Springfield Model 1873

Springfield Model 1873
Springfield "Trapdoor" rifle
Type	Breech-loading rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1873-1892 (Some were still used in the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War)
Used by	United States Army
Wars	Black Hills War, Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War
Production history
Designer	Erskine S. Allin
Designed	1873
Manufacturer	Springfield Armory
Number built	Approx. 700,000
Variants	Cavalry Carbine with 22 in (560 mm) barrel Cadet Rifle with 30 in (760 mm) barrel
Specifications
Length	51.875 in (1,317.6 mm)
Barrel length	32.625 in (828.7 mm)
Cartridge	.45-70-405
Action	Hinged breechblock
Rate of fire	Approx. 10 rounds a minute
Muzzle velocity	1,350 feet per second (410 m/s)

The Model 1873 "Trapdoor" Springfield was the first standard-issued breech-loading rifle adopted by the United States Army (although the Model 1866 trapdoor had seen limited issue to troops along the Bozeman Trail in 1867). The gun, in both full-length and carbine versions, was widely used in the Black Hills War and in subsequent battles against the American Indians.

The Model 1873 was the fifth variation of the Allin trapdoor design, and was named for its hinged breechblock, which opened like a trapdoor. The infantry rifle model featured a 32⅝-inch (829 mm) barrel, while the cavalry carbine used a 22-inch (560 mm) barrel. It was superseded by an improved model, the Springfield Model 1884, also in .45-70 caliber.

Ballistics

Model 1888, breech open

The rifle cartridge was designated as ".45-70-405", indicating a .45 caliber, 405-grain (26.2 g) bullet propelled by 70 grains (4.5 g) of black powder. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet per second (410 m/s), making it a powerful and effective load for the skirmish tactics of the era. A reduced-power load of 55 grains (3.6 g) of powder (.45-55-405) was manufactured for use in the carbine to lighten recoil for mounted cavalry soldiers. This cartridge had a correspondingly reduced muzzle velocity of 1,100 feet per second (340 m/s) and a somewhat reduced effective range.

Use in combat

The rifle was originally issued with a copper cartridge and used in the American West during the second half of the 19th century, but the soldiers soon discovered that the copper expanded excessively in the breech upon firing. This sometimes jammed the rifle by preventing extraction of the fired cartridge case. A jam required manual extraction with a knife blade or similar tool, and could render the carbine version of the weapon, which had no ramrod to remove stuck cases, useless in combat except as a club or bayonet.

After the annihilation of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer's battalion (armed with the carbine and .45-55 ammunition) at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, investigations revealed that jamming of their carbines may have played a factor. The cartridge was subsequently redesigned with a brass case, since that material did not expand as much as copper. This proved to be a major improvement, and brass became the primary material used in United States military cartridges from then to the present.

After the Little Big Horn disaster, troops were required to perform target practice twice a week. Although the Krag-Jørgensen bolt-action rifle had by this time had largely superseded the 1873, the latter still saw widespread service by the U.S. Military during the Spanish–American War in Cuba and the Philippines. Extremely outclassed and at a major disadvantage against the Spanish forces armed with cutting-edge 7mm Spanish M93 Mauser bolt-action rifles, the United States immediately responded to the crisis by replacing the also flawed Krag-Jørgensen and Trapdoor. Thus, the Springfield 1873 was finally left for dead after the conflict.

Gallery

• 

  Reenactor firing a Springfield Model 1873 breech-loading rifle at Fort Mackinac in 2008

• 

  Geronimo (right) holding a Springfield Model 1873 alongside his fellow Apache warriors in 1886

See also

• Springfield rifle

References

• Shoot! Magazine article on the .50-70 cartridge, predecessor to the .45-70
• Uberti web site with images of currently cataloged reproduction.