1873 Trapdoor Rifle Questions

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Dear Netizens ....

I have found two very nice barreled 1873 trapdoor actions.  for projects.
I want to build one with a Manlicher stock, and the other as a sporting or  officer's halfstock, or gemmerized...

One has the "rod bayonet" thingy ( which I don't care for) and the other has... a threaded muzzle?

can anyone enlighten me as to these devices?  If I cut them off am I desecrating something?

thanks in advance
yhs
prof (I found more crap) marvel

[wildman1]

Bayonet should come off, may be difficult to remove.
wM1

[Tascosa Joe]

Maybe Neiderlander will see this and answer as he is very knowledgeable about trapdoors.  I always thought the custom sporting rifles (aka officers model) and the Gemmer-ised trapdoors were neat. 
I am not familiar with the threaded barrel.  A friend had a French Allin Conversion that had a bolt handle resembling a giant butterfly nut.
You might put this in the Barracks thread.

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy Prof,

I can't help you with the bayonet "thingy", but the other may have been one of the very rare silenced sniper variants. Or, if you have watched enough spaghetti westerns, you may remember Lee Vancleef's screw-on barrel extensions. Undoubtedly, the extra barrel length was to allow slow burning black powder to fully burn in the barrel thus delivering extra velocity. Finally, it may just have been a failed plumbing concept for clearing clogged pipes.

That about covers it.
Reverend Chase

[Drydock]

A lot of Trapdoors were converted to line throwing guns for USN and Revenue Cutter Service.  The threaded muzzle could be an indication of such service.  How long is the barrel?

[Professor Marvel]

A lot of Trapdoors were converted to line throwing guns for USN and Revenue Cutter Service.  The threaded muzzle could be an indication of such service.  How long is the barrel?

Its a full-length rifle barrel, rifling in great shape, and a thread protector on the muzzle.
the threaded muzzle seems reminiscent of the threaded Swedish Mausers, and I don't know what they were for either....

As long as neither the "mounting stuff for the rod bayonet thingy" nor the "threaded muzzle" constitute a possible
national treasure, I am inclined to cut them a shorter anyway and recrown, for my Gemmerized half-stock and Full Length
Mannlicher abominations projects....

For my purposes the full-length 32​ 5⁄8 foot inch barrel seems a tad excessive anyway. If the barrel drags on the ground it really out to be shortened I say....

yhs
prof marvel

[Scout53]

Some Swedish Mauser rifles have threaded barrels. There is a muzzle cap that screws on to protect the end of the muzzle.
Look at Numrich Swedish Mauser Muzzle Cap.
Scout

[Pitspitr]

The rod bayonet TD's are pretty rare

[Professor Marvel]

The rod bayonet TD's are pretty rare

Ah dear that was my fear... however there is no bayonet at-all just the funky mount. Since it was all parted out anyway,
and I have only the barreled action, and a other non-matching donor parts, I think my hacksaw will not not be
committing anything more than a venial sin...

On the other hand, i am attempting to turn my signed  "John Blisset " flint sporting rifle barrel into somehting that would look correct -
sort of like a fellow restocking and replacing the lock on a family gun circa 1840.

thanks all, I still have a bit of a mystery with the threaded muzzle. Mayhap someone had worse plans than me... such as outfitting
a springfield trapdoor with a suppressor lol !

yhs
prof marvel

[Arizona Trooper]

Don't worry too much. If you have an M-1888 action, they aren't rare at all. Over 66,000 were made between 1890 and '93 as insurance in case those new nitro powder Krags didn't work out. A lot of them were never issued. If you have an earlier 1884 or 1880 rod bayonet, then I for sure wouldn't cut it. Those are very rare, even the parts for them are rare.

I suspect the muzzle was threaded to make it into a line throwing gun. 

[Professor Marvel]

thanks everyone

since it appears these things are about as rare as driveway gravel, I will have my way with the hacksaw.

The hard part (for me) is the stock. No way am I going to take one of my precious flint longrifle stock blanks for these "fun toys" ...
besides which I don't think my skills are up to manually inletting a long tapered round barrel into a full length blank .

I have some more crap stuff lying around that I plan to adapt to a "mannlicher " stock, and the for
"officers carbine" or "gemmerized trapdoor"  I will use one of my many "grade 2 fake hawken percussion halfstock" blanks i got cheap.

thansk again
prof marvel

[Drydock]

NOT a line thrower, those tended to be rather short, under 20".

While I am loathe myself to cut any rifle, it remains that this rifle has already been modified in some fashion, mysterious though it may be.  Wield your saw with a clear conscious then.  I think a 28" Gemmer would be a fine rifle.

I wonder if some long ago Bubba thought a Shotgun Cutts on a trapdoor would be cool?

[Professor Marvel]

NOT a line thrower, those tended to be rather short, under 20".

While I am loathe myself to cut any rifle, it remains that this rifle has already been modified in some fashion, mysterious though it may be.  Wield your saw with a clear conscious then.  I think a 28" Gemmer would be a fine rifle.

I wonder if some long ago Bubba thought a Shotgun Cutts on a trapdoor would be cool?

Either that or for the same reason some swedish mausers got barrel threads?
Or a suppressor? That would be laughable, a suppressed .45-70 BP buffalo rifle LOL ....

I shall gemmerize away!

Yhs
Prf mvl

[cpt dan blodgett]

were there other rod bayonet trapdoors or just the 1888 model?? I have one of the 1888a with rod bayonet

[Drydock]

https://trapdoorcollector.com//

Models 1880-1882-1884  all experimental variations on rod bayonets.

[Dave T]

Professor,

What ever happened with your Gemmerized Trapdoor? Inquiring minds want to know...and see pictures.

Dave

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Dear Dave
unfortunately, life, house stuff, & health stuff sorta got in the way of all projects.

at least when the water heater busted last Sunday Night, I got the water heater replaced in 20 hours of it leaking all over the floor.
Those are easy out/ easy in.

I have so many going, on hold, that I finally broke down and bought another fellow's pair of 1860 gated conversions
so I at least did not have to finish THAT project in order to shoot ....
And it gives Mrs Marvel something to give me for this Christmas and Next Birthday.

yhs
prof marvel

[degoins]

 As far as wood......have you checked out Treebone's semi inletted trapdoor stocks?

[Professor Marvel]

My Good Degoins -

Thanks for the suggestion!
I jumped over there and looked over the beautiful stocks and examples - esepcially these







I will have to think long and hard on these, since I am not progressing much on my stockmaking projects!
Prof cheapskate Frugal may have to pry open the purse and (gasp) part with some cash... 

yhs
prof marvel

[Blackpowder Burn]

I admire people that have the skill for that sort of woodworking project.  The best I'm capable of looks like someone took a chainsaw to a downed tree limb.