GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
RARE SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1875 TYPE III OFFICER''S MODEL TRAPDOOR RIFLE.SPRINGFIELD1875NSN45-70Cal. 45-70 Rare rifle with 26" rnd bbl, gold washed combination front sight 1200 yard ski jump rifle rear sight and type III tang sight inlet into top of wrist. Bore has Metford-style rifling. Bottom of bbl has a single guide containing an orig brass-tipped, hickory cleaning rod. Mounted in a one-piece half stock of nicely figured straight grain American walnut with checkered forearm and wrist. Bottom tang is mounted with an attachable, checkered grip adapter finger rest. Left side of stock has an "SWP / 1885" cartouche and forend cap is engraved pewter Christmas tree-style. Buttplate is 1873 style without trap. Lockplate, hammer, breechblock, top of receiver ring, breechblock latch, trigger bow, bbl band, and buttplate tang are very nicely engraved in foliate arabesque patterns with light shading and no background. Breechblock has standard markings with the date "1873" and lockplate is simply marked "U.S. Springfield" with a small eagle. There was a total of 477 of these rifles produced about 1875 to 1885 in three variations, this being the third type. Of the total, only about 100 type III rifles were produced. These rifles were intended to be sold to Army officers for personal sporting use, primarily in the American West. Apparently, they were not strong sellers, and the last batch was used as prizes for shooting contests and presentation to high government officials. Given their extreme rarity, having been produced over 130 years ago, they are seldom encountered on the open market. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains 96-98% strong orig blue with a few scattered spots of surface rust and slight muzzle edge wear. Breechblock retains most of its orig case colors, bright in sheltered areas, fading elsewhere. Lockplate and hammer retain colors in sheltered areas having turned mostly to silver. Trigger guard is a gray patina. Buttplate retains about 80% strong orig blue with wear on the heel and toe. Stock is sound with a few scattered bruises with light nicks and dings and retains about 95% strong orig varnish. There is a chip in front of the trigger plate tang. Cleaning rod is extremely fine. Mechanics are crisp. Brilliant shiny bore. 49496-1 JR (16,000-26,000)