I just purchased a Ramrod Bayonet trapdoor in the 502xxx series. ( I am not being coy, I just don't remember the last three digits and I will not be getting it for a while.) As I don't have a book on trapdoors, I am asking the question here that I could research if I thought there was a reliable source to which I had access.
Specifically, outside of the ramrod bayonet, which was apparently acceptable on this model, is there any real difference between this group of late rifles and any ordinary 1884? Were they trying new metallurgy, for instance?