The carbine itself was a very handy, attractive weapon. With its 22-inch barrel it resembled the 1870 in many details but incorporated a stacking swivel on the front band. The rear sight was graduated from 400 to 1,300 yards.

Though several modifications were made in 1879, the Springfield Trapdoor carbine was still considered a Model 1873 and is so marked.

Interestingly enough, the rifle’s sights were graduated only to 1,200 yards, giving rise to the legend that the carbine was more accurate than the rifle. The simple fact is, because of the carbine’s shorter barrel, the sight radius is different, making the graduations on the leaf closer together. Thus, it’s possible to squeeze another 100-yard step onto the carbine sight.

Though delivery of the 1873s was slow, by the mid 1870s most of the regulars had been issued with them. Generally speaking, the soldiers liked their new arms and despite limited opportunities for target practice (marksmanship training didn’t really become a priority until the 1880s) they became quite proficient with them.

The men of Lt. Col. George A. Custer’s famed 7th Cavalry were carrying Model 1873 carbines at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. After the battle, it was claimed that many of the soldiers’ carbines jammed because the sharp extractor finger was tearing away the heads of the soft cartridge case base, necessitating the men to try to pry the stuck shells out with their knives.

Recent forensics have shown that this did take place in some circumstances, but the extent to which it affected the battle is conjectural. There is good reason to believe that the carbine was actually used as something of a scapegoat to deflect attention from Custer’s faulty handling of the battle and the defeat of modern troops by the Indians.

In 1877, the Trapdoors again underwent some alterations. The carbine butts were fitted with traps that held a jointed cleaning rod and broken shell extractor. The older “low arch” breech was replaced with a breechblock with a more curved inner configuration, and modifications such as the elimination of the firing pin spring, and other configurational alterations were made.

Even though the guns were different from their parents, they were still marked “Model 1873.” It might be noted that many Model 73s had very deep stampings which made the “3” look like an “8,” leading some collectors to think there actually was a Model 1878 Trapdoor. Such is not the case.

In 1879, the guns were again given a makeover. The carbine stacking swivel was eliminated, the receiver made thicker, and depending upon when the gun was made (180,000 were turned out between 1879 and 1885) they were fitted with ribbed triggers. Though considerably different from the earlier versions, these were still considered Model 1873s by the government and are so marked.