Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpl. Kalkwarf
Its possibly a Springfield trapdoor conversion. Look just below the lock, see the lever. That might just be the lever that releases the trapdoor for loading.
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I agree, from this site
http://www.schiferli.net/Springfield%20Trapdoor.htm the last of the 'trapdoor Springfields' were made in 1893. That's only 24 years before the date in the picture.
I'd say that most of the bolt-action military rifles were likely to have been unavailable for a private company to use for research purposes and it's worth noting that apparently the last of the trapdoor rifles were chambered for .45-70 which would have had a decent amount of energy for testing purposes against the armour