Trapdoor Springfield Recoil

[USBP 1969]

Howdy. I made the mistake of shouldering today what I believed would be a rifle with poor ergonomics. Boy was I wrong! It was a Pedersoli Trapdoor Springfield Carbine.

Question: I'd very much appreciate any info regarding the felt recoil of this 7 pound .45-70 carbine with the factory 405 grain @ ~ 1300 f/s.

Thanks in advance,
Kent

 

[iamkris]

I have an original Trapdoor rifle. I shoot mild handloads of IMR3031 with a 405 LFN on top. The recoil is rather mild...I suspect that the velocity of this load is rather sedate though...probably around 1200 fps.

With a stiffer load in a lighter carbine I'm sure the recoil is higher...but don't let people fool you. The .45-70 is more of a strong shove than a sharp smack for recoil.

 

[USBP 1969]

Thanks Kris. All I have to do now is save the $$$ for the Trapdoor carbine.

I tried a rifle today for comparison. Big difference in balance and perceived weight. According to the specs it's only 1.5#, but it felt like 4 or 5 pounds, probably because of the length.

Thanks again,
Kent

 

[mete]

There was the standard load 45-70-405, 45-70-500 for rifle but there was also a carbine load IIRC 45-55-405. I shoot factory 300s or equivalent in my Browning 1885 ,but with a well designed stock ,good butt pad it's no problem at all !!

 

[Iggy]

Keep in mind that you should only shoot black powder or equivalent pressure loads in the Trapdoor. There a commercial loads that are unpleasant and dangerous in the old timer or it's replicas.

I use 405's and 500's and up to 530 grain paper patches in this modified original Trapdoor with BP as propellant.

Recoil is a push rather than a smack and pleasant to shoot even with the "flying telephone pole" 530's


View attachment 288073

 

[mainmech48]

Most all factory-made .45-70 ammo is loaded to pressure levels compatible with a trap-door action in good condition. SAAMI specs are set up that way, and any loading from a reputable company which exceeds those figures will have that fact prominently displayed on the box. While the JHP 405s from Remington, etc. wouldn't be likely to wear the bore on a new Pedersoli replica anywhere near as much as an antique original, the 'Cowboy' loads with a soft lead slug of the same weight will tax it, and you, even less.

Personally, the recoil from a full-sized trapdoor rifle was something of a pleasant surprise for me when I first experienced it as a teenager. All of my second-hand info had me expecting a mighty swat, and what I actually got was a 'push' much less punishing than a 12 ga. field load from my granddad's M-97 Winchester or a 150 gr. Silvertip from my uncle's .30-06 03A3.

 

[USBP 1969]

Thanks much gentlemen, that's encouraging indeed.

Kent