Colt pistols used in Cavalry operations.

[45D]

What I posted I got from Elmer Kieth books described to him as a young man by actual civil war cavalry vets. They used and preferred revolvers, Spencer carbines and sabers ! My great great grand dad used a Sharps paper cartridge carbine, a saber and pistol would have completed his issue armament . We still have the Sharps in the family which he most likely would have purchased personally.

That's some very cool family history!!!

Mike

 

[M. De Land]

Well several things. I think George Custer wrote about shooting buffalo with a 44 caliber Colt at point blank range- that is riding along side the buffalo. The date he mentioned would indicate it was a Dragoon of some sort (before 1860). In any event I realize that with all that has been written, I haven't actually read a lot about cavalry fighting on horseback. Did they use swords only, swords and pistols? Actual diaries of horseback fighting- I have no idea.

I hate to say it being a Michigan boy myself originally, George Custer was a glory seeking "numbchuck"in my opinion and was reported to have shot his own horse out from under himself while hunting Buffalo while mounted.
We did have two things in common though, being from Michigan and both liking Rolling block rifles.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Custer couldn't very well have shot a buffalo with a revolver "before 1860". He was born in1839 in Ohio and was accepted to West Point in 1858 or so as a teenager. He graduated (barely) in 1861 and was sent directly into combat. He was a brave and very effective officer and was promoted rapidly.
After the war was over he was sent west to fight indians. The army then was not at all like what he was used to, and things didn't go so good from then on.

 

[Red Owl]

I must have got that wrong, I figured a 1860 Colt didn't have enough power to kill a buffalo. I forgot about him shooting his horse.

 

[Bad Karma]

I must have got that wrong, I figured a 1860 Colt didn't have enough power to kill a buffalo. I forgot about him shooting his horse.

Oh heck yeah! An 1860 will kill the biggest baddest bull on the prairie! Eventually…

 

[GYJ]

I must have got that wrong, I figured a 1860 Colt didn't have enough power to kill a buffalo. I forgot about him shooting his horse.

Not by today's standards, after 100yrs of handgun hunting study and data collection. Bison aren't terribly hard to kill, as opposed to something like water buffalo or Cape buffalo, looking bigger from the side than they really are. They're very narrow for their size and don't require a huge amount of penetration but I would want a good bit more than a .45 caliber round ball.

 

[M. De Land]

Custer couldn't very well have shot a buffalo with a revolver "before 1860". He was born in1839 in Ohio and was accepted to West Point in 1858 or so as a teenager. He graduated (barely) in 1861 and was sent directly into combat. He was a brave and very effective officer and was promoted rapidly.
After the war was over he was sent west to fight indians. The army then was not at all like what he was used to, and things didn't go so good from then on.

Yes, Custer was born in Ohio but moved to Monroe Michigan at a young age to live with his half sister and brother-in-law.

 

[Stantheman86]

The Russians used that hook trigger that they seemed to like on some of their Colt Navy licensed made copies, so that a Cavalryman could hold the reigns while he was riding. So I guess the Russians did some shooting from horseback