Springfield Model 1873

The Model 1873 was the fifth variation of the Erskine S. Allin trapdoor breechblock design. The infantry rifle model featured a 32 -inch (829 mm) barrel, while the cavalry carbine used a 22 in barrel. It was superseded by an improved model, the Springfield Model 1884, also in.45-70 caliber.

• Name — Springfield Model 1873 • Origin — United States • Type — Breech-loading rifle • Is Ranged — yes • Service — 1873–1918 • Used By — * United States • Hawaiian Kingdom • Native Americans • Designer — Erskine S. Allin • Design Date — 1872–1873 • Manufacturer — Springfield Armory • Production Date — 1873–1884 • Number — 567,882 • Variants — * Cavalry carbine with 22 in barrel • Cadet rifle with 28 in barrel • Infantry rifle with 30 in barrel • Length — 52 in • Part Length — 32.5 in • Cartridge — 1873 Loading.45-70-405 (19,000 psi), 1884 loading 45-70-500 (25,000 psi)) • Action — Trapdoor • Rate — 12-13 rounds per minute, up to 25 rounds per minute have been recorded in ordnance department tests • Velocity — 1350 ft/s • Max Range — 2,500 yd • Feed — Breech-loading • Sights — Open sights

The rifle cartridge was designated as ".45-70-405", indicating a.45 caliber (11.63 mm) bore diameter, with 70 gr of black powder, propelling a 405 gr bullet. It had a muzzle velocity of 1350 ft/s. A reduced-power load of 55 gr of powder (Carbine Load) was manufactured for use in the carbine to lighten recoil for mounted cavalry soldiers. The Springfield Model 1884 had a muzzle velocity of 1315.7 feet per second with a 500 grain lead bullet. The muzzle velocity of the carbine bullet was 1,150 feet per second. The Model 1884 rifle generated 1525 ft lbs of energy at 100 yds, and 562.3 ft lbs of energy at 1,000 yards, with a maximum range of 3,500 yards. • Illustration — Velocity chart for the Springfield Model 1884 • Illustration — Force of Impact Chart for the Springfield Model 1884 Operating chamber pressure of the Springfield Model 1873, firing the 45-70-405, is 19,000 psi The operating chamber pressure of the Springfield Model 1884, firing the 45-70-500, is 25,000 psi. • Illustration — According to the US Army Ordnance Department tests, the 45-70-405 was loaded to 19,000 psi, while the 45-70-500 was loaded to 25,000 psi The average accuracy of the Springfield Model 1873 was a circle with an average radius of 1.7 inches at 100 yards, corresponding to an ~3.4 MOA. The average accuracy of the Springfield Model 1884 was a circle with an average radius of 1.3 inches at 100 yards, corresponding to ~2.6 MOA. Therefore, the accuracy potential of the average Springfield Model 1884 is comparable to that of the German K98k or Springfield's later M1 Garand. • Illustration — Accuracy chart for the Springfield Model 1884 U.S. ordnance department tests report that "A practiced person can fire this arm from 12 to 13 times per minute, loading from the cartridge-box. (It has been fired from the shoulder at the rate of 25 times per minute from the cartridge-box)."

The rifle was originally issued with a copper cartridge case until 1888, when the Army transitioned to brass cartridges. Poor quality control and poor storage conditions often led to the cartridge expanding in the barrel and jamming the weapon. Original U.S. Ordnance Department instructions for the extracting stuck cartridges write: "Should the head of a cartridge come off in the act of firing, the best mode of extracting the shell is to take out a ball from a cartridge and reduce it with a knife or by rolling, so that it can be inserted into the muzzle of the barrel. Ram the ball hard with the ramrod when the breech-block is closed; this will upset the ball and fill the headless shell. Open the breech-block and the ball and shell can be easily pushed out with the ramrod." Soldiers were later issued with a purpose-built headless-shell extractor to remedy case-head separations and jams. Soldiers also used their knives to pry out stuck casings. After the defeat of Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer's battalion (armed with the carbine and carbine load ammunition) at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, investigations first suggested that jamming of their carbines, which did not come with a built-in cleaning rod, may have played a factor, although archaeological excavations in 1983 discovered evidence that only 3.4 percent of the casings recovered showed any indication of being pried from jammed weapons. This did not account for cases removed by a cleaning rod or other objects nor for jammed rifles cleared away from the immediate battle area and outside the very limited archaeological survey area. Troops under Major Marcus A. Reno had multiple soldiers busy removing stuck casings from carbines passed rearward to them before reloading and passing them to the firing line. In 1877 the Ordnance Department began researching European firearms that used brass casings, finding that they were much stronger than copper casings. It was not until 1888 that the Army switched from copper to brass cartridges. This was a major improvement, and brass became the primary material used in United States military cartridges from then to the present. The black powder Model 1873 continued to be the main service rifle of the U.S. military until it was gradually replaced by the Springfield Model 1892 bolt action rifle, a derivative of the Norwegian Krag–Jørgensen action. Replacement began in 1892, and despite its obsolescence, the Model 1873 was still used by secondary units during the Spanish–American War in Cuba and the Philippines, where it was at a major disadvantage against Spanish forces armed with the 7 mm Spanish Model 1893 Mauser bolt-action rifle. However, despite its obsolescence, the Springfield trapdoor would continue to see use for training and stateside security purposes as late as World War I.