Winchester 1876 brass trap door

austinsguns

I am looking for a brass trap door to an 1876 Winchester rifle. Just the door, not the whole butt plate.

Thanks!

Austin

oldWinchesterfan

I think you will have a difficult time finding one of these but maybe this will help.

I looked at some 1873s and 1876s and the trap doors looked the same, but I didn't disassemble anything. According to Art Pirkle's book, they are "identical to and interchangeable with those used on the M1873 and late M1866 rifles using the steel M1873 crescent style but plate."

This could expand the parameters for your search as I have often seen 1873s being parted out on eBay, maybe GB too, I just never looked. You may need to buy an entire buttplate, but a 73 buttplate will be certainly be cheaper and more available than one for a 76. Some words of caution, the rifle and carbine trapdoors are different, designed to follow the different curves of the respective buttplates. Also, only .44 and .38 caliber 1873 buttplates had trap doors. The .32 and .22 cal did not. My 73 muskets don't have trapdoors either.

Finally, Pirkle's book describes the spring for the door on a 73 rifle as being "L" shaped and the 76 spring as "S"shaped, so if you do end up buying a full 73 buttplate some fabricating will still be necessary unless you have the original 76 spring. There is also a retining screw and I'm uncertain whether the are the same or not.

Best of luck, tough part to find. In the end, you may need to make one or have one made.