trapdoor springfield

[Beekeeper]

Saw one in a gunstore today.
Was thinking of buying it but have no idea as to value.

Long rifle (not carbine)
Good to excellent stock
Metal work excellent or has been redone.
Was not able to see bore.

Other rifles there were an Egyptinan rolling block with a sewer pipe barrel and everything rather loose and an Egyptian Tabateria ( Spencer shotgun) with a sewer pipe barrel and missing firing pin.

If anyone has a WAG as to pricing let me know so I do not overdo it.


beekeeper

[Don McDowell]

Have seen trapdoors going anywhere from 500 for a junker up to well over a 1000 for a good one.
This like so many things, the value can only be determined by how much the owner wants for it and how much any potential buyer is willing to pay for it.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Firstly you need to know what year is stamped on the reciever. Next of course is caliber then what, if any, peculiar items it has as features. A "ramrod bayonet" model 1884 full length rifle in .45-70 can fetch prices as high as $2500+ in very good condition. A standard model in very good condition may bring well under $1000. It all depends on who is selling and is he motivated to sell.Robert

[Bent Ramrod]

At gun shows in this area they typically go for $600 to $1200 for an uncut original rifle, depending on condition. I don't see the ramrod bayonet adding to the price around here, but I would imagine a Buffington sight would make the rifle a little more easy to sell, and might raise the value somewhat, as this sight is best for target shooting in the Trapdoor class. A lot of them sat around in arsenals after being rehabbed for the last time, then were sold to distributors and then to people who put them in closets and didn't shoot them much, so you can sometimes get a very good example for the lower end of the cost spectrum.

[Buckshot]

............Having a look at the bore would be a MAJOR indicator of it's value. I suppose you're interested in it as a shooter and not as a collector, right? Kinda hard to estimate a value otherwise as if the barrel is toast it may be worth zero to you.

............Buckshot

[bob208]

well it is worth as much as a repro. start at $600.

things to look for. see if the firring pin is free to move. i have seen alot rusted in place i have drilled a few out. look at the muzzle see if it looks pulled. like the rifleing is comming out. that ment it had a lot of factory j bullets fired through it. look at the stock if it is cracked by the lock plate that goes around under ahd up the other side.. that means it had a lot of smokless loads put through it.

[FredW]

Well, why don't you tell us what they are asking for it? Answer these questions... What is the date stamped on top of the "Breechblock" up next to the hinge? Is there an eagle head over crossed arrows too or just "US MODEL/1873? or US MODEL/1884? The 2nd variation of 1873 has the '3' stamped so deep that it is mistaken for a '9', which it isn't.
What is the serial number at the rear of the receiver? You say that the wood is Good to Excellent. Does that mean that it's in Very Good shape overall? Please describe the wood. Lots of dents? Small amount of dings? One big gouge but the rest is OK? What does the tip of the cleaning rod (its not a ramrod) look like in form? Please be specific. Here in the midwest, you can buy a trapdoor for around $800.00 that's in pretty sound shape. Some are priced at $1200.00, but they don't really move off the rack. Model 1888's with the bayonet rod under the barrel don't really command higher prices. Early, first issue trapdoor rifles will bring a slight premium, but the components have to be all correct and early also as opposed to updated with replaced parts. What is the condition of the bore? Fred