Cavalry firearms: Sharps or Winchester?

JWHunter

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Aug 2, 2020
I know this forum about the civil war, but I've been wondering about this for a while now.

So, I remember watching some old westerns from the 60s and earlier time periods, occasionally you'd see the cavalry either fighting off the Indians or just guarding their frontier forts and I thought I'd ask. I've seen westerns that portray the cavalry as using the Winchester lever action and others showing them only using the sharps carbine, does anyone know which rifle they historically used during the ten years after the civil war ended? I'm just curious, that's all.
 
I know this forum about the civil war, but I've been wondering about this for a while now.

So, I remember watching some old westerns from the 60s and earlier time periods, occasionally you'd see the cavalry either fighting off the Indians or just guarding their frontier forts and I thought I'd ask. I've seen westerns that portray the cavalry as using the Winchester lever action and others showing them only using the sharps carbine, does anyone know which rifle they historically used during the ten years after the civil war ended? I'm just curious, that's all.

Ten years after, like everyone else said, M1873 Trapdoor Carbine. By that time the Army in its "wisdom" stopped issue of the Spencer altogether. (I'm sure that helped Custer out a bunch...)

I love old western movies as much as the next person, but they're really the worst place to get an idea of how things looked back in the day. A good example is the movie "The Comancheros" with John Wayne. Movie is set around 1840.... and everyone's got a M1873 Colt SAA, or M1892 Winchester.

For the CW, Winchester's didn't even exist, though it's predecessor the Henry did, (made by Winchester when it was basically still New Haven Arms Company, don't fall for the song and dance by the modern company bearing the name Henry).
 
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Ten years after, like everyone else said, M1873 Trapdoor Carbine. By that time the Army in its "wisdom" stopped issue of the Spencer altogether. (I'm sure that helped Custer out a bunch...)
Custer's Seventh Cavalry was armed with Spencers from its inception right after the war and carried them until the introduction of the single-shot trapdoor Springfields, including in their attack on Black Kettle's village on the Washita, November 27, 1867.
 
Custer's Seventh Cavalry was armed with Spencers from its inception right after the war and carried them until the introduction of the single-shot trapdoor Springfields, including in their attack on Black Kettle's village on the Washita, November 27, 1867.

I imagine they were missing them at the Little Big Horn...
 
The Spencer was a favorite. The Sharps as well, and there were some Gallaghers and Burnsides, too.
 
Remember what you see in the movies is not usually the correct firearm. Just like you see Sgt. Schultz with a Krag in Hogan's Heroes


Norwegian Krag to be exact.
 
I have always been curious as to when the Model 1873 Carbine was first issued. The first unit to be issued the Model 1873 carbine was the 10th Cav. in 1874. their carbines fired a varient cartridge of the .45-70, the .45-55, less powder charge. While the last units of the 7th Cav. to receive their Model 1873's were companies "D", "I" and "K". They received their carbines in the 2nd quarter of 1875. the carbines were manufactured in the early part of 1875. "D" and "K" served with Reno and Benteen.
 
I have always heard that the troopers in Custer's Seventh Cavalry grumbled a bit when they had to exchange their seven-shot Spencer carbines for the single shot Model 1873 trapdoor Springfield.
 
read the battle of Beacher island , same basic odds as Custer's battle excepting a few years earlier and therefor the troopers were carrying spencers . they held off the the besieging indians for two days.
 
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I have always been curious as to when the Model 1873 Carbine was first issued. The first unit to be issued the Model 1873 carbine was the 10th Cav. in 1874. their carbines fired a varient cartridge of the .45-70, the .45-55, less powder charge. While the last units of the 7th Cav. to receive their Model 1873's were companies "D", "I" and "K". They received their carbines in the 2nd quarter of 1875. the carbines were manufactured in the early part of 1875. "D" and "K" served with Reno and Benteen.

I've always been interested in the post-War cavalry and their arms. I've got in my collection a Spencer Model 1860 carbine, refurbished for the Indian Wars, and with the stock stamped with "K 10 CAV'Y" over "No. 9"

Do you know when Company K of the 10th Cavalry exchanged their Spencers for the newer Model 1873 Springfields?
10thCav31.jpg
 
Somewhere I have a report from the long range testing of trapdoors at over a mile at wagon train targets ? The bullets were coming in at 11:00
 
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