This rifle and carbine were adopted in 1873 and remained the primary small arms weapons of the U.S. military for 20 years. The single-shot breechloading rifle was chambered to accept the .45/70 metallic cartridge. A carbine was created for cavalry use and was chambered for the .45/55 metallic cartridge. Most of the troops at Fort Abercrombie, beginning about 1874 and continuing until the fort’s closure in 1877, were armed with either the rifle (infantry) or the carbine (cavalry). Both the rifle and carbine were powerful and accurate. The infantry rifle was accurate to 1,000 yards, while the carbine was capable of killing at 600 yards. As a comparison, the popular civilian-purchased, lever-action Winchester Model 1873, caliber .44/40, had an effective range of only 200 yards.