Trapdoor Springfield movie gun

[marlinman93]

This was a find this morning at our local OAC gun show. A 1873 Trapdoor Springfield with some unique history. The gun is marked with MGM Studios marking, and appears to be internally in unfired condition. The gunsmith who owned this rifle passed away Tuesday, and before he retired a lot of us locals used him for color case, rust bluing, and stock replacement. George was in the same class as Al Springer, and this was a rifle he was restoring for himself, but never finished. He got the breech block color cased, and got the new stock inletted and fitted, but didn't get the bluing done, or the stock externally sanded or finished.
The the gun was in sad shape externally as many movie guns are, but the bore appears as new inside! Everything mechanically is like new, so George just planned to refinish and restock it before he passed. A mutual friend brought some of George's guns in to sell, and I grabbed this one as an easy project to finish up. All the hard work is done, so once it's sanded, and rust blued, then it's set to go.
I also got a small box full of Trapdoor parts including another complete action, and a bunch of other assorted parts for the actions. So I'll see if things like the trigger and tang assembly are maybe better than the one on the gun, or if I might need any spares before selling off the extra parts.


https://i.imgur.com/9nJA4H0l.jpg

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https://i.imgur.com/c5qizUsl.jpg

[Buzz Krumhunger]

Cool
My first centerfire rifle was a Trapdoor Springfield. I loaded ammo on a Lee Loader. One of those gizzies you hammer on. 😬

[Rusty Goose]

Wow, beautiful. His passing is unfortunate, but it is sure nice that his project went to the right person to get finished. I have one as well, nothing special. It has been re-blued, looks nice and a great shooter.

[marlinman93]

Wow, beautiful. His passing is unfortunate, but it is sure nice that his project went to the right person to get finished. I have one as well, nothing special. It has been re-blued, looks nice and a great shooter.

Well this one will be the same; a reblued gun. Hopefully I can finish it close to what he would have done!

[Shawlerbrook]

Vall, you do find some very interesting guns. I have an 1884 Trapdoor that’s in pretty good condition.

[toot]

Cool
My first centerfire rifle was a Trapdoor Springfield. I loaded ammo on a Lee Loader. One of those gizzies you hammer on. ��

they were called a whack a mole, I believe?

[marlinman93]

Vall, you do find some very interesting guns. I have an 1884 Trapdoor that’s in pretty good condition.

Thanks! I've been very fortunate in my gun collecting, but I do a lot of searching, and have tables at our local monthly collector show all year. I try to help people with questions, and suggestions on what they have, and what a gun may need. Occasionally something gets offered to me, and if there's no family left to pass it to I will buy it. But I always ask if there isn't someone who might be better to pass it down to, as I never got my dad's guns, and know what it's like to miss out on retaining family heirlooms.

[stubshaft]

Sorry for his passing, but what a great find.

[marlinman93]

Sorry for his passing, but what a great find.

Thanks. George's retirement was a huge blow to many locals, as his gun restoration services were above almost any of the big name restoration guys, and he was just a few miles away! But his loss as a great guy is just as sad, as he was a friend to some of us, and will be sorely missed.
I'm glad to be able to own one of his personal projects, and hope I get it done close to what he'd done.

[Brimstone]

A candidate for charcoal blued hardware with a rottenstone polish. That would look amazing in a kaleidoscope of blue black hues.

[eastbank]

the lee hand loader kits, gave me a hurrible case of the flinchee,s after a primer went off when i was seating a primer.

[scattershot]

Great find. Congrats!

[marlinman93]

A candidate for charcoal blued hardware with a rottenstone polish. That would look amazing in a kaleidoscope of blue black hues.

Are you telling me you use rottenstone to polish metal parts? I use it on stocks after the finish is done, and cured. But never tried polishing metal parts after they're blued?

[marlinman93]

I began sanding down the stock today, and after removing the barreled action, and all metal parts it took me only an hour to get it sanded down to 320 grit, and the first coat of WOP applied! I was amazed how close the stock was, and how easily it sanded!
Not sure how far to take the coats of finish as I see so many different finishes on these old Trapdoors. Some being very smooth, with high sheen, while others are fairly flat finish. I guess I'll look at a bunch of pictures, and then decide when to stop adding coats.

[a danl]

Cool
My first centerfire rifle was a Trapdoor Springfield. I loaded ammo on a Lee Loader. One of those gizzies you hammer on. 😬

my first center fire was a 45/70 springfield also. $65 and still have it. that was 55 years ago. my favorite calibre since

[Brimstone]

Are you telling me you use rottenstone to polish metal parts? I use it on stocks after the finish is done, and cured. But never tried polishing metal parts after they're blued?

If you pursue period correct charcoal finish on the hardware it is historically correct to burnish the parts between charcoal bluing cycles with rottenstone. Slow rust as you know is steel wool or carding wheel.

[fatelk]

I wanted to make it to that show. I've had a friend telling me I need to go for years, but never have.

Funny coincidence, I wasn't able to make the show because of a trip to northern Washington with the family. I stopped into a tiny gun shop there and noticed a trap-door rifle on the rack. I asked about it and the guy excitedly showed me markings on the barrel that he said identify it as a former Warner Brothers movie prop.

I didn't buy it. Externally it was very rough. The rifling looked decent down the bore, but I couldn't see any rifling at all at the muzzle. One of these days I do want to get a trapdoor Springfield. I've been looking at them for decades but never owned one.

[marlinman93]

I wanted to make it to that show. I've had a friend telling me I need to go for years, but never have.

Funny coincidence, I wasn't able to make the show because of a trip to northern Washington with the family. I stopped into a tiny gun shop there and noticed a trap-door rifle on the rack. I asked about it and the guy excitedly showed me markings on the barrel that he said identify it as a former Warner Brothers movie prop.

I didn't buy it. Externally it was very rough. The rifling looked decent down the bore, but I couldn't see any rifling at all at the muzzle. One of these days I do want to get a trapdoor Springfield. I've been looking at them for decades but never owned one.

If you're close enough, it's well worth attending. Small show of about 60 tables usually, but always an enjoyable event, with lots of good people. It wont have most of the garbage much larger shows have, and it's only $4 and free parking. Or $20 to be a member for the year, and then all 12 shows are free entry. March 26th is the next show, and it's an early bird show! 7:00 AM to Noon.

[fatelk]

I’m fairly close. I’ll try to make it next time. I expect we may have some mutual acquaintances.

[marlinman93]

I’m fairly close. I’ll try to make it next time. I expect we may have some mutual acquaintances.

I'd bet we do. I see the majority of the same faces each month, and maybe 10% of new faces with visitor badges.

[marlinman93]

Easiest project I've ever finished up! After getting about 5 coats of WOP on the wood, I decided to stop before it got shiny. It will come up slightly more after it cures for a week, and I wax and buff it. But I like the satin look for a Trapdoor.
Used Mark Lee Express rust bluing, and worked all day getting it blued. I fought the rear sight, and then remembered it's likely too hard, and wont take rust bluing. Came up a little darker, but not dark enough. It will need to be nitre blued, or hot blued, so I'll get that done later. Lock plate was a little better, but also not quite as dark. I can live with it as it is. I didn't blue the barrel bands, or sling swivels as they were pretty darn good as is.

https://i.imgur.com/Szvlcm0l.jpg

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[HWooldridge]

Very nice job. Let us see how she shoots now…

[fatelk]

Beautiful!

[marlinman93]

Very nice job. Let us see how she shoots now…

Need to find another mold. You'd think with about 70 molds I'd have a .459" mold, but all my other .45-70's use a .457" with no problems. So mold, and load ammo, and shoot if we ever get rid of this snow!

[Rusty Goose]

Very nice!

[ulav8r]

Very nice, looks good as new even if color and shine is not same as original.

[Beerd]

Very Nice! But I have to ask, what is WOP?
..

[marlinman93]

Very Nice! But I have to ask, what is WOP?
..

Sorry. Thought I mentioned it previously? It's Minn Wax Wipe On Poly. WOP gives a hand rubbed oil appearance with enough coats, and seals the wood better than anything I've ever used. Since it's extremely thin, it takes a number of coats to build to a nice sheen, but it's just wiped on with a rag, and then excess wiped off after a few minutes. So you can stop when it reaches the amount of sheen you want.

[HWooldridge]

I got started using tung oil about 40 years ago and still use it for stock sealing, but I'm also sure there are better products on the market these days.

[marlinman93]

I got started using tung oil about 40 years ago and still use it for stock sealing, but I'm also sure there are better products on the market these days.

Many years ago Guild gunsmith Steve Durren posted a Rolling Block build series in the ASSRA Journal, and he was using Laurel Mountain Permalyn Sealer to finish his stocks. I was just finishing a restock of a Ballard rifle, and figured if he was using it, then I'd give it a try. Back then an 12 oz. can of Laurel Mountain was $20 at Brownells, so not cheap in the late 80's. But it did produce wonderful finishes.
When I used the can up, I checked at Brownells again, and the price was even higher, so I went searching for a cheaper alternative. I discovered Minn Wax WOP, and from all I could find it was the same product makeup for 1/3rd the price. And a lot of local hardware stores carried it, so it was quick to buy, and easy. That's been about 35 years ago, and who knows how many cans of it now?
The nice thing about both products is if you get a ding or scratch, it's easy to repair without totally refinishing the wood. The other is it goes over almost every existing finish I've applied it to. Other finishes require extreme measures to ensure that when they're applied there's no residual finish left on the stocks, or it wont dry and remains sticky. WOP never has that issue, so I don't have to be as anal about old stock refinishing.

[Green Frog]

Great find Vall, and doubly or even “triply” significant as a historical rifle, owned by a movie studio, then owned and worked on by your late friend. Well worth the work you will do to complete its resurrection!

An interesting tale I’ve heard is that those old trapdoors with their bayonets were used for years in movies to arm large numbers of extras to make up military units, seen at sufficient distance to hide details, portraying soldiers all the way from the American Revolution through the Civil War. Just think, that rifle was probably at Yorktown, or the Alamo, or Gettysburg, perhaps all three! :mrgreen:

Your Friend the Frog

[M-Tecs]

Many years ago Guild gunsmith Steve Durren posted a Rolling Block build series in the ASSRA Journal, and he was using Laurel Mountain Permalyn Sealer to finish his stocks. I was just finishing a restock of a Ballard rifle, and figured if he was using it, then I'd give it a try. Back then an 12 oz. can of Laurel Mountain was $20 at Brownells, so not cheap in the late 80's. But it did produce wonderful finishes.
When I used the can up, I checked at Brownells again, and the price was even higher, so I went searching for a cheaper alternative. I discovered Minn Wax WOP, and from all I could find it was the same product makeup for 1/3rd the price. And a lot of local hardware stores carried it, so it was quick to buy, and easy. That's been about 35 years ago, and who knows how many cans of it now?
The nice thing about both products is if you get a ding or scratch, it's easy to repair without totally refinishing the wood. The other is it goes over almost every existing finish I've applied it to. Other finishes require extreme measures to ensure that when they're applied there's no residual finish left on the stocks, or it wont dry and remains sticky. WOP never has that issue, so I don't have to be as anal about old stock refinishing.

Thanks for info on WOP.

[JSnover]

Gorgeous!
And you probably knew already; Those Hollywood Trapdoors will shoot six or seven rounds without reloading.

[marlinman93]

The guy on Forgotten Weapons on Youtube did a video on one of the Trapdoor Springfields my friend Mike Carrick has in his collection. Mike's has had a brass "flintlock" hammer installed, and a brass side mounted "spring" for the frizzen. Making it into a flintlock for some movie that predates the percussion cap era. This was filmed at Mike's place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0lOyjZ8Gew&t=5s&ab_channel=ForgottenWeapons

[missionary5155]

Our 1st Trapdoor has a chamber / breach that will receive a .464 cast 40-1. 40 Years back NEI to the rescue.

[marlinman93]

Our 1st Trapdoor has a chamber / breach that will receive a .464 cast 40-1. 40 Years back NEI to the rescue.

If Walt hadn't passed away, and the operation moved away, he was only 25 miles from me, and the first place I went anytime I needed a new mold.