The Springfield Model 1870 was one of several model "trapdoor Springfields", which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin. The Model 1870 was a minor improvement to the Springfield Model 1868

Springfield Model 1868

The Springfield Model 1868 was one of several model "trapdoor Springfields", which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin. Originally, the trapdoor Springfields were created to convert Model 1863 Springfield rifled muskets to breech loading rifles at a relatively low cost...

, and retained most of the Model 1868's features.

Note: Springfield Model 1870 may also refer to the The Springfield Rolling Block U.S. Navy Rifle

Springfield Model 1870 Remington-Navy

The Springfield Rolling Block U.S. Navy Rifle was a shipboard small arm for use by the United States Navy, employing the Remington Arms Company rolling block design, and manufactured under a royalty agreement with Remington.-Origin:...

, employing the Remington Arms Company rolling block

Remington Rolling Block

The Remington Rolling Block rifle was a breech-loading rifle produced in the late 19th century by E. Remington and Sons...

 design, and manufactured under a royalty agreement with Remington, for use by the United States Navy as a shipboard small arm.

Variants

The trapdoor Springfields had originally been designed as an inexpensive method of converting Springfield Model 1863 muskets into breech loading rifles, which dramatically improved their rate of fire from about four shots per minute to about a dozen shots per minute. The original trapdoor Springfields had replaced only the firing mechanism, and had used a barrel liner to reduce the caliber from .58 to .50. This barrel liner proved to be unreliable in the field, and later trapdoor Springfields, like the model 1870, abandoned the barrel liner method and used newly manufactured barrels instead.

There were two versions of the Springfield Model 1870, which differed slightly from each other. The first version was produced in 1870 and 1871. The rear sight was improved, and the receiver was shortened to create the Model 1870 receiver. The rear sight on the first Model 1870 was almost against the receiver. 1,000 of these rifles were manufactured.

The second version was produced in 1872 and 1873. In this version the rear sight was moved up so that it was about half an inch away from the receiver. This version also featured a double shouldered ramrod, which differed from the first Model 1870 that had used the Model 1868's ramrod. The second version Model 1870s also had a long high arch on the underside of the breech block, which differed from the first version which had a shorter arch identical to the Model 1868. 10,000 of the second version were manufactured.

A shorter carbine version was also produced in 1871. Approximately 350 of these were manufactured.

All Model 1870 Springfields (the carbine version as well as both versions of the rifle) used the .50-70-450 cartridge.

Notable Uses

Wild Bill Hickok

Wild Bill Hickok

James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...

, the famous gunfighter, used a variant of the Springfield Model 1870. The "Hickok rifle" has a 29 5/8 inch barrel, which is longer than the carbine version's barrel and shorter than the rifle version's barrel, and also has a Kentucky rifle style sloped butt. The trapdoor mechanism is stamped with the year 1870, and the lockplate is stamped with the year 1863, indicating that this rifle was originally produced as a Model 1863 musket and was later converted as part of the Model 1870 manufacturing. The name "J. B. Hickok" was carved into the stock using a sharp knife. Hickok was buried with this rifle in 1876. However, when he was reburied in Mount Moriah in 1879, someone removed the rifle from his coffin.