50 SPRINGFIELD CADET

Research notes

The Springfield Cadet, also known as the .50-45-400 Cadet cartridge was produced by Frankford Arsenal around 1867 in a bar-primed copper case and the case lengths varied between 1.25in. to 1.33in. It was used in the Model 1866 Remington Cadet Rifle that had a shorter chamber that would not chamber the 50-70 case. From trapdoorcollector, the following:

Model 1866 Cadet Rifle Cadet Model 1866 Rifles were produced during 1867 and 1868. A total of 424 arms were made during this period, and 300 of them were shipped to the US Military Academy at West Point, NY. The gun is a scale model of the M66 rifle except for the caliber. Their thin stocks were easily broken at the wrist during drill team exercises. Also, since they were made from shortened M66 barrels, the front sight had to be soft soldered in place rather than furnace brazed, and they had a tendency to dislodge. Both problems were a continual frustration. After West Point replaced them with new Model 1869 Cadet Rifles, their Model 1866 Cadet rifles were returned, refurbished and most of them went to cadet schools in Kentucky. The arms are difficult to locate and, when found, seem to have endured a considerable amount of stock and metal damage.