Damaged in Testing on "The newly designed 1868 rifle"?

[Fred]

Photo of bent cam latch on 1868 rifle serial number 6 showing how the cam latch is bent downward.

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Photo of cam latch on 1868 rifle serial number 127 showing no such bend.
Obviously, I'm going to have to straighten the shaft on number 6 before it can ever be safely fired.
The bent shaft keeps the cam from seating all of the way. It's an easy fix. I don't think that there should be a problem with straightening the shaft since I'll Not be replacing the original part. However isn't it interesting that evidence can be found on this and my other rifle of damage from testing and also evidence of the testing going on with the 1868 rear sight.
Tests were done on these earliest rifles partially to determine which damaged parts would render the rifle unserviceable and which damaged parts would not as well as how easily parts were subject to damage.

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[AZshooter]

So, what kind of 'Testing' are you doing that leads to parts damage?

[Dick Hosmer]

So, what kind of 'Testing' are you doing that leads to parts damage?

I don't believe that Fred bent the latch. I also doubt that any such damage was due to testing - probably just got struck somehow.

The rear sight is interesting - the leaf on a very few of the low-numbered 1868s is graduated differently from the thousands that we see on common guns. There is no 900yd line only the digit - right up by the top notch, the figures are all proportionately closer to the top of the leaf, and the numbers are of smaller font size than "normal". So far as I know, I was the first person to comment on this variant, discovered on my #62 a couple of years ago, unfortunately after my book was published.

Some lower numbered specimens have the standard sight, probably replacements after standardization.

[Fred]

So, what kind of 'Testing' are you doing that leads to parts damage?

No, these tests happened 149 years ago.
The first 150 or so 1868 Springfield's that were made in 1868 were essentially made to test that model for efficiency.

[Fred]

Dick, the shaft is really bent, It must've taken a very severe blow directly on the top of the thumb latch to do this, I've tried to straighten it out and the shaft will not do so. I think that I'll have to heat the shaft up to allow it to straighten again. The shaft is strong but the surface is soft.

[Fred]

I think that the face of a hammer was laid on top of the thumb latch and the back of the hammer was struck a severe blow with another hammer to see if the resulting bent shaft would prevent the cam from completely closing. It did. Like I said, it can be fixed. I believe that the necessary force required to bend the shaft is considerable and is far greater than what dropping the rifle would result in. I can't imagine what else would do this.
The damage to the latch must've been why the rifle remained unused. Maybe it and the other really early rifles were put into storage until they were released as surplus. This rifle seems to have remained un messed with after the testing period.

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[alfajim]

Fred if you can't fix it successfully and it has a square on the shaft for the cam side there is a bare shaft on e bay for it.

Jim

[Fred]

Thank you Jim. However because this rifle was the 6th 1868 assembled, I'd better keep all of its original parts on it. Thanks again though.

[Dick Hosmer]

Since the part is so easily removable, why not just obtain a replacement? I may even have one which I'd loan/give you for shooting (you did say you were going to, did you not?). You can always save the original to pass along with the gun. I would absolutely NOT try to repair it with other parts. Either straighten the original or put it aside, and I lean strongly towards the latter. The hammer on my Type 2 Springfield-Sharps has a very minor but annoying (to me, since I am aware of it) tweak. I cannot tell you how many times I have almost started to "fix" it, and stopped before I did something I'd regret.

[Dan Shapiro]

I'm with Dick so far as it being damaged in use. Was just reading "Rifles of the United States Navy and Marine Corps". At the time the Marines were using the M1868. There was mention of several rifles being damaged aboard ship. Investigation revealed that the rifle racks had been placed inappropriately and that 'two open hatch covers were found lying against the rifles (while in their racks)'.

[Fred]

I'm with Dick so far as it being damaged in use. Was just reading "Rifles of the United States Navy and Marine Corps". At the time the Marines were using the M1868. There was mention of several rifles being damaged aboard ship. Investigation revealed that the rifle racks had been placed inappropriately and that 'two open hatch covers were found lying against the rifles (while in their racks)'.

Wow! Yea, that'd be a tremendous pounding!

[Fred]

Since the part is so easily removable, why not just obtain a replacement? I may even have one which I'd loan/give you for shooting (you did say you were going to, did you not?). You can always save the original to pass along with the gun. I would absolutely NOT try to repair it with other parts. Either straighten the original or put it aside, and I lean strongly towards the latter. The hammer on my Type 2 Springfield-Sharps has a very minor but annoying (to me, since I am aware of it) tweak. I cannot tell you how many times I have almost started to "fix" it, and stopped before I did something I'd regret.

Yep, I'll go ahead and just buy a spare one to shoot the rifle with for when I set up a 100 yard range out here.
Ill keep both parts either on or with the rifle within a little bag tied to the trigger guard.

[Fred]

Alrighty then... I've got one on the way from S&S.

[Fred]

Fred if you can't fix it successfully and it has a square on the shaft for the cam side there is a bare shaft on e bay for it.

Jim

Jim, after receiving in the mail the cam latch I ordered, I noticed that the original on my number 6 rifle has a Round riveted head as opposed to the Square head on the temporary replacement that I ordered.
So, has anyone else noticed a Round rivet head on the camlatch of any other 1868?

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[Dick Hosmer]

Looks to me like the latch face was never machined after upsetting - I'm betting shafts are ALL square.

[Fred]

Yep. I believe you're right Dick. It'd be interesting to know just when that change occurred.