Help please! Mode 1873 Trapdoor

[Burman2025]

I know this end of the forums is only suppose to be for WW2 era weapons but I neep some dire help. according to the serial number this was made in 1890. I was wondering if any of you gun collectors out there could tell me whats the best way to clean this rifle? I heard the stocks are very brittle but you can soak them in lemon oil and it will solve the problem? Do I just use a wire brush to take the rust or steel wool? Any help is much appreciated, Im asking for my grandpa. The gun was found in a ladies crawlspace on the outskirts of Chicago with about 6 other guns including 2 Arisakas and a Winchester lever action

Thanks

Brayden

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

[Burman2025]

More pictures 20180603_135355.jpeg20180603_135046.jpeg20180603_135308.jpeg

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

[Burman2025]

Sorry I didnt realize I sent the pictures as attachments

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

[Burman2025]

...

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

[Wilhelm]

I have heard that these old weapons should not be cleaned?

[Alan Smith]

Looks to me like it is in "wall hanger" condition . . . . I would wipe the metal surfaces down with a coat of oil to prevent further rusting, then hang it back on the wall as a conversation item and enjoy it "As Is". No amount of "cleaning" is going to undue the ravages of time and somehow magically upgrade the condition of this rifle; there is simply too much rust, ageing, etc. all over it. Rather, all you are going to accomplish via so-called "cleaning" is to alter the condition in a very obvious manner that reeks of recent tinkering.

[Burman2025]

Very understandable, I'll let my grandpa know the news. Thanks for taking the time to look at this post. Sorry I sent so many duplicates of the photos, my apologizes

[Johnny Peppers]

Agree with Alan. The rusting is just too extensive to to ever clean it up.

As to the stock, a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine will probably help the wood as much as anything. Give the wood a good coat, and with toweling wipe it down as well as possible, trying to remove as much of the mixture as possible, and do it again.

Springfield Armory reused serviceable parts on rebuilds, and the breechblock is dated 1873.

[Ilse]

1873

Use a very small amount of simple green on the metal, it will help remove some of the grime. Then use some gun oil on the metal.

[Burman2025]

Awesome! Thanks for the info guys! Ill let my grandpa know! Thankyou very much

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

[ROBB]

I love stuff in this condition , wise words from the guys . Thanks for posting such a cool rifle . Rob

[Johnny Peppers]

A lot of the Model 1873 rifles survived in excellent condition, but that one suffered from bad neglect after it's military career. Sad to think that someone thought no more of it than to put it in a crawl space.

[nickn]

0000 wire wool and oil on the metals work to remove active rust
Ivory or bone on the more stuburn areas
As has been said boiled linsead oil on the woodwork
I have just done this to an old martini henry and it's amazing what comes off

[Johnny Peppers]

Disassemble the rifle so that scrubbing the metal doesn't carry over to the wood. The 4/0 steel wool won't damage the metal but will remove the surface rust. A local gunsmith has a very fine wire wheel that he uses to remove rust like that. It was made for removing the rust during the rust bluing process, and removes the rust without damaging the metal and is much faster.

[Burman2025]

Thanks for the advice guys! It'll help out a lot! The only concern I have with disassembling the rifle is the wood seems to be very dry and brittle and its probably very prone to cracking and such. What would be a good way to combat that issue? The linseed oil?

Thanks so much!

Brayden