Good article.
Regarding the trapdoors and Little Bighorn it is more than a little ironic that prior to that engagement a handful of soldiers held off a large group of Sioux at the Wagon Box Fight only because the Sioux were expecting them to have to reload after the first volley, but the soldiers were equipped with Springfield Breech loading 1866s and the venerable Henry lever action rifles. So the US Army knew very well the effectiveness of the Henry rifle. And Reno was actually on the committee that decided what guns the army adopted in the post civil war years. So that dude screwed the pooch twice at Greasy Grass and got to live to talk about it.
Meanwhile the Sioux learned from the Wagon Box Fight and got their hands on those Henrys. The fact is though the 7th cavalry could have had AR-15s and they would have been wiped out. It just would have taken a little longer. They were ridiculously outnumbered, the Sioux held the high ground and had Sitting Bull's vision on their side. Plus Custer was an arrogant fool and split his already heavily outnumbered command into 3 battalions.
I walked that battlefield a few years ago. It was a surreal experience.
