1863/66 Springfield Trapdoor breech block question

kotkinjs1

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May 25, 2017
Hi all, I'm looking at a standard 63/66 Springfield conversion. Lockplate dated 1864, remains of an 1865 on the barrel, 1866 with eagle on the front of the receiver - all normal. My question is about the breechblock. I didn't think Springfield started scalloping/cutting out the lightening cut on the underside of the breechblock until a later model - model 1868 I believe? And of those I always thought it was the regular 'scooped' cut out. This one has two cuts scooped out of the block (leaving a central 'spine' down the middle). The 1868 has the full cut, the 1865 has no cut I believe. Might this be a 'transition' cut for lack of a better word? I thought normal model 1866 breechblocks had no cut out like the 1865.

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The model 1866 Cadet, .50 RF with a 29" barrel was the first one to use the scalloped receiver as you photographed

Frasca, The 45-70 Springfield Book II, 1865-1893. page 47
 
I forgot to update the post - got this from Richard Hosmer, trapdoor guru:
"The lightened blocks WERE designed for the 1867-dated cadet version. but, over the years, stuff happened, and they are occasionally found in full-length arms. What is even MORE interesting is that BOTH styles of block are found with BOTH types of cam latch retention! You'd think that for just 424 cadets, they'd have all been the same."
 
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