Things you know if you have a Trapdoor
Springfield:
It was last cleaned on the Great Plains
sometime in the 19th century.
Your bullets have a trajectory that
resembles a rainbow.
Forget newfangled gizmos, you get one
shot.
The hammer has a half-cock position.
Your rifle has a saddle ring sling that
looks like it was issued to the 7th Cavalry.
You get a socket bayonet.
Your bullet is fired over a huge charge
of black powder and doesn't go fast enough to make a shockwave.
You have one shot, then you're out of
ammo.
Men were men back then, so you figure
you shouldn't complain about the recoil.
Your sights can adjust far enough for
indirect fire.
Your rifle has fought against plains
Indians, Spanish soldiers equipped with Mausers, and others equipped
with superior weaponry. Somehow the US soldier managed to come out on
top.
Your rifle won the Spanish-American
War.
You inherited it from your great-great
grandfather who used it to shoot Sitting Bull.
You scrounge ammo from museums.
Your bayonet looks like it belongs on a
Brown Bess.
Service Life: 25 years or so.
You think smokeless powder is
newfangled and won't catch on.
If your rifle breaks, you use your
revolver.
You don't need anything but .45/70.
You consider it an honor if you can
actually manage to fire two rounds without fumbling something.
After a long day at the range, you
relax by watching Fort Apache.
After cleaning your rifle you eat
hardtack and coffee.
You rifle's accessory is a saddle.
Your rifle's finish is varnish.
You curse the Army ordinance board that
adopted your rifle.
Late at night you have to resist the
urge to saddle your horse and charge!
