Springfield Model 1888
The Model 1888 Springfield was the last in a series of attempts to improve the Model 1873. The Model 1880 had introduced a triangular rod bayonet which was stored under the barrel and could also theoretically be used as a clearing rod. This departed from the conventional socket bayonet which had previously been used. The Model 1880′s bayonet retention system was found lacking and only around 1,000 of these rifles were made for trials.
In 1888 a round rod bayonet was introduced with an improved retention/locking mechanism. The Model 1884 had also incorporated a rod bayonet from the 1880 but added the Buffington rear sight, developed by Lt. Colonel Adelbert R. Buffington, which proved to be rather over-complicated for field conditions. The 1888 also used the Buffington rear sight, with some rifles also having a front sight hood.
Springfield Model 1880 Experimental Trapdoor Rifle with Triangular Ramrod Bayonet (source)
The Model 1888 proved to be one of the most manufactured variants of the Trapdoor Springfield with over 60,000 produced by 1893. The 1888 saw action with US units not armed with the new Krag rifle during the 1898 Spanish American War. The rod bayonet system continued to be experimented with despite its obvious shortcomings and was incorporated into the first iteration of the Springfield Model 1903. When the improved second iteration of the Model 1903 was developed the rod bayonet concept was finally abandoned, Theodore Roosevelt famously called the ramrod bayonet “about as poor an invention as I ever saw.”
9th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in camp with stacked M1888 rod-bayonet (source)
Like earlier Springfields the Model 1888 was chambered in .45-70 and used Erskine S. Allin’s breech-loading mechanism, which was originally patented by Allin in 1865. The Model 1888 represents the furthest evolution of the Trapdoor Springfield, but it was already obsolete when it entered production. Not only had nations other begun transitioning to smokeless ammunition but many had already adopted bolt action or magazine fed rifles.
The Model 1888, and the rest of the Trapdoor Springfield family or rifles, were officially replaced in 1892 by the Krag–Jørgensen magazine-fed bolt action rifle, but remained in use with the National Guard until at 1905.
Sources:
Images: 1 2 3 4 5
The Springfield Trapdoor Rifle Information Centre (source)
Rifles of the World, J. Walter, (1993)
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