Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IIIA · 033

Springfield Model 1884 line-throwing gun, S/N 294879

Section IIIA: removed from the NFA, classed as an antique (outside the GCA)

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IIIA · VERBATIM · PDF P. 80 ↗

Springfield Trapdoor, Model 1884, cal. 45-70, line throwing gun, having a barrel length less than 16 inches, S/N 294879.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “having a barrel length less than 16 inches”
  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 294879”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1898 or earlier (ATF’s dates)
  • INFOAn antique under federal law, outside the GCA.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Springfield Armory
Type
Other²
Action
Other
Caliber
.45-70
Made
S/N 294879 only · c. 1885–1890ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximate¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF p. 80 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “Springfield model 1884” ↗, years: about 232,500 Model 1884 rifles manufactured 1885–1890
  2. americansocietyofarmscollectors.org ↗, type: Spangler, 'Guns to Save Lives' (ASAC Bulletin 111): line throwing guns were made on actions including 'trapdoor Springfields' (p. 13) and short-barrel .45-70 trapdoor Springfield line throwers were sold in kits (p. 17); a line-throwing gun, type Other.
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
None

Historical context

Springfield model 1884 (base model shown for Springfield Model 1884 line-throwing gun, S/N 294879)
Shown: a standard Springfield Model 1884 rifle, not this line-throwing gun.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Springfield 1884full.jpg” by Mikehelms, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Springfield model 1884”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Springfield Model 1884 was one of the rifles which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin. It was an improved replacement for the previous longarm of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Springfield Model 1873.