45/55 Springfield trapdoor ammo.

[Rebforever]

?Was the ammo cartridges' reduced in length or was the 45/70 ammo stuffed with news paper plug to take up space.

 

[JimW]

Found online:

When the Arsenal started loading the reduced charge, a cardboard tube was inserted into the case to take up the room. This caused the loaded cartridge to look just like the full 70 grain charged round so a "C" was incorporated into the headstamp. Later, wads replaced the tube and the "C" remained in the headstamp. In 1886, the wads were omitted and the bullet was loaded down into the case to be on top of the powder. This allowed the cartridge to be visually different from the 70 grain charge and the "C" was omitted from the headstamp. The shorter loading lasted until the end of production.