Smackin' rocks with the 1873 Springfield

[303carbine]

I shot two boxes of 420 grain cast out of the 1873 today, I set up the shooting rest on the hood of the truck overlooking a big gravel pit.
After a slight drift adjustment on the front sight, it was like shootin' buffalo in the pit.
The front sight is bigger than the rocks I was shooting, I had to look to one side of the rock and bring it back till the rock disappeared behind the sight and touch it off.
What a lot of fun, old school is super cool.
It's easy to hit something with a scope, but it's more rewarding to do it with a rifle that was designed when U.S Grant was in office.

[Scharfschuetze]

I knew that you'd love it. Back home in the Rocky Mountain States I've busted rocks on hill sides with the H&R OM and original Trapdoors out past what any sane man would consider their effective range. The 405 grain cast boolit at 1300 fps (duplicating the original "infantry load") is accurate way out there.

To alleviate your sighting issue with the coarse front sight you might try a "6 O'Cock" hold by sighting your rifle in so that the target is on top of your front sight. A blade or post front sight is most useful for this type of sight picture. I generally sight all my iron sighted rifles in this way and found it useful for military applications with the M-14 through the M-4 carbine as well as my current sporting endevours.

[303carbine]

My 420 loads were clocking in at 1260, I upped the powder charge by 1 grain, that should bring it right in line with the original infantry load.
My rifle is the Cavary Model, so the infantry load should be right on the money for my sights.
What a gas, I shoot long distance with scoped rifles, it's just not the same. I have had a lot of Marlin 45-70's that were scoped and shot fine, but there is a certain magic with the 1873. Even though it's a reproduction rifle and I'm shooting smokeless, I love it.
I've been bitten by the Springfield bug, I'm really, really Ok with that.:bigsmyl2:

[gandydancer]

The six o"clock hold with most iron sights has always worked for me. Rifle and hand gun.



**"My friends, we
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[oscarflytyer]

I knew that you'd love it. Back home in the Rocky Mountain States I've busted rocks on hill sides with the H&R OM and original Trapdoors out past what any sane man would consider their effective range. The 405 grain cast boolit at 1300 fps (duplicating the original "infantry load") is accurate way out there.

To alleviate your sighting issue with the coarse front sight you might try a "6 O'Cock" hold by sighting your rifle in so that the target is on top of your front sight. A blade or post front sight is most useful for this type of sight picture. I generally sight all my iron sighted rifles in this way and found it useful for military applications with the M-14 through the M-4 carbine as well as my current sporting endevours.

+1. Old school irons and 6 o'clock hold

[oscarflytyer]

What a lot of fun, old school is super cool. It's easy to hit something with a scope, but it's more rewarding to do it with a rifle that was designed when U.S Grant was in office.

+10!!! I LOVE old (100+ yo) cartridges! 30-30, 45-70, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 44 SPC (& 44 Russian), (almost) 35 Rem, (almost) 300 Savage, 7.65x53 Mauser/Belgian, 8x57 Mauser, 6.5x55 Mauser, (almost) 7.65x54R, (not quite, but close) 8x56R... Yeah, I REALLY LIKE the old stuff!!!

Not much "new-fangled" stuff in the safe... 223 and 308, but, both are based on cartridges that pretty much qualify as 100 yo stuff!

[303carbine]

+10!!! I LOVE old (100+ yo) cartridges! 30-30, 45-70, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 44 SPC (& 44 Russian), (almost) 35 Rem, (almost) 300 Savage, 7.65x53 Mauser/Belgian, 8x57 Mauser, 6.5x55 Mauser, (almost) 7.65x54R, (not quite, but close) 8x56R... Yeah, I REALLY LIKE the old stuff!!!

Not much "new-fangled" stuff in the safe... 223 and 308, but, both are based on cartridges that pretty much qualify as 100 yo stuff!


You almost forgot the 7x57 Mauser, all of the rifles in my present collection are old.
Remington Mountain rifle in 7x57, SMLE 303, and the 1873 45-70.

[elk hunter]

Our range has a 200 yard sight in range with gongs that start at 200 and go to 500 yards. I spend more time gong shooting than shooting at paper, it's a lot more fun. It's fun to see the expression on the face of the guys shooting the latest super magnum with a moon scope and bipod when we start ringing the gongs with an iron sighted military rifle made during the reign of black powder. Some just can't believe it can be done with something that primitive.

[303carbine]

I watched a youtube video of a guy shooting at a buffalo target at 1000 yds, he hit the small black gong on the target first shot. Then he went on to shoot it several more times with what they called a Sharps- Borchardt rifle, I think it was in 45-120.
I regularly shoot my Enfield rifles at "longish" distance, 400 to 600 yds and actually hit stuff way out there. Usually I have a couple ranging shots, after that it's quite easy to remain on target and have several hits in a group. The No4Mk1 rifles I have owned could easily put lead on target at extended ranges where the youngsters at the range laugh when you tell them you are going to shoot a distant target or gong. The laughing is over when the lead starts ringing the gong, especially when they can't hit the same gong with their latest laser scoped anti aircraft rifle. I have had rifles like the 7mm STW and a 6.5-300 Weatherby that could really reach out there, but the iron sighted big bores always were more fun to shot at those same distances.

[Larry Gibson]

Ah yes, so many rocks to kill out west.......

Larry Gibson

[303carbine]

I have been moving them around one by one, first they dance to the left, then to the right.
if I listen just right, I can hear a bugle off in the distance.:bigsmyl2:

[StrawHat]

... but it's more rewarding to do it with a rifle that was designed when U.S Grant was in office...

The design dates a bit earlier than Grant. Well at least Grant as President, he was still fighting a war during the design phase of the Springfield Single Shot Rifle.

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/m65.html

[303carbine]

The design dates a bit earlier than Grant. Well at least Grant as President, he was still fighting a war during the design phase of the Springfield Single Shot Rifle.

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/m65.html

Just getting a timeline to wrap my noggin around:bigsmyl2: Even after all this time, the 1873 is still uber cool and needs no improvement.
1873 was big year for firearm advancement.

[bigted]

303 ... I have fallen behind with the rock smackin here in the great northern frozen waste referred to as Alaska. these rocks up here actually need two or three smacks to settle em down and I have been remiss in my endeavor to do my part in the settling of these rowdy hummers. soon as my TD gets together I will take up the battle with them shortly. till then I will have to remain in business with my 45-120 sharps as this seems to have a calming effect on em for the short term anyway. I have tried the revolver smackin but that just seems to irritate em and they really need the rifle to tame em proper. keep up the good work pardner and as soon as im able I will join in with the smackin business here so later folks will be safe from all the growlin and snappin they do in the darkness of night.

tis an honorable profession to be in and sometimes lonely ... however the satisfaction is immense and a job well done is always a good incentive. ...[smilie=s: ... [smilie=l: ... :redneck: ... :drinks:

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I love to kill rocks at long range. What is particularly satisfying is to shot one and have it break into smaller pieces. After all isn't that what dirt came from, broken down granite. We can always use more dirt. 303carbine, Borchardt did indeed design that rifle and in my opinion it was the finest designed single shot produced in this country. Since it had an inline firing pin and no outside hammer it was not well received, also it came along when single shots were loosing out to repeaters. The man also designed what eventually became known as the Luger pistol

[Kenny Wasserburger]

303,

That was a 45-100 Dave Gullo was shooting the 2.6 case, buffalo is 1123 yards at Raton NM Silhouette range.

KW

[Scharfschuetze]

Larry Gibson and I participated in a military battlefield study of the Little Big Horn Battle of 1876 in the mid 90s.

We demonstrated that when properly used, original Trapdoors far out-ranged the 44 Rim Fire and 44/40 Winchester rounds that many of the Sioux and Cheyenne used. The key here is properly used. The range day for the firearm's tests was of a temperature that caused the SPG type boolit lubricant that we both used to leave a tracer like trail behind the boolit all the way out to the 500 yards of the farthest targets. It was most impressive and really demonstrated the accuracy and effectiveness of the Trapdoor in well practiced hands.

I also demonstrated an original 1873 rifle during a history class at the LBH National Monument and surrounding area. The class was of the Indian Campaign of 1876 that I took for needed hours for my BS degree. The college students, many with preconceived notions of firearms at the LBH, were absolutely astounded with the ability to shoot across canyons and take down those small and pesky rocks at 500 to 600 yards with ammo duplicating the US Army rounds used in 1876.

Several of them were hunters and said that they probably couldn't hit like that even with their 300 magnums.

It's all about a good steady shooting position, sight alignment, sight picture, a steady hold, good trigger pull and then launching that big lead boolit taking into account the range, trajectory and the wind deflection.

Sadly, even with the Trapdoor carbine, most of the troopers in the 7th US Cavalry were unable to do that on that terrible day just a few days before the Nation's centennial celebration.

[303carbine]

303,

That was a 45-100 Dave Gullo was shooting the 2.6 case, buffalo is 1123 yards at Raton NM Silhouette range.

KW

I wasn't sure of the 45-100 or 45-120 designation, but I know it was an impressive round of shooting with a rifle of that vintage. Most hunters couldn't do that good with a big scoped magnum and would scoff at someone who said they can do it with a black powder rifle.
I consider myself a fair shot, but I like the idea of trying distant targets with the vintage
45-70 over any modern rifle. It takes more to do it with irons and is infinitely more rewarding.

[bigted]

303,

That was a 45-100 Dave Gullo was shooting the 2.6 case, buffalo is 1123 yards at Raton NM Silhouette range.

KW

which is the exact reason I like to give "Buff Arms" my business. Dave is a shooter as well as a good business man that takes care of his customers and seems to carry the exact products we use and search for.