartridge to reload for.
Of course, I soon got into 45-70 Trapdoor Springfield rifles. The last of the 50-70 guns were just like the 45-70 guns, except for caliber. The 50-70 Trapdoor guns were made for only seven years; the 45-70 Trapdoor guns were made for 20 years. A 45-70 carbine came late in the acquisition phase. First, they only made one carbine for every 10 infantry rifles, and second, the carbine went into a scabbard and on a horse. Most were issued, and some were used quite hard. A nice carbine at a fair price was, and still is, hard to find.
The Springfield Officer’s Model was just a distant dream then, but there is a lot to know about these rifles. They made fewer than 500 of them, all without serial numbers. Mine is a Type 3 gun, the last series, a group of 100 guns made in 1885. It sold for $27 back then. This one was unfired, “in my opinion,” and I fired the first rounds through a 145-year-old rifle. Interestingly, I have three books on Trapdoors. No one ever said whether the Officer’s Model guns were intended for the 55-grain/405-grain slug (carbine) or the 70-grain/500-grain slug (rifle), but I went the carbine route.
Good sights, a good trigger, and good weight are the things all riflemen want. The Officer’s Model is a special Trapdoor Springfield. It features a rear tang sight (also adjustable for windage), a Beach front sight, a single set trigger, a 26‑inch barrel, and a total weight of only eight pounds. A real sporting rifle, and wow, does it shoot!
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