Loading the Buffalo Gun on the Range

[Crew Chief]

Sounds like a government subsidy to prompt the hunters to kill more bison therefore reducing the food supply to the Indians. Leave it to the industrious bison hunters to make due with the freebees.

[Don McDowell]

I seriously doubt the Army would of handed over any 45-70 ammunition. Mayer wrote that if you could show you had a 50-70 rifle and needed ammo , then the commanding officer could authorize a few rounds to be issued. But given the shortage of ammunition stocks that most posts had to deal with it's pretty doubtful that any 45-70 ever got handed out , above board.

[Freedom]

Don I can't recall, but I am sure that I have seen an actual copy of the newspaper ad or flyer that stated the "Free Amunition".

Since I cannot remember where my info came from, (I thought some of it came from "A Rough Trip Through Paradise"??)... I searched the net and found this..supposedly from Mayer...Some folks believed he was a writer of fiction and a story teller because some of his writings didn't work out historically, but I have no opinion either way...and am glad he wrote what he did.

In Mayer's words:
"army officers in charge of plains operations encouraged the slaughter of
buffalo in every possible way. Part of this encouragement was of a practical
nature that we runners appreciated. It consisted of ammunition, free
ammunition, all you could use, all you wanted, more than you needed.
All you had to do to get it was apply at any frontier army post and say
you were short of ammunition, and plenty would be given you. I received
thousands of rounds in this way. It was in .45-.70 caliber, but we
broke it up, remelted the lead, and some runners used government
powder"...............Mayer and Roth, "Buffalo Harvest", 29.

[Don McDowell]

I believe when a person digs further into it, that is one thing Mayer is full of bullspit about. Most posts had a hard time staying supplied with enough ammo, that most of the time they couldn't even do the monthly required target practice, and remain stocked with enough ammunition for maneuvers.
Most if not all frontier army posts also had a suttlers store, and I suspect if you wandered in there whining about not having enough ammo they would of kindly pointed you to the store.

[bobw]

I ain't buying the free ammo line either. Mayer was an old man when Charles Roth wrote his "stories" Pretty well accepted that Roth enhanced his tales to the max or out & out bullspit as Don says. bobw

[powderburner]

There may be mention of the practice in Moorer s book or john cooks
In search of the white buffalo
Border and the buffalo

[Don McDowell]

I think it was in one of Cooks books that I saw the mention about IF you could show you actually had a 50-70 and if the post had stores of that ammo they had not used or sent back the post commander might issue some, but if they caught you not using it to get yourself out of the hole you were in there was hell to pay.

[Don McDowell]

In one of Cooks books he also heaped much greatness and near saint hood on the buffalo hunters, but Teddy Blue in his book likened them to something a bit lower than a snakes belly, liars cheats , thieves and rustlers....

[Mike]

I just got a copy of Cook's "The Border and the Buffalo," so my studies continue...

[Brownie Nash]

I sure would believe what was said in Teddy Blue's book over the BS in Frank Mayer's book.