You have a Springfield Trapdoor 45-70 which was the last single shot rifle manufactured in a national armory for the US government. The next rifle that came along was the 1896 Krag Jorgenson Bolt Action in .30-40. Your weapon should have a cleaning rod with a slot for a piece of cloth. If your weapon has a cleaning rod with a tip that looks like a phillips screw driver, you have one of the experimental cleaning rod bayonet rifles which is worth a little more than a regular 1884 mod. V P are inspectors marks and the other letters stamped in other parts are subinspectors marks.
The butt markings are probably "Rack" numbers put on by the unit that owned the rifle. VP on the breech has been a mark used since at least 1816 with the Springfield Mod, 1816 Flintlock Musket. You have an excellent deer rifle there. You can fire it with currently manufactured commercial 45/70 ammunition and if you take down a deer you can eat "right up to the hole" as the bullet does not destroy the meat like a modern high velocity rifle will.
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