Make: Springfield Armory

Model: 1869 Cadet, "Trapdoor" Rifle

Serial Number: 1333

Year of Manufacture: 1870, 1863 Lockplate

Caliber: .50-70 Government

Action Type: Single Shot Trapdoor

Barrel Length: 29 5/8"

Sights/ Optics: The front sight is a short post atop a small raised base. The rear sight is a folding ladder-style sight presenting a "V"-notch when down and with a "V"-notched slider on the ladder graduated from 200-900 yards. There is a fixed "U"-notch at the top of the ladder.

Stock Configuration & Condition/ Grip: The stock is one-piece wood featuring a metal forend cap, a slot in the forend for the included clearing rod, two barrel bands secured by spring clips, a lock-plate secured by two screws, a straight wrist, a straight comb and metal butt-plate. The stock has some scattered nicks and dings. There are a couple of small losses at the edges of the clearing rod slot. There is a crack at the rear edge of the lockplate. The inspection cartouches are clear. The LOP is 13 1/2" from the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The buttplate has some scattered minor oxidation with nicks and scratches, mostly at the heel and toe. Overall, the stock is in about Fine condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Bright and Case Color

Finish Originality: Original, the bright parts have likely seen some cleaning or light polishing.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp 3-groove rifling. There is some scattered light erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7-8/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The case color is generally strong on the lockplate and hammer. The breech-block assembly has generally strong finish with some light erosion on the interior at the breech. There is infrequent other minor surface erosion and scattered minor oxidation. There are a few light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screws range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Fine-Excellent condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: None

Our Assessment: Erskine S. Allin was the Master Armorer at Springfield Armory at the end of the Civil War and was tasked with converting surplus muzzleloaders into more modern breech loaded rifles. Working around the same time as Jacob Snider (an American salesman who patented a breech-loading system which he sold to the British), Franz Wänzl (a Viennese gunsmith who patented a breech-loading system with the Austrian Empire) and several other innovators, the Allin system was born in 1865. All of these systems were quite similar with only minor variations. The Model 1865 was patented in September of that year (several months after the Civil War) and was soon dubbed the "Trapdoor" rifle. The next evolution in the Allin system came a year later and is remembered as the Model 1866 "Second Allin Conversion", built on M1863 muzzleloaders the gun had improved ballistics over his prior action. The gun was chambered for the then modern .50-70 centerfire cartridge and proved a formidable weapon for its time. The next variant was the Model 1868 which, unlike its two predecessors, was fabricated as a breechloader from scratch and they were serialized (this was the only variant chambered for .50-70 Government that had serialization), although surplus parts from obsolete muskets were still used in its construction. The Model 1868 was very well constructed and continued to see service with the Navy and Marine Corps into the 1880s (the .45-70 trapdoors were introduced in 1873).

This particular specimen is a Model 1869 Cadet, one of 3,422 made of the specific variant. Cadet models had slightly shorter barrels and slightly thinner stocks than the standard Model 1868 and were used almost exclusively for drill purposes. This explains the lack of any provision for a sling or stacking swivel, and likely also explains the quite nice bore found on this example. The gun has light wear and strong mechanics. It is a great option for fans of US martial arms and historical firearms more broadly, especially as a scarce configuration. Good luck on your bid!