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Thread: Trapdoor Springfield movie gun

  1. #1
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Trapdoor Springfield movie gun

    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.









  2. #2
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    Buzz Krumhunger's Avatar
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    Cool
    My first centerfire rifle was a Trapdoor Springfield. I loaded ammo on a Lee Loader. One of those gizzies you hammer on. 😬

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy Rusty Goose's Avatar
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    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.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rusty Goose View Post
    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!

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    Vall, you do find some very interesting guns. I have an 1884 Trapdoor that’s in pretty good condition.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buzz Krumhunger View Post
    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?

  7. #7
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shawlerbrook View Post
    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.

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    Sorry for his passing, but what a great find.
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

    Men who don't understand women fall into two categories: bachelors and husbands!

  9. #9
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stubshaft View Post
    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.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy Brimstone's Avatar
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    A candidate for charcoal blued hardware with a rottenstone polish. That would look amazing in a kaleidoscope of blue black hues.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy eastbank's Avatar
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    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.

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    Boolit Master scattershot's Avatar
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    Great find. Congrats!
    "Experience is a series of non-fatal mistakes"


    Disarming is a mistake free people only get to make once...

  13. #13
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brimstone View Post
    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?

  14. #14
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    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.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buzz Krumhunger View Post
    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

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy Brimstone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by marlinman93 View Post
    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.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

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    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.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fatelk View Post
    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.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master

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

  20. #20
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fatelk View Post
    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.

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