1873 Trapdoor Cleaning Rod Question

shadowhawke

January 27, 2003 14:52

Hello. I have an 1873 Springfield trapdoor, 45-70, manufactured in 1879. It was missing the cleaning rod so I purchased one on trapdoor.com. The rod arrived and is in wonderful condition but now I'm questioning whether or not it is the right one for this rifle. The rod is 35 1/2" long. When I insert the rod into the rifle stock channel, it slides smoothly along the channel and recesses 7 1/2" into the wood of the stock, stopping firmly at that point. The problem is, this leaves about 7 1/2" of the rod sticking out beyond the end of the business end of the barrel. Have I got the wrong rod for this rifle? Anyone know how long the rod is supposed to be?

Thanks

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  Iroquois Scout

  January 29, 2003 04:37

  It sounds to me that Keith send you the proper rod for the Model 1879 Infantry rifle which has a 32.5 inch barrel. When the rod is placed into the barrel with the block closed, about 3 inches of the rod should stick out of the muzzle. Now, there is also a Model 1879 Cadet rifle which has a 29 inch barrel and for which the infantry rifle rod would be to long. The proper rod for either of the Model 1879 long guns will have a button head with a slight cup in the end and will have a locking shoulder in order to lock into the nose cap. The other end of the rod should have about 6 inches of knurling to afford a good grip. Assuming that you have the correct rod for the correct weapon, I would then think that there is dirt or some other obstruction in the cleaning rod channel. Hope that this helps. Scout

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  trapdoor

  February 15, 2003 22:53

  The proper length of the rod for a rifle is 35 5/8". It has a double shoulder which forms a groove which snaps over the ramrod stop (not the nosecap), when fully inserted. The small end is cannelured,(not knurled). This canneluring is 3" long.
  
  If your rod meets these specifications, then it is the proper length, and I agree with another responder that you have an obstruction in the rod channel. I hope it is just dirt/crud buildup and not the broken small end of another rod.
  
  Remove breechscrew tang screw,and then remove the two screws which hold the trigger guard plate into its inletting in the stock. Depending on when your gun was made, there may be a hole (about .5" diameter)in front of the forward guard plate screw hole, which intersects the bottom of the cleaning rod channel. This will provide access to any dirt build up, which can be removed with an appropriate tool (tweezers will do it). Insert you rod again and as gently as you can, push the crud down the channel until another batch of it is available for you to remove. Just repeat this process until you get all the channel clean.You may have to do some rather hard tapping, so be sure and use a plastic covered hammer head or a wooden mallet, so you won't damage the head of the cleaning rod.
  
  If any of this needs clarification, send an E-mail to me at:
  
  trapdoor.one@juno.com
  
  Also, advise the COMPLETE serial number of your gun, and the date of the inspector's cartouche on the left side of the stock just forward of the wrist, if it is legible. This information will tell me if the cleanout hole should be there or not.
  
  Dick Branum
  Houston, TX
  
  
  
  Dick Branum
  Houston, Texas

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