Springfield Model 1888

The Springfield Model 1888 was the last of the trapdoor Springfield service rifles, a single-shot, breech-loading rifle made by Springfield Armory for the United States military and chambered for the .45-70 cartridge. The trapdoor line descended from a design by Erskine S. Allin in the 1860s, and the Model 1888 was its final development and the last single-shot rifle to see American military service. Its distinguishing feature was a round rod bayonet that doubled as the cleaning rod. This was Springfield's second attempt at a combined bayonet and cleaning rod, after the Model 1880 version failed because of problems with the retaining mechanism and poor ballistic performance from the heavy forward mounting. The Model 1888 built on the refinements made in the Model 1873 line and the Model 1884. More than 60,000 were produced between 1890 and 1893. By then repeating rifles were taking over, and during the Spanish-American War regular army troops were generally issued the Krag-Jørgensen while guard units were often given older trapdoor Springfields. The Model 1888 remained in use for training and stateside security as late as World War I.