Things you know if you have a Trapdoor Springfield

Things you know if you have a Trapdoor Springfield:

It was last cleaned on the Great Plains sometime in the 19^th 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 7^th 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!