References for Determining Safety of Shooting a Model 1873

[huntylterer]

Hello Gentlemen,

I am looking for references on how to determine if a Model 1873 is safe to shoot. I have not bought any books on these rifles, yet.
It seems like there may be some information on this in Loading Cartridges for the Original .45-70 Springfield Rifle and Carbine by J.S and Pat Wolf, 3rd edition. But i figured you fellas may know a better source of information.

I am looking at buying either The .45-70 Springfield by Joe Poyer or The .45-70 SPRINGFIELD by Frasca and Hill because right now I am interested in determining if my basic Model 1873 is legitimate. If either of these contain this information please make me aware of that.

Any other reference recommendation is greatly appreciated as well.

[Dick Hosmer]

The VAST majority of trapdoors found ARE safe to shoot with proper ammunition. This means any commercial ammo marked for use in "all rifles". This issue has been going on for a long time; SAAMI knows full well that thousands of TDs are being shot daily, and load their ammo accordingly. DO steer clear of anything labeled for use in "modern" rifles, 1886 Winchester, 1895 Marlin, Ruger, etc.

There is no "standard" to refer to, and today's "black rifle"gunsmiths will usually be of little help since the item is so foreign to them. Plain old common sense will be your friend here. Obviously heavy rust would be a concern. Some breechblock play is common in heavily used pieces, but the block is actually designed to move longitudinally, so that the force of firing does NOT act on the hinge pin. In fact (while no one would do so) they may be safely fired with the pin removed! The hammer should cock with a sharp click and stay back. You should NOT be able to drop the hammer by trigger from either the safe or half-cock positions. The mechanism should operatively crisply and throw empty cases with alacrity.

I would not hesitate - based on the pictures you have provided - to fire your gun.

[huntylterer]

Dick,

I appreciate the response. That alleviates most of my concern.

As due diligence, I will go ahead and post the observations of my rifle open to feedback on safety of the rifle. I have ordered some reference material and I hope to find tolerances and measurements of parts in there.

By saying the breech block is designed to move longitudinally, I assume you mean forward and backward from barrel to butt vice versa. My "axis" of movement below are defined as viewed from holding the rifle as you would to shoot.
Forward & Backward: I do notice ever so slight play in that direction to the degree of a couple thousandths of an inch. Almost not noticeable.
Left & Right: This is where I have the most play. With the breech closed, I get a total of ~1/16" play from far left to far right. With the breech open, I get slightly more play left and right of about 3/32".
Up & Down: Couple thousandths of play and comparable the forward and back movement as almost not noticeable.

As well, here are a few photos:
IMG_E1351.jpg
The bore looks shiner than it actually is from a thin film of oil, but I do not notice any severe pitting/rust.

IMG_1359.jpg
In this photo, you can see the true color of the bore which seems similar to the surface of the barrel.

IMG_1352.jpg
And finally, I don't notice any excessive marring or wear in the receiver. This was the best photo angle I could get with my cell phone.

I apologize for my poor photo taking skills.

Also, I will note my hammer only has the full cocked position, but it seems to be crisp and hold well.
Let me know what you think!

[Dick Hosmer]

Your block play is not abnormal at all. Sure, it's nice to have less side-to-side, but I don't see an issue there. The lock, on the other hand is dangerous and needs to be addressed. You need to have an open position for loading where the hammer will not fall if the trigger gets snagged or touched by something. Even though the pull is heavy, you do not want the hammer at full cock over a live round until you are ready to shoot. Parts are cheap and readily available. Disassembly is not difficult.

(1) Remove lock assembly from rifle with hammer cocked.
(2) Using a small c-clamp, or vise grips, or a bench vise - capture the compressed spring and wiggle it off. Set it aside, but you need to keep it compressed for reinstallation.
(3) Remove all interior screws, noting that there are three different lengths
(4) Set stripped plate (with hammer) on a couple of small wooden blocks
(5) Unscrew hammer screw a couple of turns and hit the head with a hammer and block of wood. The idea is to drive the tumbler off the hammer. You do NOT remove the hammer by prying it off!!!!!
(6) Replace all broken parts.
(7) Reassemble in reverse order. TIP: when installing the sear spring run its' screw almost all the way in, THEN snap the little tit into the slot!