Help me with this old gun - 1873 Springfield?

[Bobbygun]

A high school buddy of mine's mom passed away and he has this old gun he is probably looking to sell. He's not a gun guy (although we did shoot beer cans rolling down his driveway with air rifles back in the 70's) so he has no idea what this rifle is worth. He knows I enjoy firearms, so he sought my opinion. Unfortunately for him, I'm not really versed in firearms this old. From a little Google research, it appears he has a Springfield 1873. I looked on Gunbroker and the asking prices were all over the place. I don't have an account there, maybe that's why I don't see a way to get sales prices of closed auctions. My buddy sent me a bunch of pictures, so I will attach some of the better ones to give you an idea of what he has and the condition. I will first tag @Andy54Hawken because I saw an old post of his where he has a similar rifle (maybe not condition-wise).

I'm just looking for any helpful feedback folks can provide. I don't want to get my friend's hopes up. If this is just a wall hanger, let me know. If it has some value, let me know what you think it could sell for and where the best place for him to sell it might be. Personally, I have zero interest in owning this type of weapon, but "different strokes for different folks", so my level of interest is a moot point.

Also, from what I read this is likely a .45-70 that shoots metallic black powder cartridges. Is that correct? Is there any chance it's safe to shoot? (Yeah, I wouldn't shoot it unless a gunsmith gave me the go-ahead.)

Anyway, it is a pretty cool looking old rifle, and it has a bayonet and scabbard. That might be worth something? Maybe more than the rifle? LOL

Obviously, I'm in over my head here, so any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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[oremike]

Looks like a Springfield Trapdoor I think. I'd take it to Dave at The Gun Works for a better idea of what's what.

 

[Bobbygun]

Looks like a Springfield Trapdoor I think. I'd take it to Dave at The Gun Works for a better idea of what's what.

That's a good idea. My buddy lives in Oakland (OR), so he's only about an hour away.

 

[Thebeard89]

I would have a gunsmith check it out and look into selling on a collector's auction site. Rock Island or Morphy's.

 

[Unka-Boo]

Looks like a Buffington rear sight, so 1884 and later if my memory is working....I had one eons ago that was an Oregon National Guard rifle, was missing a bunch of parts and those exceeded value of complete gun so I sold it to a collector for parts..in retrospect, that was dumb.

 

[Unka-Boo]

Should be a date on top of the receiver in front of the breech block...

 

[Bobbygun]

Should be a date on top of the receiver in front of the breech block...

Not that I can see from the pics he sent, but I'll ask him.

 

[Member 55555]

Should be a date on top of the receiver in front of the breech block...

Should also be date stamped or inscribed on the stock; left side, wrist.

I had a really nice 1884 that I loved, but had some kids that had "maintenance" requirements that required selling; the gun, not the kids.
As I recall I got $500 or $600 for it but that was 20 years ago...

 

[Member 24198]

Somewhere in the $800-$1400 range depending on the condition. It also depends on finding a buyer for that price. The guns below don't typically sit for long periods, but they have a pretty decent audience.

M1873 .45-70 Springfield Trapdoor -SN 29542

www.lodgewood.com

Model 1879 .45-70 Springfield Trapdoor Cadet Rifle-63B

www.lodgewood.com

M1866 Springfield

www.lodgewood.com

 

[Bobbygun]

Should also be date stamped or inscribed on the stock; left side, wrist.

I saw this: (Couldn't quite make it out.)

 

[Member 24198]

How does the bore look?

 

[Bobbygun]

I haven't held or seen the gun, but that lower left photo in the first post of the end of the barrel doesn't generate optimism.

 

[Member 24198]

I'd venture $600-800.

 

[bcp]

https://truegunvalue.com/rifle/1873-springfield/price-historical-value

Bruce

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Nice rifle for sure.
It is a 1873 Springfield ( Trapdoor ) rifle ....in .45-70.
It is the 1884 variant with the Buffington rear sight.
Many of these saw action in the Spanish American War and The Philippine Insurrection.
Assuming the bore is good...these make for good shooting and hunting rifles.
As far as a value goes....somewhere between $800 and $1,200 I would guess.

If it does go shooting...
Be sure to use cowboy action loads...and or loads safe for the Trapdoor Springfield.
Andy

 

[gmerkt]

I saw this: (Couldn't quite make it out.)

That is the government inspector's cartouche. The image is upside down, the date looks like 1887.

This rifle has probably been sitting around for a long time, since before there may have been attempts to alter its authenticity. That is worth something. But I don't like that the rear sight appears to be much darker than the bbl. Maybe that's nothing.

 

[Bobbygun]

The image is upside down, the date looks like 1887.

LOL. No wonder I couldn't make it out. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[drstrangelove]

A lot of the value depends on how well the bore cleans up. Get a flashlight into the breach after you pass a 45 cal snake soaked in Ballistol a few times and post a pic from the muzzle. If it's still a dark pitted swamp, it may well be a wall-hangar, especially if the lock doesn't work. If it cleans up to shiny with rifling, with a good trigger, it could go as high as 1200.

 

[Bobbygun]

A lot of the value depends on how well the bore cleans up. Get a flashlight into the breach after you pass a 45 cal snake soaked in Ballistol a few times and post a pic from the muzzle. If it's still a dark pitted swamp, it may well be a wall-hangar, especially if the lock doesn't work. If it cleans up to shiny with rifling, with a good trigger, it could go as high as 1200.

I doubt my friend has any cleaning equipment or Ballistol. I did tell him to see if he could shine a flashlight down the barrel and inspect it. He did mention after my initial posting that his father shot the gun and made a remark about the recoil. He is going to search to see if there is any more ammunition. Maybe he will find a cleaning kit while he's searching. His dad passed away over 20 years ago and was in a bad motorcycle accident years before that, so it has probably been over 40 years since that gun was last fired. (I wish he hadn't mentioned the part about it having been shot. Now I kinda wanna shoot it. )

 

[Bobbygun]

But I don't like that the rear sight appears to be much darker than the bbl. Maybe that's nothing.

It sure does look darker. Hard to imagine it has been through the same time period/elements the barrel has. Of course, my buddy will have zero clue as to what is or isn't original. My guess is that sight is not original.