Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Springfield Armory Model 1871 Ward-Burton trials carbine, one of the earliest attempts at getting the U.S. military to adopt a bolt-action repeater. This thing showed up right when the Army was trying to figure out if repeating rifles were actually worth the money or just expensive headaches. Bethel Burton and William Ward designed this rifle in the late 1860s, and it hit military trials around 1871-1872. The Army was watching European militaries switch to bolt-actions and wondering if they should follow suit or stick with what they knew. Most American troops were still hauling around single-shot Springfield trapdoors – one bang, reload, repeat.
Springfield Armory built a small batch of Ward-Burton rifles and carbines for testing. This carbine has a 22-inch barrel chambered in some 45 centerfire cartridge that nobody’s completely nailed down. The internal magazine fed through the bolt, giving soldiers multiple shots without fumbling for fresh rounds. On paper, that’s a huge advantage over the Trapdoor Springfield.
The trials didn’t pan out. The Army decided repeating rifles weren’t worth the extra complexity and cost. They stuck with single-shot Springfields for another two decades until the Krag-Jorgensen finally dragged them into the repeater era in the 1890s. By then, every other major military had already made the switch years earlier. This carbine’s missing its front barrel band and has no sight provisions. Either it’s incomplete or somebody modified it during or after the trials. No visible markings make it tough to pin down exactly where this gun fits in the production run, but Ward-Burton trials guns are rare enough that any survivor matters.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
Scarce U.S. Springfield Model 1871 Ward-Burton Trials Bolt Action Carbine | Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1049/1279/us-springfield-model-1871-wardburton-trials-carbine. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
Writer | TheFirearmBlog
Writer | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Old soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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