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LOT 114
Exceptional U.S. Springfield Model 1875 Trapdoor Officer’s Rifle - NSN, 45/70
Govt. cal., 26 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut checkered stock. This
extraordinary U.S. Model 1875 Officer’s rifle was manufactured by the Springfield
Armory in 1885. This is a Third Type Model 1875 Officer’s Rifle with distinctive features
that include a slightly longer stock that extends 5/8-inch further beyond the barrel
band, square profile nickel-silver forend cap, un-plated brass wiping rod tip and ferrule
and “SWP/1885” final inspection mark stamped on the left stock wrist. Springfield
Armory manufactured an estimated total of 100 Third Type Model 1875 Officer’s
Rifles. The Model 1875 Officer’s Rifle was designed to provide Army officers with a
high quality sporting rifle chambered for the .45-70 service cartridge. These rare rifles
were manufactured in limited numbers between 1875 and 1885; total production was
fewer than 500 rifles. This rifle has a blue barrel, barrel band, receiver and buttplate.
The low-arch breech block, hammer, receiver tang, lock plate and trigger guard have a
color casehardened finish. The walnut stock is oil finished with checkered panels on the
forearm and wrist and detachable pistol grip. The round barrel has a single ramrod pipe to secure a hickory wiping rod with brass tip and ferrule. The barrel is fitted with a beach folding globe front sight and a special buckhorn rear sight. A folding Vernier tang sight with oval base is mounted on the stock wrist. The rifle has a factory single set- trigger. The top of the barrel band, receiver, breech block, tang, hammer, cam latch, lock plate, trigger guard bow and buttplate heel are decorated with well-executed scroll engraving. The inlaid nickel-silver nose cap is lightly engraved. The top of the barrel is stamped with a “P” between the rear sight and the receiver and the left side of
the barrel is stamped with “V/P/Eagle Head/P” proof and inspection marks. The top of the breech block is roll- stamped “U.S./MODEL/1878” in three lines. The lock plate is roll-stamped with the usual Springfield Eagle motif followed by “U.S./SPRINGFIELD” in two lines in front of the hammer. “U.S.” is stamped on the heel of the buttplate. The underside of the stock is stamped with a circled script “P” proof mark behind the checkered panel. The rifle is, correctly, not serial numbered.
CONDITION: Excellent plus overall. This rifle is totally original and shows only very minor storage wear. With 97% plus of the original blue and casehardened finish remaining. The barrel band, barrel rear sight, receiver tang sight and buttplate show only very minor finish wear. The casehardened breech block, hammer, lock plate and trigger guard have vivid case colors and show almost no wear. The excellent stock has nearly all of the original oil finish. The checkering on the forearm, wrist and pistol grip is extremely sharp. The Ordnance final inspection mark on the left wrist is crisp. The well-executed scroll engraving is sharp and deep. The rifle appears to be un-fired and is probably one of the Third Type Model 1875 Officer’s Rifles that were not sold in 1885 and was held by Springfield
Armory to later be sold as surplus. It would be very difficult to find a better example of a U.S. Springfield
Model 1875 Officer’s Rifle than this exceptional example.
100 Estimate: 30,000 - 50,000
According to "The .45-70 Springfield" by Frasca, only 477 U.S. Springfield Model 1875 Officer's Model Rifles were produced, all between July 1, 1875, and June 30, 1885. Approximately 100 were Type III.