This thesis covers a period of transformation in the Army between the large Civil War Army armed primarily with muzzle-loading percussion arms to an Army numbering in the tens of thousands armed with magazine-fed bolt-action repeating rifles by 1900. This document covers the boards, trials, procedures, political and economic constraints involved in selecting new arms during this period, as well as the arms considered and selected. This document concludes with an analysis of the decisions made and how similar considerations affect decisions regarding the small arms carried by America's soldiers today.

ADA 471224 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)