what if Custer's 7th had been armed with Spencers/Winchesters and Schofields

[River City John]

A harsh lesson the Zulu taught the 24th Foot at Isandlwana three years later.

[Oldgold]

Our military has always been about 20 years behind the times when it comes to choosing weapons for its ground troops. They always put saving ammo over soldiers lives. Start with the War of Northern Aggression, the Indian campaigns, Spanish American War, WW1, WW2, up to Vietnam when they finally learned their lessons after the fact. Whether this would have changed the tide of Custers last stand or not, we'll be arguing that into the next century. 

[Trailrider]

First of all, Custer's troopers did NOT run out of ammunition! Their guns ran out of troopers first! The companies that formed Custer's battalion were strung out so that they could not effectively cover each other. When the troopers dismounted, in some cases, every fourth man became the horse-holder, reducing the firepower by 25%. In the instance where each man held his own horse (Tom Custer's company, IIRC), accurate shooting with a plunging, terrified horse wasn't very likely. In the instances where horses were either killed or thrown down to form a barricade, those Indians who had bows and arrows, simply fired volleys of high-trajectory arrows, killing or wounding the troopers. The Indians simply overran the troops, cutting the battalion up in detail!

The criticism that Custer "divided his command", while correct in content, was standard tactics in those days. Crook did the same at the Rosebud a week earlier, and the only thing that saved him were the presence of Shoshone and Crow scouts, and armed civilian packers and some Montana prospectors. Also, when he at first sent Mill's down Rosebud Canyon, but then recalled him, and that battalion defiled out of the canyon, putting them behind the hostiles, and the Sioux and Cheyenne saw this and broke off.  But Crook had twice as many men as Custer, and perhaps more luck!  The only thing that could have save Custer was that which was not available...the ability to get on the radio and call for an air strike, "danger close"!

[greyhawk]

what if custer ??
well he woulda still got a beating
appears he acted like an arrogant fool (likely was one at the time)
outnumbered at least ten to one (warrior to warrior - reports say there were 10,000 locals there but women, kids, and old people in camp too)
made poor (dumb) decisions on the day - better armed woulda helped for sure - but that day was not his ...........

[RRio]

Would that have really made a difference as is so often claimed?

The Trapdoor .45-70's advantage of shooting beyond the range of the Indian's bow and arrow and lever action rifles.

But then we are still talking about 4000 Souix and Cheyenne braves against 200 something odd American troopers.

The real question is "What if he had taken the two Gatling guns?"   

[Trailrider]

The real question is "What if he had taken the two Gatling guns?"   

The available Gatlings were mounted on gun carriages pulled by condemned cavalry horses!  Given the terrain they probably wouldn't have done him much good, as they probably couldn't keep up with his troopers. He'd have been better off with pack howitzers that were light enough to pack on mules. The Indians were more afraid of artillery. Not sure of the range of those tubes, but they might have been enough to set them up with Reno/Benteen, providing support.

[Galen]

Personally I'd have brought the tank.

[Abilene]

I just read an article on the Gatling by Blair Taylor in a 2002 Shootist.  He owned a repro of a percussion Gatling (I confess I had no idea they started as percussion).  He brought up this topic, and in his opinion Custer would have lost anyway.  He says "Although well-trained crews could do the "unlimbering" and "limbering" operations very quickly, the gunners and the guns were extremely vulnerable during that time, especially in a fast moving and running gun battle that was the fight at Little Bighorn." 

[Coal Creek Griff]

Personally I'd have brought the tank.

Perhaps you're referring to the classic "Twilight Zone" episode starring Warren Oates? I agree. A tank would be useful.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734627/

[Blair]

I think the proper question of "what if" should be, what if Custer had not been put or placed in command?
My best,
Blair

[Coffinmaker]

  PLUS ONE for Blair