LOT Lewis & Grant Auctions  /  Arms, Armor, and The Early West  / 

20

Indian Captured Model 1870 Trial Springfield Rolling Block Carbine

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:8,500.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Indian Captured Model 1870 Trial Springfield Rolling Block Carbine
If you have not contacted Lewis & Grant Auctions to arrange payment within 3 days of the time that invoice is sent, we will charge the credit card you used to register for the auction for the amount of your invoice.
.45-70 caliber, 22" barrel, NSN. Armory bright finish with walnut stock. Blade front sight with rear sight block added in original rear sight dovetail. Frame marked "[eagle]/SPRINGFIELD/1870". Stock with brass tacks throughout, some areas reveal placement of tacks that have since fallen off. Springfield Armory records indicate that just over 300 of these experimental carbines were produced for Army trials. This piece retains the distinguishing features of this model, including the small block spur, saddle ring bar, and 11.75" forend. It is believed that fewer than ten of these carbines still exist. Ordnance returns in June 1873 shows Company F of the 7th Cavalry Regiment had been issued 19 1870 Carbines just before the Yellowstone Expedition, with 18 being recorded at the end of the expedition. On August 4, 1873, while escorting a group of surveyors, the 7th Cavalry was engaged a group of Hunkpapa Lakota warriors in what would become known as the Battle of Honsinger Bluff.  During the battle, a small number of 7th Cavalry troopers who had slipped away from the main force to cool off in the nearby river were ambushed and killed. The body of trooper John Ball was not recovered until September 1873, and would account for the missing carbine. This carbine was used by Arnold Marcus Chernoff in a display that the Ohio Gun Collectors sponsored at the NRA convention in 1976 and won a display award for his display of Indian items. It is also worth noting that research in arsenal records, both Thomas and Boyce Custer had purchased a Springfield Model 70 Experimental Carbine. Four of these carbines are known to have been captured at the disastrous Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. **Very good condition overall. The frame has been lightly cleaned with some visible cleaned pitting. The barrel has a very light pewter patination. Stock is in good condition, with some dents and handling blemishes. Bore is excellent with good rifling. An excellent example of not only an experimental weapon, but also a relic of the Indian Wars, perfect for the advanced collector.  Provenance William O Sweet Gerald Fox Arnold Marcus Chernoff C.Vance Haynes $10,000-$15,000
Sign In to Bookmark Lot