Well, no... The early Colt SAAs were sold to both the civilian & military market. The difference between a civilian & Army issue is easy to see. One, the civilian revolver grips were varnished wood, ivory or pearl depending on the owner's taste. All military issue were oiled wood. The military issue will have U.S. stamped on the left frame under the cylinder plus numerous inspector initials stamped on all parts.
The finish on military weapons were for the most part, blued with some nickel revolvers being issued. Officers had to purchase their own weapons and could either buy through company issue or order from the manufacturer and he had he choice of finish.
As to your question would other revolvers have the same value. The revolver in question is made up of military issued parts and there is where the demand is ,as military issued weapons always seem to demand more money to collectors.
So,in a short answer...no. Not to say a civilian Colt manufactured during the same period as the military revolvers can't bring the same high price, a lot would depend on condition, provenance, & embellishments. Civilian pieces just don't command the high price as the very early U.S. Colts. You have to remember, these old warhorses saw the brunt of the Indian Wars and were completely worn out before being replaced. You will find later model U.S. issued revolvers in better shape & usually with a lot of finish. It is hard to find very many of the Custer era revolvers under serial # 1-8800 anywhere and if you do, they have usually been rode hard & put up wet.
In this day & age if you should find one, beware of fakers as today there are many who can stamp marks & age them to look original. That is why the services of an experienced collector or someone like Kopec is needed, as they can spot a fake quite easily.
Early military Colts, S&W Americans & Schofields can become an investment and usually bring more than the stock market even if you would have bought just a little over 5 years ago. Kind'a scary, considering!!
As far as to the weapons found at the LBH, there have been several that surfaced but this includes the Springfield trapdoor carbines but all in all, just a few survived as a lot were captured by the Indians and some of those have surfaced in recent years for auction. I have read an article where a S&W Schofield was found on the battlefield which is possible as I said, officers were able to buy what kind of revolver they wanted. Custer carried a pair of Webleys.
Antique weapons are a lot of fun but you do have to do your homework.
