I've seen these photos of Charlie Bowdre many times, but I forgot that the had an 1876 carbine. I'm wondering what you think, though. I'm most familiar with the first photo, where the gun is pointed to his left. I think that I'm seeing the saddle ring on the right side, which makes me think that this is a reversed photo, typical of tintypes. If that is so, he appears to be wearing his revolver in a left-handed holster, which seems uncommon.
Then there is the second photo, which I believe was recovered from his body at the time of his death. In that one, I think that I'm seeing the loading gate on the right side of the gun. It appears to be returned to its "normal" (not mirror-imaged) configuration. The holster looks the same, but is reversed from the first photo. The tilt of his hat is tilted the opposite direction. What is odd is that his wife seems to have changed sides and mimicked her stance.
To help with the discussion, I'll add a copy of the first photo, where I flipped it to make it match the orientation of the second.
I've only been comparing these photos this morning, so I'm still sorting it out. What do you think?
CC Griff