More of the "barn find"

[JacobCR]

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[JacobCR]

It seems that the original post disappeared, so here it is, again:

Stopped by the local gun store on Saturday and noticed a trapdoor carbine on the consignment rack. I have a few trapdoors, so I could tell that it wasn't a cut-down rifle, and for the price, any actual carbine would be worth it.

The bore is basically toast, and it looks like the whole thing was varnished at some point, over old rust and some pitting, especially near the muzzle, obscuring details such as the rear sight markings. From a few feet away, it has a somewhat pleasing overall patina, though, and it looks its age.

The only modification that I can see (aside from the varnish), is that the firing pin was ground down, and the spring lost--probably to make it "safe" when it was put up on somebody's wall.

I hadn't really paid much attention to the early variations, since they are out of my collecting scope ($$ and too many fakes or parts-rifles that I wouldn't be able to detect), but I may have ended up with something like a proverbial "Barn find," though.

From what I've seen searching the net, it appears to be a non-upgraded model 1873 made in early 1875 (S/N 39668).

The stock is a long-wrist, short-comb which doesn't appear to have been sanded, with the proof P and ESA visible through the varnish, and no holes beneath the butt plate.

Other features: rough hatching on the hammer, high-arch breech block, three-click tumbler, no V P Eagle on the 22" barrel, stacking swivel on the band, and the early rear sight with what appears to be unmolested slotless screws.

Just thought I'd share it, a bit.

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[Dick Hosmer]

You appear to have struck gold. I see nothing wrong with that carbine at all. 39667 and 39670 are known to be carbines.

And, FWIW, 39674 is attributed to the 7th Cav, though 'close' does not count, and that one is way too clean to have been at LBH.

A very nice find! I'll add the number to the list in my book where it will appear in the next printing later this year.

[JacobCR]

That's fantastic. Thank you very much for the information. (A copy of your book arrived this afternoon, and I haven't got a chance to go through it, yet.) Let me know if you'd like any other photos.

I generally consider myself a realist, and agree that the carbine probably didn't see any hard use and ended up rusting on someone's wall as an almost brand-new carbine.
(Come to think of it, I guess it was less than 1.5 years old when LBH happened.)

It's a shame that it's not in better shape, but if it wasn't, I most likely wouldn't be its new caretaker.

[Fred]

Wow!

[jon_norstog]

Jacob, that is a really good score! FWIW if there is even a trace of rifling, you can get a BP rifle to shoot OK - like a refrigerator-size target at 100 yds.

jn

[Fred]

That was an incredible find.