The .56-56 Spencer was an American black powder rifle cartridge . For anyone wanting to pack a medium-game hunting or western reenactment rifle other than the proverbial Winchester '73 or Sharps replicas, the Spencer is a standout. Breechloading carbines such as the .52 Sharps performed similarly. of energy at the muzzle. (Northbrook: DBI Books, Inc., 1990), 503; Gluckman, Identifying Old U.S. Muskets, Rifles & Carbines, 288;William B. Edwards, Civil War Guns: The complete story of Federal and Confederate small arms: design, manufacture, identification, procurement, issue, employment, effectiveness, and postwar disposal(Secaucus, New Jersey: Castle, 1982), 154. Subscriber Services. Handloading the .56-50 Spencer Centerfire. SERIAL NUMBER 11116 BARREL MANUFACTURED 1865.. Has the stabler cutoff for Indian Wat usage. Do Pistols Benefit From Popular Aftermarket Modifications? The carbine version was used because it was shorter, lighter, and easier to reload quickly. There has been no Stabler cut-off added and the original 6-gorove .52 caliber bore remains intact. The Spencer carbine manufactured by the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company had a 22-inch barrel, rifled with three grooves.2a The total length of the gun was 39 inches, and the carbine weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces.3 Then at the end of the Civil War, the Burnside Rifle Company of Providence, Rhode Island made Spencer carbines to help fill the 1860 Spencer Repeating Rifle. When the Spencers did get to the front lines, they saw plenty of action in the Battle of Antietam at Gettysburg under Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer and with the 7th Connecticut Cavalry at the Battle of Olustee. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? Reloading can be done by manually placing a single cartridge into the butt port (via the removed magazine cover/tube through the open rear) or by pre-made cartridge cases called "Blakeslee Cartridge Cases", these ammo The number of cartridges is variable. The Spencers metallic rimfire cartridges enabled to gun to work as it did. Eric Poole and Tom Beckstrand test the Aimpoint Acro P-2 against one of red dot sights' biggest myths: distance. In Wilsons 1865 raid through the Deep South, his men were mainly armed with Spencers and equipped with Blakeslee cartridge boxes. Installing one of these is a must if you are going to convert your Spencer. The Stabler cut-off, invented by Edward Stabler, solved this problem, but it was hardly available for every gun. Approximately 60,000 cartridges were sold to the government throughout the Civil War. Spencer Civil War Repeating CarbineLAYAWAY? And what pressure levels is the action of the Armi Sport rifle capable of safely holding? Barrel lacks the 1865 markings and is not numbered. The fall of 1864 and the early months of 1865 saw three major changes to the Spencer carbines being delivered on existing Army contracts, resulting in a nomenclature change to the Model 1865. HEAVY BARREL SPORTING REPEATING RIFLE MARKED A.J. Ordnance authorities had already expended much time, expense and labor in testing, developing and buying these arms, so at the onset of the war (which was only supposed to last about six months) many officials were loath to get too involved in looking at new guns. Very nice condition, bore very good, stock very good except for a small chip where reciever meets butt stock on top edge, New
Taylor Spencer Carbine
.45 Long Colt, 20" Barrel
Walnut Wood Stock and Handguard, Blued Barrel Finish, Rear Ladder Sight, With Box. As of this writing, there is only one company, TEN-X Ammunition (5650 Arrow Highway, Montclair CA 91763, www.tenxammo.com) producing factory fodder. Jeff Bradley shows off the Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR) from Christensen Arms at SHOT Show 2023. 5 ArcadiGluckman and L. D. Saterlee, American Gun Makers, 2nd ed. This year, H&R announced an expansion of its AR-15 lineup, bringing additional "retro" models to the market, including a 9 mm Luger-chambered Colt SMG clone, an M16A2-styled rifle and the carbine-size 723. Undaunted, Spencer conducted another test that same month, this time for the U.S. Navy. instantly recognizable weapons of It really is a piece of American History. With standard battle sights, the carbine fires extremely high (I can adjust this by fiddling around with the rear ladder slide), but groups are phenomenal: 100-yarders regularly come in at three inches or less, and that's about as good as I can shoot with any Civil War-vintage arm. Buy Spencer 1866 - Repeating Rifle Co. UPS and FedEx will not . The SCAR 15P is chambered for 5.56 NATO and, with its 7.5-inch barrel, is the most compact SCAR to date. CONDITION: Good. SPENCER-BURNSIDE 1865 INDIAN WARS ERA CARBINE, NEW MODEL 1865 SPENCER SRC MADE BY BURNSIDE, FINE SPENCER 1860 CARBINE IN CALIBER 50 RF, "Spencer Saddle Ring Carbine Converted to Shotgun (AL8016), Model 1865 SPENCER CARBINE .50 Cal. During his lifetime, Spencer was responsible for a plethora of patents, including such diverse contrivances as a textile spool labeling machine, an automatic lathe turret and an early pump shotgun. The spring of 1865 found the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac located around Petersburg, Va., and it reported 5,300 Spencer carbines in field service. The total length of the gun was 39 inches, and the carbine weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces. A good, balanced choice for hunting and medium-range combat . Caliber .56-56. For recommendation, the average soldier's pay at the time was less than $14.00 each month. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. Receiver and trigger guard show areas, "Spencer Sporting rifle. Apparently, Lincoln was impressed right from the get-go, asking Spencer to explain the workings of the piece and disassemble it in order to "see the inwardness of the thing," which Spencer did. models. Late in the war the Ordnance Dept. PLATE SAN FRANCISCO CAL. Lever-action rifle with 7-shot tube-fed magazine, checkered spur hammer, and adjustable ladder and fixed blade sights. The trooper-loaded down with his Spencer carbine, 40 rounds of ammunition and full haversack-disappeared entirely in the mud and water, and only the quick help of his friends saved him. Stocky's Owner Don Bitz walks David Faubion through the company's new rifle stocks for 2023. Spencer Carbine: Suggestions on How to Properly Restore. models. When the lever or breech guard was raised, the motion moved the slide back into position. Thus a broken Spencer remained broken. Here are the features to watch out for. Shooters have told me they can be dropped in easily, though it has been my experience that some handwork is required. But as testimony to Christopher Spencer's Army trials, the gun did not jam, even after firing more than 25 black-powder rounds without cleaning. Those Spencers were .50 caliber with a 30-inch barrel that was rifled with 3 grooves. Gun has a bout 75% toning, 26 inch round barrel with a fine bore. The sling bar and ring were neatly removed and a heavy 29"" oc, S O L D ..Martially Marked Spencer Model 1860 Carbine.LAYAWAY?56-56 Spencer. 47 overall with 30 very heavy weight octagon barrel stamped A. Part Number: L46. Pressures this low are difficult for the hobby handloader to determine using conventional methods such as measuring case head expansion, even when using sensitive calipers that measure as small as 0.0001 inch. The archives remain silent on the fate of his horse. Yet another trooper had a cartridge jammed in his carbine, rendering it useless, so he took a Spencer and ammunition from a wounded soldier going to the rear, and continued the fight. But somewhere in between, the Spencer Repeating Carbine emerges, a brilliant design fanned by the flames of the War Between the States and just as quickly extinguished by the calming waters of peace. placed orders for 32,000 Blakeslee cavalry cartridge boxes, which were the invention of Col. Erastus Blakeslee of the First Connecticut Cavalry. - YouTube 0:00 / 2:37 Spencer carbine speedloader. Barrel lacks the 1865 markings and is not numbered. Receiver has traces of ca, 20 inch round barrel with 3-groove rifled bore chambered in 50 RF caliber. Today an extremely creditable replica of the Spencer Model 1865 Carbine is made in Brescia, Italy, by Chiappa Firearms (formerly Armi Sport) and imported by Cimarron Firearms. The accoutrements included in the contracts were a cleaning brush and thong, plus screwdrivers to take the gun down. As of this writing, no standard pressures have been established for either the rifle or factory ammunition. The siege of Captain Jacks position lasted several months and finally ended in the summer of 1873, at which time Captain Jack abandoned the stronghold. To make things more confusing, the soft-lead bullet was actually .52 caliber but sported a Minie-ball-type cavity in its base that enabled it to expand and fill the six-groove rifling when the gun was fired. SN: 34495. Spencers are still popular in France and often taken afield by some of my friends in l'Arquebusiers de France. He pointedly asked Brigadier General James W. Ripley to reconsider his decision. Therefore if the AOL of the .45 Cowboy Special cartridges can be held down to 1.12" per cartridge, then 10 rounds should fit in the same length of tube. Description. It does not appear that those converted rifles were ever issued. On March 6, 1860, Spencer received a patent on a lever-action repeater with a rotating block, which fed rimfire cartridges into the chamber via a tubular magazine bored through the buttstock. The new big bore pistols feature industry-first capacity, with a standard 15-round capacity and 22+1 rounds of 10mm or 18+1 rounds of .45 ACP from the extended magazines. But it is for Spencer's concept of a repeating rifle that he is remembered today. Spencer Carbine, .56-56 Spencer, 10%: $900. The war in Virginia was over a week later on April 9, 1865, with Lees surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Catalog - Print: GunBroker is the largest seller of Books Books, Videos & Literature All: 973926394. Indeed, by now the war had escalated to mounted battles, and although Army and Navy rifles were produced, the carbine was favored. The gun performed flawlessly and Lincoln was sold, though Spencer confessed, "Being in almost daily practice, I naturally beat the president a little. Frontier Modified 1860 Spencer Military Rifle. Although the article did not say so much about where to get ammo for them. The Burnside Rifle Company created 30,496 Spencers that were purchased by private funds for state troops. Black Bridle leather box has hinged lid with securing strap and adjustable carrying strap. Original saddle ring. There is even a good case to be made for the Spencer repeating rifle being responsible, in some part, for General George Gordon Meade's victory over Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, where, according to a period account, "The daring and dashing feats of the 5th and 7th Michigan cavalry [armed with Spencers], under the lead of the intrepid [Custer], have become historic. Advanced . Excellent original blue remains on the barrel and the wood remains nice as well. They range from the Henry Repeating Rifle- forerunner of the Winchester lever action- to obscurities such as the Triplett & Scott by the Meriden Manufacturing Company. Actuating the loading lever causes the breechblock to fall. Here we present an antique Spencer Patent Burnside Contract Model 1865 Conversion to a Rifle, 20 inch blued barrel features a blade front and folding ladder rear sights with a very good bore. These basic questions were asked of the importers (Taylors & Company and Cimarron F.A. PLATE SAN FRANCISCO CAL. Testimonial upon testimonial arrived at the Spencer works, which by 1863 had relocated to the Chickering Piano-Forte Building in Boston, MA. Raising the lever inserted the cartridge into the chamber. Thus, in spite of a distinguished service record, the dismal reputation of the postwar gun soiled the company's name. The caliber was reduced, and many Civil War Spencers were taken to Springfield Armory, where they were refurbished and converted to handle the new .56-52 and .56-50 rimfire rounds (which were virtually interchangeable). The Second Kansas Cavalry, station in Fort Smith during the Civil War, were issued the Spencer in 1865 to replace their Sharps rifles. Post war factory alteration of the Army modelS# 95918. 20" round barrel with single spring retained barrel band. Also, the centerfire block has a floating firing pin, so it is not necessary to halfcock the gun when operating itthough I do it anyway out of tradition. smooth no pitting.This is a very nice example o, .52 caliber. Load on Sunday and shoot all week! This gave soldiers tremendous potential firepower, and prior to the raid Wilson requested that his men be issued a quantity of the Blakeslees.