who used the 76 in the military

[Colonel Buckshot]

Many officers and scouts privately purchased there own firearms and was wondering if anyone knows of any officers who did

[Trailrider]

Not certain who, but IIRC the archeological dig at the Little Big Horn Battlefield found some .45-75 WCF cartridges where soldiers were known to have been.  Due to the expense of the M1876, it was likely a veteran NCO or an officer who purchased the rifle.

[St. George]

In reviewing 'Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn' - by Scott, Fox, et al.,

No mention of recovered rounds or brass from the .45-75 WCF were recovered - not even in the post-battle finds.

This information comes from artifacts recovered after the big fire that scoured the battlefield in August of 1983 and was thoroughly documented at every step along the way.

That Officers and Scouts would be able to purchase personal weaponry is true - but if they did, they 'generally' picked a round that was easy for them to procure and the practice led to the development of the Model 1875 Officer's Rifle.

The Army wasn't a well-paying proposition, so purchases were carefully thought out to provide maximum service life and durability.

Most Officers opted to use what they were issued, with some purchasing directly from Ordnance.

Scouts - being civilian contract employees - would buy or provide what they could, if not issued a weapon from Stores.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Trailrider]

In reviewing 'Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn' - by Scott, Fox, et al.,

No mention of recovered rounds or brass from the .45-75 WCF were recovered - not even in the post-battle finds.

This information comes from artifacts recovered after the big fire that scoured the battlefield in August of 1983 and was thoroughly documented at every step along the way.

That Officers and Scouts would be able to purchase personal weaponry is true - but if they did, they 'generally' picked a round that was easy for them to procure and the practice led to the development of the Model 1875 Officer's Rifle.

The Army wasn't a well-paying proposition, so purchases were carefully thought out to provide maximum service life and durability.

Most Officers opted to use what they were issued, with some purchasing directly from Ordnance.

Scouts - being civilian contract employees - would buy or provide what they could, if not issued a weapon from Stores.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Well, I stand corrected.  My fevered brain was "recalling" something I thought I'd heard or seen, but there is so much cr@p in front of that portion of my library, I can't get at the report right now.    Of course, the NW Mounted Police used the '76 in .45-75, but that was in Canada, not down here in the States!

[Joe Lansing]

The '76 premiered at the Philadelphia Exposition which opened on May 10, 1876. I really doubt if a '76 could have been purchased and found its way out to the Custer battlefield by July 25th. I doubt if guns were even sold at the exposition. Considering the logistics of the time, it seems very implausible.

[Grizzly Adams]

Many officers and scouts privately purchased there own firearms and was wondering if anyone knows of any officers who did

Howdy, Colonel.

Check out the Useful links and blogs thread: 

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,18580.0.html

There is an article by Kirk Durston, on the Battle of Big Dry Wash, that you may find interesting.

[kb466]

A couple of time issues that would have precluded the use of an 1876 Winchester at the Little Big Horn-- First the Little Big Horn battle was June 25, 1876, not July 25.  The Seventh Cavalry actually took the field some weeks before that from Fort Abraham Lincoln in North Dakota.  Thus, it would have been nearly impossible to get a new 1876 rifle out to the troopers after the Centennial Exposition in May 1876, where the 1876 was first shown to the public.  

However, there is another problem which would seem to absolutely preclude its use at the Little Big Horn battle.  Although the rifle was exhibited at the Centennial Exhibit it was not offered to the public for sale till long after the June 25, 1876 battle.  The first notice from Winchester that the 1876 rifle was available for sale was on August 10, 1877, more than a year after the battle.  I know that there was archaeological evidence of Henrys, 1866's, and 1873's at the battle (primarily from shell casings) but no 1876's.  These other lever rifles are believed to be associated with Indian, rather than soldier use.

[DJ]

The Hawaiian military used them (muskets) in the 1880's under King Kalakaua.  They didn't do much fighting with them.  And Hawaii wasn't part of the States, either.  Yet.

--DJ

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Not US, and not even 1876's, but the Spanish used some '73 muskets and cavalry carbines.  What is interesting is that the '76 carbine was patterned on the Spanish contract carbine.  After the first lot the NWMP acquired, the mountie carbine used the "Spanish Metre" rear sight, and the earlier ones were retro-fitted to match.