Video - Springfield Trapdoor backfire

I thought this should get more attention from Trapdoor owners out there, like me, who reload.  You can see the breachblock fly open and the spent casing jump out.  Not quite as catastrophic as a real 'kaboom,' but I always imagined the shell would go flying backwards like a rocket in such a scenario.  Since the video poster didn't respond to comments I can only guess that he was shooting smokeless rounds reloaded hot.


...And starting now I'll never shoot smokeless through my Trapdoor again!

Magnum Research BFR .45-70 Government

I gotta say, looking back at this purchase a few months ago, this is one of the stupidest guns I ever spent money on.  It looked cool.  Bigger is better, right?  I never realized ammunition would be so expensive.  That's the real problem with this.  It's otherwise a nice gun.  Here are some 'groups' of 20 Remington greenbox rounds that I shot at Red's Indoor Range.  It says fifty yards, but I was probably lying to myself and it was more closer to 35-40 yards.  My hand was getting tired holding it up and I was flinching when shooting.  I'm a horrible shooter to top it all, so this isn't even half the gun's full potential.

I have to admit, however, that of all the cheap-o pistols I own this is mechanically one of the finest weapons I ever fired.  The grip feels nice, the hammer draws sharp and crisp.  The metal is clean, smooth, and even, with minimal manufacturer's stampings.  The trigger is nice and snappy!  I never knew what the hell anyone was talking about when someone mentions a gun having a nice trigger, but now I know.  There is no 'slack' when you pull the trigger, and there's no over-travel.

There is no half-cock and there are no four clicks.  I found that extremely awkward.  To load, instead of putting the hammer on half-cock, you just simply open the loadgate.  This allows the five-round cylinder to spin freely in either direction so you can eject spent shells and it also prevents the hammer from being cocked.  A nice feature that speeds up those tedious load times by a second or two.

I've been told that the frames are just stretched out Ruger Blackhawks, so all the above features are present those, I assume.  I've never handled a Ruger, so I have no way of knowing this.  Upon inspecting the grips, they even say 'Ruger' on the inside (though they're made by a third party)!

Other thoughts:  This should be used exclusively with smokeless rounds because it seems to be built to tighter tolerances than traditional Single Action revolvers.  I used some American Pioneer blackpowder substitute and the face of the cylinder seems to get full of crud fast, making the weapon unshootable after 6-7 shots.  Cleaning this thing is not fun.  I'm pretty sure I got blackpowder substitute residue inside the action, but I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to open it up when there's no screws, and I don't wanna punch the pins out because I know I'll fudge it up.

 

I also picked up a Hi-Point .380 because it was $100!  I've never owned a semi-auto pistol, so it's pretty awesome.