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MODEL 1879 TRAPDOOR COMBINATION TOOL – SCARCE
EARLY PATTERN SPECIMEN WITHOUT THE MODEL STAMPING:
Conforming to the standard pattern of the U.S. Army
issue Model 1879 Combination Tool for the M1873
Springfield Trapdoor .45/70 Carbines and Rifles, these
scarce unmarked specimens are believed to be from the
early, if not the first, production run of these tools.
As with the standard M1879 Tool, this specimen features
a right angle “U” shaped cut which served as a
mainspring clamp, a pin punch on the static arm and a
swinging screwdriver blade. This specimen is in
excellent condition, retaining a smooth shiny surface
and the original arsenal blue finish. Just over 6,000
of these unmarked tools were made before the model
stamping began to be applied. This relatively low
number compared to the number produced with the model
stamping, and the fact that these unmarked tools were
probably the first issued and hence used up in the
field, probably account for their scarcity in
collections today. This unmarked M1879 Combination Tool
represents an important stage in the continuum of tools
manufactured to service the historic Trapdoor Rifles and
will be a significant addition to your collection. See
Gun Tools, Their History and Identification,
Shaffer, Rutledge, and Dorsey, page 168, and The
.45-70 Trapdoor Rifle Book II, Frasca, page 355 for
more information. $100
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