Im betting there is a pretty good chance that he did .

Custer's unit received 3 of the best gatling guns made shortly before the last battle but he decided not to bring them. Each could fire up to 600 rounds a minute. Thats 1,800 rounds a minute combined. Think about that for a while. 😮

Id try running a bullet .002 bigger than what you have and starting around 55 grains and working up in 5 grain increments, getting hit by a 45 caliber bullet pushed by 55 grains of powder carries more kinetic energy than a miss pushed by 70

Your a great presenter . You have some great guns. Thank you for your knowledge.

I thought Custer was armed with British Webley pistols?

I think that's very plausible actually.

You talk too much, get to the point earlier.

Good video realy , i though exactly the same after see the picture of death custer.

I prefer the Johnny Carson image.

I just check my Browning 1886 Carbine it is the same diameter the full length of the barrel?

No, they respected him and didn't turn him over to the squaws or put awls in his ears

After a bullet is fired into one’s head area would the bullet be deformed? If so, would it still fit into the barrel of a like pistol, or at least would the base of the fired bullet still fit into the barrel of a like pistol?

I believe that Custer was shot in the chest as he first crossed the river, and the men closest to him dismounted to assist him back onto his horse, one most likely being his brother Tom. The subsequent withdrawal to Last Stand Hill had Custer incapacitated due to the chest wound below his heart, and the disarray noted in most forensic analyses of the battle appear to indicate that Custer himself was no longer in command. His final demise, which I believe was the temple shot, was most likely delivered by his brother Tom knowing that Custer would be tortured relentlessly. Blame for dividing his command without truly knowing the strength of the force confronting him is probably most relevant to the massacre that befell them on Last Stand Hill.

Very good video with lots of info. Really enjoyed it

Wonder if Dr Porter still had the gun when he told this story?

Hi Todd. You did a good job with this fascinating topic. But there's another important reason why Dr Porter and others wanted to be sure that Libby Custer never heard the evidence for General Custer committing suicide. In the 19th Century, and well into the 20th Century, Suicide was considered extremely shameful and cowardly. For Christians it was classed as Self-Murder and was a Mortal Sin. Suicides were not given Church funeral services, and they could not be buried in "hallowed ground," meaning blessed and consecrated ground such as a Military Cemetery or even the cemetery around a Church. They had to be buried OUTSIDE the consecrated ground. Suicides were basically treated the same as criminals such as Murderers who'd been executed for their crimes! Many Christian sects also believed that Suicides couldn't go to Heaven. So it makes sense that Dr Porter and others would want to shield Libby from any talk of Custer committing suicide. She devoted her life to making America view Custer as a fearless, glorious hero

I’ve never understood why it is so important for modern peoples that Custer NOT have committed suicide. I would never blame anyone faced with that hopeless situation who took their own life in the end. It’s not about glory. It’s about real people facing certain death.

Nice research. Good sources. Thanks

Certainly interesting information. One fact this man missed in theorizing suicide by American troops in the field: Having visited the Fetterman fight battlefield, it appears that Fetterman shot himself in the head at the battle, as swarms of Sioux came charging up the slopes of the hill. Crazy Horse leading the charge. Fetterman, arrogant and angry made a fatal mistake in judging Indians and their combat skills.

Perdón pero la Energía cinética es igual a 1/2 de la masa multiplicado por el cuadrado de la velocidad. Ec = 1/2 x m x v²

Therei one thing ever wanted talk about war history he was very upset as a child my granddad never wanted talk about Verdun france ww1

Oh yes that was yesterday's history your in the time in the 80s when my husband he was a British soldier in the royal artillery stationed in Germany we became friendly with on of Citting bull's dependen despite that his family member was once a very well knowning soiux native Indian chief to me it come across very proud not even scary even my kid's loved him and sit together making drawings together meet together in town and going shopping and talking about our family history's I never forget

Thanks for your investigation about custard probably may have killed himself I like you how you investigated and I think he probably did and because history has a way of changing things in motion pictures in the media to build up heroes where there were no heroes

Custer took a spear wound in his lower left abdomen, and the Sioux took his leather jacket as a trophy. Later, it was returned and is on display at the Ft Bridger museum. He did not take his own life. The Sioux account is accurate, they had him surrounded, he was out of ammo, and the honor of the coup de grâce was reserved for Sitting Bull who killed him with a spear. You can see in the jacket at Fort Bridger where the spear went through. It would be extremely out of character for Custer to kill himself.

Not uncommon on lever guns. They run the machine at such high speed they commonly deform the bore where they dovetail for the loading tube, sometimes also the front sight...the barrel might be basicly good except wher it is dicked up by the finish machine work. A determined individual with a lead lap and time on his hands could probably correct it.

1. The doctor removed a bullet from Custer's head which was Custer's only fatal wound. 2. The bullet was pointed and an exact match to the Colt pistol Custer was carrying. 3. The Indian warriors had no weapon which fired the type of bullet which killed Custer. There's no debate here at all. Plainly, Custer , seeing that all was lost, took his own life.

If the Cheyenne and Sioux could have taken Custer alive, I'm sure they would have. The Cheyenne had suffered much grief during his command near Washita.

NO.HE GOT HS ASS WHIPPED...DONT TR😅😅😅Y IT

Interesting idea, but there are some problems with this, at least as it was presented in this video. If Dr. Porter was as trustworthy and possessed the integrity that is credited to him, he would not have kept the information he felt he had uncovered to himself, but would have included it in his medical records and reports to the army. Also, in his excellent and well-researched book "A terrible Glory," James Donovan stated that Custer carried two English revolvers as he did not like the grip on the Colt. Additionally, in his excellent article entitled "Custer's Last Gun: Webley RIC Revolver" in Guns and Ammo (August 31, 2015), Gary James reported that Custer likely was carrying an English Webley RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) revolver in .442 caliber. He was known to have owned such a revolver (there are photos of it on his gun rack) and it is the only firearm that is not accounted for from Custer's gun rack after the battle, according to this article. These points obviously don't prove that he didn't kill himself, but they do potentially shift the perspective of the story.

I have heard that the bad reputation came from later manufacturers of the ammo under charging the rounds.

I have one of the Walker revolvers and I just learned where it would hit a target and then compensated for the difference in point of aim and the actual impact point of the bullet. The Walker is a formidable revolver and the Uberti one I have is quite accurate. I generally use round balls as opposed to conical bullets. The gun works well with 3F black powder and Triple 7. But it does not like CCI caps. It works best with the Remington #10 and #11 caps. Also, if you polish the face of the hammer where it strikes the cap, you will have fewer issues with the remains of the cap sticking and jamming up the works.

Dr. Porters field autopsy has long been debunked. He doesnt record it in any of his reports. The .41 test pistols is also poppycock. There is no record of this by the military or Colt. Indian eyewitness accounts explain his ears and head was punctured by awls postmodern. (To help him hear in the afterlife) Indian accounts also show Custer was shot and crawling with blood coming out of his mouth when he was surrounded by braves.

Had a friend who served in the Army in the 80s. Was stationed on the Korean DMZ. Said he was told to keep one bullet for himself if it looked like he was going to be captured by the North Koreans if hostilities broke out.

By the 3 questions you ask, it was easy to see the conclusion you were going to present. I would ask different questions. 1. What was the “bunch on the back of Custer’s head,” if not an exit wound? Has there ever been an autopsy of a head shot where the bullet did not exit and left a “bunch?” 2. The temple shot is well documented in Army reports, however the second shot was also well documented as being in the chest, not “high in the shoulder.” Is there any corroboration of the shoulder wound? If not, this whole story is suspect. 3. Are there any reports of Dr. Porter removing the bullet from the back of Custer’s skull? If not, then why wouldn’t the Army reports say Custer’s body was found with 3 wounds instead of 2? Fifty years after the battle two Cheyenne women claimed they had pierced Custer’s ears with needles so he could hear better in the afterlife, and like Dr. Porter’s tale, their stories lacked corroboration.

Why would Custer take his own life? He would have received good treatment . The native americans were well known for their humanitarian treatment of prisoners. The native americans always had high esteem for human life.

Yep, had the same problem with a Browning 1892 carbine in 44mag. crap barrel, grouped like a scattergun. Pedersoli has a sterling reputation for great barrels, and in my experience Uberti is also good, I have a Uberti 1873 rifle in 38WCF, did a little work tuning it up and lighting up the safety, absolutely first class barrel, couldn’t ask for better.

I read a book that is still available on Amazon titled "Keep the last bullet for yourself" by Thomas B. Marquis. He talked with many of the native Americans who participated in the battle. His book was so controversial that it wasn't published until 1976, 100 years after the battle. He concluded that almost all of the troopers with Custer on last stand hill committed suicide.

The one big disadvantage to the older black-powder frame is that retaining screw for the cylinder. This can and does unknowingly work loose and can fall out and be lost. The later cylinder transverse latch fixed this problem. Also that big bullseye ejector with the hole in the middle was a little more prone to being damaged and broken off, so it was made smaller and without the hole.

Sorry, but I have read of these accounts numerous times by Native Americans and other sources, and it adds up to one thing, that instead of the soldiers of the Little Big Horn subjecting themselves to torture and mutilation while they were still alive, some of them made the difficult decision to end their lives, which Custer clearly did. Doesn't make him a coward at all but rather a reasonable decision in a difficult, terrifying moment. It doesn't, however, excuse the greater tragedy of this historical event. There are many warriors who said after the battle that if Custer had tried to parlay with them and not peremptorily attack their encampment, they would have returned to their reservations without a fight. That Custer attacked a huge Indian site without knowing what strength he faced doomed him and his command before it even began. The fault lies with Custer and his ambition and folly and underestimation of the great abilities of the Sioux and Cheyanne warriors to defend themselves and their families and their sacred lands in a time of extreme peril.

I don't know why anyone with a modicum of intelligence and an interest in history would doubt that people in desperate situations might take their own life. The Romans were famous for it; the Japanese were famous for it; the Jewish rebels on Masada are celebrated for it. It is certain that if Custer had been taken alive, his captors would have done everything possible cause him prolonged suffering, so there should be no surprise or dishonor attached to the act. It should be considered a means of controlling your own fate and depriving the enemy of the satisfaction.

Fun and excellent review as always. Thank you for sharing the information. We love this stuff. Peace

What a great test and what great info! Kind Thanks, Many Blessings and Good Shootin! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania

Were you able to discover how much ammunition Colt provided with the revolvers?

How you managing the Sout ariz heat index? Tucson is a cool area in regards to all things old west, and historical. Have you tried the steel pins? I wonder how they compare to ceramic rods?

Great video, lots of information. I've subscribed!

Stainless Steel media, the only way to go

Welcome back to the KZfaq world Good luck with your new location

Good to see you back Todd! Ceramic media? I gave up using that years ago, I think if you change to Stainless Steel media, (1/16" x 1/2") you will have no more problems with blocked cases, I use washing liquid and a dash of Citric Acid, and that brings cases back to like new in 2 hours, after that I drop the cases into a jug that has a dash of liquid car wax, that prevents tarnishing and makes the cases feel slick, your case cleaner is exactly similar to my Rebel cleaner, probably all made in the same chinese factory. Stay safe! P.S. as for unboxing your kit ,I am still unpacking 15 years after moving! Chris B.

Hi doc from the uk i use the dry method using toasted buckwheat does a great job very rarely have bunged up primer pockets

Some folks use a squirt of Dawn, a few pinches of Lemi Shine (citric acid), and small stainless steel bearing pins that aren't big enough to stick in cases or primer holes. Drying can be done in mass by spreading everything on a tray and baked in the oven at low temp (120°F or so) with the door cracked to let out moisture, if you're in a hurry and don't want to stand all the cases upside down and wait for room drying. If you're in the desert west, probably not an issue; humid east, maybe an issue.