The Indians had better guns than Custer.
That was part of it. It is amazing all of the various theories and analysis of the Custer Battle that they have done. Mapping of spent cartridges to figure out where people were, eye-witness accounts, etc.
This is true. In his book ON THE BORDER WITH CROOK by Bourke, he mentions that the Indians became “surly” after they traded for tube fed magazine rifles. This was before LBH.
If it were the same world with today’s politicians they would be crying for a ban on those rapid fire rifles.
Whereas, in 1868, the tribes at the Washita received free Government issued Lancaster rifles and pistols before they went on their killer raids into Kansas and got Custer (under orders from Sheridan) on their tail.