need help to value this springfield trapdoor

[cristo]

gentlemen i'm intersted in purchasing a springfield trapdoor .i posted and this member offered this rifle to me .what's your opinion as to the value of it .the vendor seems to know as little as i do bout it and i'd like to get some feedback as to what a fair price would be .

this is the only info the vendor would provide to me.

by the way this vendor is in canada .

"The bore is very good, no pitting that I can see, from what I have read most Springfields have good bores.
The rifle has been fired with no issues,a course I would load it on the low side myself.
There is nothing wrong with the rifle at all, just honest wear for the age."

"Pretty much I would say what I already have said, it is a good honest untouched 125 year old trapdoor rifle with no issues"

 

[Musketfire]

I think shes a great looking rifle!
Without inspecting the old dame myself I would guess around 550-800$$ +-
depending on overall functionally and steel/bore condition.

Yet another I hope to one day be the caretaker of.

 

[tacfoley]

Needs some TLC.

Otherwise appears to be good.

tac

 

[mooncoon]

Partly I think you need to go back through the adds in the EE and check prices then reduce by 10 or 20% for reality. Locally I would vote for the 500 - 600 range. It has the older style sight on the gun rather than the more expensive and desireable Buffington sight

cheers mooncoon

 

[BUSHMAN79]

Partly I think you need to go back through the adds in the EE and check prices then reduce by 10 or 20% for reality. Locally I would vote for the 500 - 600 range. It has the older style sight on the gun rather than the more expensive and desireable Buffington sight

cheers mooncoon

I'd buy it for $600! The older sight is much more desirable from a collector's standpoint. 1884's with the Buffington sight, and 1888 ramrod bayonet rifles are much more common. Not too many 1873's for sale. The stock certainly looks thirsty, and would benefit from a liberal application of linseed oil. It even appears to have the correct early ramrod.

 

[BUSHMAN79]

That rifle has the M1879 rear sight, that incorporates a windage adjustment. Not as good as the Buffington sight, but still better than any Snider or Martini-Henry!

 

[griaguns]

I have 15 or so trapdoors as well as a hand full of sharps and rollers and never have I paid as little as $500-700 for one in decent original condition.Could you guys let me in where you are finding them at these prices.
It would be nice to know the date on the lock as the 82 also used the 79 style rear sight and there were very few 82's
A trap door is a lot of fun, if you don't want to get it all sooty from black powder try 12 1/2 grns of trail boss behind a 405grn soft cast bullet
Graham

 

[cristo]

in the end i did'nt buy it he wanted $1000 for it .

 

[griaguns]

That is sort of what I would expect for a Trapdoor with a good barrel decent wood and clean metal. Could even go up to $1400.00! If it could be traced to an individual or a unit the price could go up another grand or more.