I have a chance to possibly purchase an 1873 Springfield trapdoor marked 1881. So far I have only been provided one fuzzy picture and it looks to be a carbine. I know that several of these have been cut down or even fake. Everything looks legit from talking to the guy on the phone, but I was wondering if everyone could provide me Solid advice on determining if it is an original carbine. I had him measure the barrel and he said it was 22 inches long. When asked, he said there was no hole or slot for a cleaning rod at the end of the stock. It sounds like the cartouche and markings are all intact. I can see in the picture that it does have the saddle ring and bar on the left side. I think he will be fair on price but this is a model I am unfamiliar with. Sounds like serial number is somewhere in the 184xxx range. I will hopefully go see it tomorrow. I will have to decide on the spot whether to take it as we are a few hours apart. What should I be looking for?