I wanted to share this 1893 photograph with my KCA Friends.
This U.S. War Department display features a group of three Springfield 'trap-door' rifles: a .45 caliber with a 'trowel' bayonet, a .45 caliber with a 'rod' bayonet, and a .30 caliber, with a hand-guard. (Indicated by an orange Arrow in the close-up).
I looked long and hard for photos of this display.
(The gun-rack photo is in the Smithsonian digital collection. I think, I can make out a '30' on the ID tag. I have also added some photos of 'guide-book' pages, that referred to some of the 1893 War Dept. display).
Look what I found!
- butlersrangers
- Posts: 9909
- Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
- Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan
Look what I found!
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- ce1893-guns-pg67ed.jpg (208.49 KiB) Viewed 1046 times
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- ce1893-guns-pg69ed.jpg (216.24 KiB) Viewed 1046 times
Last edited by butlersrangers on Sat Aug 28, 2021 5:47 am, edited 9 times in total.
- butlersrangers
- Posts: 9909
- Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
- Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan
Re: Look what I found!
Close photo of tag reads "Springfield rifle Caliber 30".
Only three to maybe 15 of the .30 caliber Springfield "test" rifles were made. This one, being present in 1893, has to be one of the first ones.
The .30 caliber 'trap-doors' were fabricated mainly to test barrel steels, rifling styles, bore sizes, propellants and bullet jackets.
Built at Springfield with special receivers, some were sent to powder manufacturers and played a role in the development of 'smokeless' powders and evolution of the .30-40 cartridge.
Color pictures are of one that is in an upcoming Rock Island auction:
Only three to maybe 15 of the .30 caliber Springfield "test" rifles were made. This one, being present in 1893, has to be one of the first ones.
The .30 caliber 'trap-doors' were fabricated mainly to test barrel steels, rifling styles, bore sizes, propellants and bullet jackets.
Built at Springfield with special receivers, some were sent to powder manufacturers and played a role in the development of 'smokeless' powders and evolution of the .30-40 cartridge.
Color pictures are of one that is in an upcoming Rock Island auction:
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- sia-.30 caliber Springfield 30 gun tag.jpg (157.74 KiB) Viewed 1043 times
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- a pend. auction example.png (342.88 KiB) Viewed 1086 times
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- a pend. auction-2.png (292.08 KiB) Viewed 1086 times