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ORIGINAL .50 CALIBER TOMPION – VERY RARE:
Standard issue, however considerably rarer than the
standard .58 and .69 caliber versions, this .50 Caliber
Tompion was issued during the Civil War and through the
early Indian War years with the appropriate carbines and
rifles, including all of the 1868-1872 long arms
chambered for the .50/70 issued on the frontier and
included in the various trials.
Measuring 2 ¾” long, this tompion is in like new
condition with no wear or damage.
Albert Barnitz mentions what would have been these
particular tompions in his memoir’s Life in Custer's
Cavalry: Diaries and Letters of Albert and Jennie
Barnitz, 1867-1868, relating that the 7th
paused just before attacking Black Kettle’s Village on
the Washita to remove the tompions from their carbines,
providing an excellent historical reference for this
appendage.
While every soldier was issued a tompion to prevent
debris and moisture from getting into the barrel of his
rifle or carbine, these original .50 caliber tompions
are truly rare and are difficult to find. (0215)
$250
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