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Origins
More than 1.5 million percussion muzzle-loading rifles were left over from the American Civil War, according to militaryrifles.com. Seeking continued use of these firearms, the U.S. government sought ways to convert these rifles with some sort of usable, more modern loading mechanism.
The creator
Springfield Armory Master and armorer E.S. Allin constructed a breechloading mechanism to be put on the Springfield M1863 muzzle-loading rifle. Unfortunately, according to militaryrifles.com, Allin's design caused two patent infringement lawsuits by foreign rifle designers W. Mont Storm and Col. Hirum Berdan.
Success
According to militaryrifles.com, the versions created in 1866 (M1866) had far more success. Allin simplified the extractor mechanism and sleeved the barrel of the weapon, reducing the caliber to 0.50. The modifications proved so successful that the M1868 version of the rifle incorporated those modifications, plus a shorter barrel, and Allin actions, as they were then called, were built onto M1863 percussion rifles.
Transition
By 1872, a new version of the Springfield Trapdoor was needed. According to militaryrifles.com, the military wanted to stay with a basic action design. The reason? Even though repeater rifles were available, they were still not seen as a reliable alternative to the single-action rifles.
The new model
The M1873 model, which remained in use for 15 years, employed a 0.45 caliber barrel along with the original action mechanism first created by Allin. During the next 15 years the rifle underwent minor modifications. The M1888, the last model, employed a bayonet that also served as a cleaning rod, according to militaryrifles.com. That model was also fitted with a Buffington rearsight.