Thus, a secondary Carbine Load cartridge wasĭeveloped, which fired the same 405-grain bullet but packed a reducedĬharge of 55 grains of black-powder, which lowered the muzzle velocity However, it was soon discovered that this hefty charge, initiallyĭeveloped for the nine-pound rifle, was just a tad too stout for theħ.25-pound carbine. Grains of blackpowder, which produced a muzzle velocity of 1,350 fps. 45 caliber, 405-grain lead bullet backed by 70
The cartridge was an ideal combination of caliber, bullet weightĪnd powder, boasting a. 44-40, which was developed specifically for the Winchester '73, Of the Trapdoor's appeal was the powerful cartridge for which it In addition to its solid design and rugged action, a great portion
Strong knockabout gun for boys on the ranch." Which were then selling for as little as $3.50 apiece-were still being Horn fore-ends and checkered stocks to appeal to civilian shooters.Īnd even though the Trapdoor carbine was eventually replaced by theīolt action Krag-Jorgensen Model of 1892, the single-shot warhorseĬontinued to arm many of our National Guard units up until the 1920s.ĭuring that same post-World War I period, many surplus carbines-some of Hartley and Graham in New York, which added embellishments like buffalo '90s, many of these carbines were sporterized by firms such as Nor were theĪttributes of the Trapdoor lost on hunters. Scouts during the latter part of the 19th century. Spanish-American wars and also was issued to many Native American Army Superior balance, that played such a dramatic role in the Indian and Of course, I'm referring to the 1873 SpringfieldĪlthough a 32 5/8-inch infantry rifle and a much scarcer 29.5-inchĬadet Rifle were also made by our national Springfield, Massachusetts,Īrmory, it was the half-stocked carbine, with its 22-inch barrel and Only throughout the West, but also in Cuba, the Philippines and beyond.įrom 1874 until 1892 it was the official standard-issue long arm for our Moreover, it was a firearm that blazed a historic trail not Winchester, that was just as important in the taming of the Americanįrontier. The West." It was a phrase originally coined by WinchesterĮxecutive Edwin Pugsley in 1919, well after the West had been won.īut there was another 1873 carbine, a contemporary of the Of all time, many have come to view the Winchester Model 1873 leverĪction-specifically the saddle-ring carbine-as "The Gun That Won Shows, magazine advertisements and one of the greatest marketing slogans Thanks to countless Western novels, motion pictures, television
MLA style: "The real deal: the 1873 Springfield Trapdoor carbine was truly the gun that won the west." The Free Library.