There is a good article on these Carbines in the latest NRA magazine "American Rifleman" August 2014. Article is short but is in the back of the magazine just inside the back cover.
There is a good article on these Carbines in the latest NRA magazine "American Rifleman" August 2014. Article is short but is in the back of the magazine just inside the back cover.
Thanks MR, Funny that program just came on the TV and I watched it right after I read your post. I did see it a number of years ago also. It was interesting as via the spent shell casings found they were able to trace the flight of individual soldiers and groups of soldiers to were they were eventually killed.
Also I did read that American Rifleman's article also sargetom, Ray
I know one of the ballistic and tool mark examiner ( Retired Nebraska State Patrol) that was there after the fire and did allot of the research. It is amazing that they can ID the guns that were used during the battle and were able to tell where they were fired from and where their bullets impacted. If they can match your gun with the collection of spent cartridges or by rifling then you have a big winner. There was a carbine that was owned by a family ranch in the area and they did ID it as being used in the battle.
So Ray, What are you waiting for?? Are you going to check your weapon out?? I hope to read a post from you in the near future with some good news!!!
Cheers MR
It appears the firing pin is broken in two inside the breech block and it won't come out. Apparently someone tried to force it out and deformed the tip of the firing pin in the process. I believe most of the comparisons were made via the firing pin impressions which would not be able to be done now because of the damage. Unless they can compare the spend cases to the chamber it's a no go. The odds are against it anyway that it probably is a 7th Cav carbine for as mentioned, the carbines were shipped in crates of 20 and contained mixed serial numbers and not in any sequence and the serial number before it and after it could be in a crate shipped to another unit.
But at least it's a correct early one and it does fit in the known block of numbers issued to the 7th and I'll never fire it even if I can replace the firing pin, Ray
Last edited by RayG; 07-29-2014 at 02:48 PM.
The damage to the firing pin is the sort of thing that an Indian or civilian who ended up with the weapon couldn't fix without a gunsmith/armourer-guns were found long after the battle discarded with ruptured shell cases stuck in the breech.
As far as further testing, look at the number of carbines that fall within the possible Custer serial number ranges of 17400-18400, and 21000-21600, and 32700-36400 and the 42200 range. That's a lot of carbines.
I'm sure that only if a carbine exhibited some other good evidence to suspect it may be have been used in the battle, like apparent hard Indian use, or was found in the area etc. and not just a broken firing pin, would it really be considered a candidate for further testing. Ray
Last edited by RayG; 07-31-2014 at 12:39 PM.
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