Interesting tidbit about US cartridges from the Indian Wars. They were made of a low quality brass that would become soft easily. The rifle they used was called the "Trapdoor Springfield" carbine. It was operated by opening a hinged top and a small bar would catch on the rim of the .45-70 casing and eject it.
However, as the chamber would get hot from firing, the cartridge would become soft. Eventually, the ejector would pull the rim off the casing, leaving the casing in the chamber and making the rifle useless. This was a big problem where the troopers were forced to shoot for extended times and is thought to have contributed to Custer's defeat.
Troopers were told to shoot til their Springfields failed, fire 5 shots from their revolvers at the Indians and save the sixth for themselves. One story from the Battle of Little BigHorn is that Custer and his XO were found facing each other with one bullet hole in their forehead. Meaning that they shot each other rather than fall into the Indians' hand.
