SUPERB! U.S. SPRINGFIELD M-1866 2nd ALLIN .50-70 CALIBER TRAPDOOR RIFLE~ONLY MANUFACTURED CIRCA 1867-1868

Original and a superb example of the early U.S. Indian War issue Springfield Armory .50-70 caliber M-1866 2nd Allin conversion. This rifle was designed by Erskine S. Allin, the chief armorer at Springfield Armory at the time. It was the U.S. Army's first practical breech loading centerfire metallic cartridge rifle. These were fabricated from U.S. Civil War muskets that had a trapdoor breech loading mechanism added and the bore relined to .50 caliber. About 25,000 of these were manufactured at Springfield Armory circa 1867-1869. They made an immeadiate impact on the western frontier. During "Red Cloud's War" on August 2, 1867 near the vicinity of Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming a wood cutting party of 26 U.S. Army soldiers and 6 civilians held off several hundred Lakota Sioux warriors. This battle was know as the "Wagon Box Fight". The soldiers were armed with the new Springfield M-1866 rifle and with its devastating breech loading fire power capability was able to hold off the vast superior numbers of warriors. This particular M-1866 Springfield remains in superb condition. I call guns like this attic mint condition. It was never issued nor used and has been stored and not handled for 160 years. This rifle remains in totally un-touched uncleaned condition, has most of its original bright case color still remaining on the lock, has a mint bore, and a most excellent un-sanded cartouched stock. The metal on these rifles was not blued and finished in the armory bright like the earlier Civil War era muskets. The metal on this rifle still remains armory bright in color, never polished like most have been, just age tarnished lightly from storage over the years. Overall a most superb M-1866 Springfield Rifle which would be extremely hard to upgrade in condition.