Custer on Cowboys

[Medicine Bear Charley]

Afraid I'm catching up on the Cowboy series so I look forward to Wednesday and thank God I have a DVR to record the shows. Yesterday was the piece on Custer and I won't get into good or bad about him, sort of like talkin politics with your father in law, nothing good can come from it.... I doubt you could get anyone who has studied the battle at any length to agree on everything..... that said....I wish someone would mention some of the issues that the troopers had with their Springfields. I reenacted Custer's cavalry for a number of years, used a real Trapdoor. While involved in a tactical one day, a shell stuck in the chamber an I had to pry it out with my butcher knife I carried. I had read before that a number of troopers knives were found  on last stand hill with the tip broke off from trying to remove a shell from the chamber. I still have the knife broken tip and all, kind of brought history home to me.....rarely does anyone ever mention that when they discuss the battle. While not a deciding factor I'm sure, it did add to the difficulties of the day.  I do hope the continue the series.....

[Stu Kettle]

..I wish someone would mention some of the issues that the troopers had with their Springfields. I reenacted Custer's cavalry for a number of years, used a real Trapdoor. While involved in a tactical one day, a shell stuck in the chamber an I had to pry it out with my butcher knife I carried. .

I just watched "Son of the Morning Star" on Netflix & was surprised that they did mention the trouble with copper casings - even showed at least one trooper prying one out of his rifle with his knife.  Wasn't a great movie, but had a surprising amount of history for a Custer movie.

[Fox Creek Kid]

...While involved in a tactical one day, a shell stuck in the chamber an I had to pry it out with my butcher knife I carried. I had read before that a number of troopers knives were found  on last stand hill with the tip broke off from trying to remove a shell from the chamber. I still have the knife broken tip and all, kind of brought history home to me.....rarely does anyone ever mention that when they discuss the battle. While not a deciding factor I'm sure, it did add to the difficulties of the day...

It has been EXHAUSTIVELY discussed & examined and the facts just don't bear out that it was a huge problem. Of course, this is discussed in serious historical books & journals and not on say "Glock Talk."  That's not to say it didn't happen, just that it was not the mountain that some have made it out to be. I have read of a rimfire Henry case blowing its head upon firing and a Spencer that was jammed that exploded when forced from period articles. Metallic cartridge production was in its infancy then and manufacturing did not have QC we have today.