1865 Lock Plate

[Tkacook]

How common are 1865 Springfield lock plates? I found this one on eBay and I purchased it as I have not seen another dated 1865. I have seen pictures of them on 1865 Trapdoor rifles, but that is all.

Here are the pictures.

[Dick Hosmer]

They are, easily, the least-seen date. Most (as does this one - visible in pic 3) have a little extra milled off the back of the little 'tit' ahead of the latch cut so as to provide clearance for the First Allin extractor mechanism. Later TDs did not require this cut. In my experience, that date will rarely be found on M66/68/69/70 rifles and cadets, but several M1870 carbines - including mine - have "1865" plates, reason unknown.

[Tkacook]

Thank you for the additional information. I always enjoy your insight. For the price, I couldn't pass it up. Guess I just need a 1865 rifle to with it.

I figure by the time the 1870 carbines came along they might have started running low on earlier musket parts.

[Dick Hosmer]

You're very welcome. FWIW, I've always thought that - for an infintesimal run of experimental arms - they may have looked first at what was an obvious failure (the M1865 rifles) rather than upset what was probably a pretty orderly process of making up the M68/M69/M70 longarms. Don't recall ever seeing one of them with a '65 plate. As an aside, every "good" M1865 two-bander that I've run across (maybe 5/6) HAS had the '65 item.