No doubt there were "bean counters" in those days (there always have been and always will be), but the Army went to the trapdoor primarily because it had a lot more power, range, and accuracy than any of the repeating rifles available at that time. The Spencer had about the power of the SAA; the Henry had a lot less. In a later era, that gap between rifle and handgun would be filled by the sub-machine gun, the latter-day equivalent of the Spencer and Henry.
In many of the firefights of that era, the range and power of the trapdoor paid off, but at LBH the fighting was at close range and Spencers would have been almost ideal. Plus, the less powerful cartridges did not have the problems experienced with extraction that the .45-70 Benet primed cases did.
There is a myth that Custer was hopelessly outgunned by "Native Americans", each of whom had a brand new Winchester rifle (one expert says they were .30-30!!). Actual studies show a miscellany of weapons, old and new, firearms, lances, bows, etc. The facts seem to be that the troops were 1) hopelessly outnumbered and 2) poorly led and disciplined.
Jim
Another factor was the Indians were actually pretty well prepared & psyched-up for the battle. Chief Sitting Bull had had a "vision" of "soldiers falling into camp." In fact he painted a painting of the dream he'd had. This greatly encouraged the warriors, who always knew that they were seriously on the wrong end of things when they were attacked in camps, as had had happened at Sand Creek and Wash i ta*. The cavalry also knew they had this advantage and Custer certainly knew it.
General George Crook met the same Indian Nation earlier at the Battle of the Rosebud (IIRC) and his forces were turned back -- stupid decisions had been taken and Crook ran out of ammo. The Indians rejoiced, believing they'd won Sitting Bull's prophecy .... but Sitting Bull reminded them his vision had the soldiers falling into camp,
NOT what had happened with Crook.
Instead of deflating the Indians this only further encouraged them, so when Custer hit them on that hot Sunday, June 25th, the Indians responded aggressively, efficiently and potently.
Another factor, Major Reno's uncoordinatred, amateurish attack on the southern tip of the village. He panicked, fled, and retreated in a disorderly fashion, taking refuge on a hill on the east side of the river, and freed up Chiefs Gall and Crazy Horse to be able to detach and go meet another threat, the five companies Custer was leading.
I have a couple books on the archeology being done at the battlefied. Some fascinating findings have popped up over the years. It's become possible to trace individual encounters, and more.
So far as Custer being outgunned, he certainly was. One expert said there were more Indians there with repeater rifles than there were troopers with Custer. Another factor was that arrows shot in ballistic arcs over hills in mass have good effect in that terrain, with coulees and hills and valleys.
The Indians could rain the arrows down on the troopers from over a hill, but the troopers couldn't return fire with any type of firearm through said hill.
Of course we know there were no .30-30s at the Little Big Horn since that round wouldn't exist until 1895.
However, if an episode of the old Rod Serling TV series
"The Twilight Zone" was truth rather than fiction, one might expect the archeologists to find some .30 Carbine around from when a National Guard
Tank Squad mysteriously went through a time warp and wound up in the battle .......
* Dang it this site asterisked the NAME OF A RIVER!!!!!!!!
SENSITIVE ---
AREN'T WE?
