The Springfield Model 1868 Pistol,After the American Civil War, firearms technology quickly progress
The Springfield Model 1868 Pistol,After the American Civil War, firearms technology quickly progressed from muzzleloading muskets to centerfire metallic cartridge firearms. The problem was that the US Army had hundreds of thousands of Springfield muskets in arsenal that they didn’t want to waste. To solve this problem, a gun designer named Erskine Allin invented the Trapdoor Springfield, which was a conversion of old Springfield muskets into breechloading rifles which used metallic cartridges.At the same time Erskine Allin introduced his first Springfield Trapdoor designs to the US Army, Gen. William T. Sherman requested that a Springfield Trapdoor pistol be also produced for cavalry. The Springfield Model 1868 used the same trapdoor breechloading mechanism as other Trapdoor designs, only with a pistol stock and furnishings, and a very cut down barrel. They fired a .50-45 caliber cartridge, which was less powerful than the .45-70 or .50-70 cartridges used by Trapdoor rifles, but it reduced the recoil of the firearm so that it was manageable as a pistol. Some other prototypes were also produced in .36 caliber.The Model 1868 was never adopted, as cavalry forces were issued revolvers and carbines instead. Very few Model 1868’s were produced, and only two survive today; one in the Smithsonian, another in the Springfield Armory Museum. -- source link
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