Historic Firearms, Antique Guns, & Curiosities

The M1875 Springfield Officers Trapdoor,

First produced in 1875, the Springfield Officers Trapdoor rifle was a special variant of the venerable .45-70 Springfield Trapdoor breechloading rifle used by the US Army from 1871 to the 1890’s.  However this was not a standard issue military rifle but a specially made sporting rifle made by Springfield Armory and only offered for sale to high ranking US Army officers.  Special features include a checkered stock and foregrip, engraved lock, a special semi-pistol grip, and fine target sights.  Made from 1875 to 1885, only 500 were ever produced.  Today a Springfield Officers Trapdoor can easily sell for over $10,000 at auction.

(Source: nramuseum.org)

Bilharz, Hall and Co. Musketoon,

During the US Civil War the Confederacy had little in the way of industrial infrastructure.  Primarily an agricultural country, the Confederacy had to either purchase arms imported for Europe (mostly Britain)  or capture weapons from the Union.  However Confederate industry was not entirely non-existent.  Spread throughout the south were a number of workshops and factories that produced weapons for the Confederate military.  One such producer was Bilharz, Hall and Company who operated a workshop out of Pittsylvania Court House, Virginia.  They produced a compact musketoon for Confederate cavalry, engineers, and artilleryman.  Essentially it was a shortened and compact version of the Springfield Model 1855, in .58 caliber to conform with the ammunition used by most muskets of the day.  Unlike the mass produced Springfield used by the Union, or the mass produced Enfield manufactured by Britain  for the Confederacy, each Bilharz, Hall and Co. musketoon was made by hand one at a time by an individual gunsmith.  As a result only 400 - 700 were produced for the Confederate government.

The example pictured above has an estimated value of $13,000 - $18,000

(Source: rockislandauction.com)

Strange combination sword and percussion pistol.

Estimated Value: $7,000 - $9,000

(Source: rockislandauction.com)

The Winchester Model 21,

While Winchester is best known for their lever action rifles, during the 1930’s to 1960’s Winchester produced a double barrel sporting shotgun that would earn the reputation as one of the best American made shotguns ever produced.  First made in 1931, the Winchester Model 21 was not your grandpa’s average shotgun.  Rather they were custom built high end firearms produced for the wealthy and well to do.  They were not manufactured, rather they were handmade and customized to the customers specifications.  Cost was anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 depending on how customized the individual shotgun was: checkering, engraving, inlays, raised sights, wood, etc.  There were seven grades offered by Winchester, each with added features;

-Standard- This grade included barrels with a matte or vented rib, select grade walnut stocks featured in a straight or pistol grip configuration.

-Tournament- Produced from 1933–1944. Identical to the standard grade except with the trigger plate being stamped “TOURNAMENT.”

-Trap- A higher grade tournament gun with higher quality wood and a stock made to a customers dimensions. The trigger plate is marked “TRAP.”

-Skeet- Identical to Trap grade, but available in 28 gauge (8 known to exist). The trigger plate marked as “SKEET.”

-Duck/Magnum- These grades were offered with features found in the Standard grade. The Duck variant built from 1940-1952, was chambered only for 12 gauge 3 inch shells and featured the trigger plate marked “DUCK.” The Magnum version was offered from 1953–1959 in both 12 and 20 gauge, with 3 inch chambers. This Magnum grade featured no trigger plate markings.

-Custom/Deluxe- This particular grade included a stock which was custom fit to the customer. The top rib was marked “CUSTOM BUILT” and the bottom trigger plate was marked “DELUXE.”

Production ended in 1961, although production of individual fit custom shotguns continued.  Only 30,000 were produced, making them extremely rare today.  The example above sold at auction for $13,000.

(Source: Wikipedia)