Custer 1873 Colts

[RWK]

Any of Custer 1873 Colts nickel Plated

Not getting real solid info on this

[Shotgun Franklin]

Nope, not as ordered by the Army. You ought to be able to pull up the original specs as ordered somewhere on the net. I've seen'm before.

[RWK]

I have looked on the net.
Some say nickel ones were issued to the Indian scouts

Then I just saw a movie about Custer and some of the men had nickel ones (like moves are a good source)lol

Also Uberti makes  both Nickel and case hardened. Why in the world make a repo US 1873 Custer Colt  model that never was. 

[St. George]

Why?

Because someone riding with the 'Woulda If They Coulda' posse will buy it, and they'll use the 'John Ford Reference Library' to authenticate its use.

The Indian Scouts - being a uniformed unit of the Army - were issued normal arms then in Service - the 7 1/2" Colt and the Trapdoor.

Indian Police were the ones with a nickel-plated weapon.

In 1883, Remington supplied approximately 1300 nickel-plated revolvers to the Indian Police.

Nothing is indicated in the Contract about particular markings, if any - but they were trying to cash in on Colt's Government Contracts and referred to the revolver as the "Model Furnished Interior Department for Indian Police".
The caliber was .45 Colt

The Remington-Keene was also associated with them.

Scouts Out!

[Pettifogger]

Right, the Indian Police received some nickled Remingtons.  The Italians make all kinds of guns that never existed historically.  They aren't in the history business.  They are in the gun business and will make anything that sells.

[griswold]

It has been 30 years or so since I got to look and handle a SSA with a serial number that fit in the block of numbers issued to the 7th cavalry before they lit out for their ill fated mission. I don't remember the actual numbers but I do remember they fell in that block of numbers and remember the weapoin fairly well.

It was not nickle plated, in fact it was in pretty poor shape cosmetically, showing one of its owners in its past, did not care for the weapon properly, lots of water corrosion marks, etc. it was an ugly gun......IE: one of the owners in its past did not have proper training in the care of firearms.....the seller presumed it was possibly some Sioux or other Indian brave from one of the other tribes in that battle,  that picked it up!

According to the seller as I recollect, it had traded hands many times as just an old black powder cartridge Colt. No one, until he was offered it, knew what it represented. He was up on Colts and got it for a song, he said.

Anyway, it was way out of my price range as the seller knew what he had there. It really should have belonged in a museum but then I would not have had the opportunity to hold history in my hands.

It that gun could have only talked.......what stories it could have told.

Y'all's postings pull out old forgotten memories for me some times............I appreciate that.
Griswold

[MJN77]

I think the reason that Uberti sells a nickle "cavalry scout colt" (besides the fact that people will buy them) is because of one picture of Custer's scout Bloody Knife. In the pic, BK is holding a Colt revolver (so are  the other two indian scouts) that some say looks nickle plated. There for all indian scouts carried nickled guns. At least the Italians think so I guess.

[The Pathfinder]

The nickled Indian Scout model is reminiscent of some of the 'condemned' military Colts that were later sold to civilians. I know of one I've handled that has the US frame and is a nickled 44-40. Could be thought of that way I guess.