This is the first time this great rifle is being offered to the collectiing fraternity.  I just purchased it from a man at the Chantilly, Va. show who said it had been in his family for generations.  I tried to get some family names but he would have none of it  and started to walk away. So I decided to just shut up and buy the gun.  For those of you who know Indian guns the pictures will tell the story. The gun is a mdl. 1868 Springfield rifle that was cut down during it's period of use to carbine size. It's serial number is #6602 which is stamped on the barrel and the breech..  The rifle is .50 cal. without a buttplate ( Indians used them for hide scrapers) and there are remnants of 4 tacks in the forestock.  This rifle has a strong possiblity of being a Little Big Horn Gun as there's been numerous .50 cal. casing found on the sites where the Indians were located.  Also, after the Battle the Indian captured guns that were believed to have been in the fight were sent to Rock Island Arsenal. for testing.  Two of these"Little Big Horn" captured .50 cal Springfields are on display there.  I have an interesting article on these captured Indian guns by the curator of Rock Island Arsenal Museum that will come with the rifle. Unfortunetly, I don't believe they're testing guns anymore to see if they match the ammunition that's been found on the Battlfield.  If they ever start again this piece really needs to be tested.  It's not often that a new piece with possible "Little Big Horn " heritage comes on the market.

P.S It's been brought to my attention that a mdl. 1868 Springfield cut-down rifle serial #5283 was carried by Cheyenne Warrior Little Wolf and was part of the gun surrender at Ft. Keogh on April 20,1877. He agreed to become a Scout for the US. Army so he was able to keep his gun. He scouted from Apr.20, 1877 -Oct.1, 1879. This is all documented in the new book on Custer guns titled " Documenting the Weapons Used at the Little Bighorn" by Wendell Grangaard.  

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