Written by Richard A. Hosmer. A concise and comprehensive text on each of the eighteen rifles and carbines that were developed at the Springfield National Armory and field tested during years that saw the most intense fighting in the West the post Civil War small arms that led to the selection of the .45/70 Springfield rifle and carbine. Of these arms, five rifles adopted by the U.S. Army and one by the Navy were issued for general service; four models were issued to the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval academy at Annapolis. The remaining rifles and carbines were issued for various periods of field testing. They were all variations of the Allin's Trapddor, Remington, Sharps, Spencer, Joslyn, and Ward-Burton breechloading systems. Bayonets and accoutrements are also described. Heavily illustrated. Soft cover, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2, 278 pages.