I'll Make this Quick Not to Upset people
Not to run this too far off topic....This a gun that belonged to Saddler Otto Voit of Company H 7th Cav. A 30 year veteran of that regiment. I bought the rifle from a family member for a few hundred dollars. It looks like a $200 wall hanger, showing heavy frontier usage.
There are pictures of the gun in the NPS file on Otto Voit at the Litttle Big Horn Park, I have talked to the principles who did the forensic work back in the 90's and it is a no go forensic testing it for love nor money. I showed the gun to Glennwood Swanson, who has been collecting 7th Cav memorbillia and items from the Battle for 25 years and has recently published a book, which will become collectable once the one and only edition is sold out. He wants pictures for his file.
I have done enough reading on the subject to know that there is possiblity that the rifle was at the Battle, but in most likelyhood was not used by Voit. However Swanson sold 3 of his rifles at auction that had forensically been tested and proven to have been used during the Battle...A Winchester 1866 sold for 687K a world record for a Winchester rifle at the time, the other two sold for a total of 350K...Now here is the kicker Swanson has the carbine (forensically tested) that was carried by the last white man to leave the Custer column alive...a Trumpeter named Joviana Martini who carried the message to Benteen..."Come Quick..." a known historical figure who played a role in the Battle..what would that gun be worth?
Anyway the website to the book is....http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/...-and-times.htm