Original Item: Only One Available. This is a genuine U.S. Civil War era Spencer Repeating Carbine. All parts are completely correct, and it looks to have seen service during the war and possibly on the frontier afterwards. This has given it a fantastic patina and "been there" look, which looks great in any collection.

A very nice Spencer Model 1860 Civil War Carbine with Serial number of 54095, indicating early-mid 1864 manufacture. This number is found on the receiver tang, and on the underside of the barrel. From Spencer's initial order for 7,500 Carbines starting at serial number 11,001, 7,000 were supplied by December 1863 and the balance in early 1864. We checked the Springfield Research Service records, and this serial number does not appear. However, serial numbers 52445, 52470, 52512, and many others in a block nearby went to Company "G" of the 14th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during 1864, so it is possible that it may have been part of that shipment! Serial numbers in the range were being delivered in late 1864 and early 1865. Lots of research potential here!

The carbine comes complete with its original 7-Shot tube magazine stored inside the butt stock, this was the gun that advertised, "Load on Sunday and Shoot all week". Maker’s markings and patent information are still partly legible on top of the receiver, with the lowest line completely worn away:-

Extensively used at Gettysburg, this really is a Civil War Classic!

This particular carbine is now fitted with a Stabler cut-off attachment, which allows the carbine to be used in "single shot" mode without loading another round into the chamber. This was was retrofitted in the post-war period by Springfield Armory to some of these carbines. This is the only update that was performed, and was not updated to the Model 1865 specifications, and is still equipped with the correct 22 inch barrel with 6 groove rifling, as well as a "non-ribbed" magazine tube.

The stocks are in very good service used condition, with the expected wear of age and service, as shown. There is some staining near the metalwork, and scattered light denting overall. There are also some gouges in areas, but no chunks missing, and we do not see any signs of a major refurbishment. There is no cracking on the fore stock, however there is a crack on the right side of the butt stock near the butt plate, right on top of the magazine channel. This is a very common area for cracking to occur, as the wood on the sides of the magazine channel is quite thin.

The metalwork overall is in very nice condition, showing a lovely gray polished patina overall from decades of cleaning. There is not any major oxidation we can see, just a bit of light peppering in areas. We checked the bore, and the 6 groove rifling is still in very good condition, showing strong lands and grooves, with a partly bright finish. There is some wear, as well as some fouling and light oxidation in the grooves, but for a black powder era gun this is definitely a really great bore! The carbine functions well, and we did not notice any issues with cycling. We did not try it with any dummy ammo to see if it could still feed. The magazine looks to be functional, but it can be relatively difficult to rotate at times. The rear sight is present and fully functional, while the front sight blade has been replaced by a piece of brass.

Overall a very nice example of an iconic civil war weapon, that has passed the test of time with flying colors! Perfect for any collection, and ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Years of Manufacture: mid-late 1864
Caliber: .56-56 Spencer rimfire / .52 cal
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 22 inches
Overall Length: 39 inches
Action: Lever Action with Manual Hammer
Feed System: 7 Round Tube Magazine

History and overview of the Spencer repeating rifle and carbine-

The Spencer repeating rifle was a manually operated lever-action, repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges. It was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the American Civil War, but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the time. The Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version.

The design was completed by Christopher Spencer in 1860, and was for a magazine-fed, lever-operated rifle chambered for the 56-56 Spencer rimfire cartridge. Unlike later cartridge designations, the first number referred to the diameter of the case ahead of the rim, while the second number referred to the diameter at the mouth; the actual bullet diameter was .52 inches. Cartridges were loaded with 45 grains (2.9 g) of black powder.

To use the Spencer, a lever had to be worked to extract the used shell and feed a new cartridge from the tube. Like the Springfield Model 1873 Trapdoor Rifle, the hammer had to be manually cocked in a separate action. The weapon used rimfire cartridges stored in a seven-round tube magazine, enabling the rounds to be fired one after another. When empty, the tube could be rapidly loaded either by dropping in fresh cartridges or from a device called the Blakeslee Cartridge Box, which contained up to thirteen (also six and ten) tubes with seven cartridges each, which could be emptied into the magazine tube in the buttstock.

There were also 56–52, 56–50, and even a few 56–46 versions of the cartridge created, which were necked down versions of the original 56–56. Cartridge length was limited by the action size to about 1.75 inches, and the later calibers used a smaller diameter, lighter bullet and larger powder charge to increase the power and range over the original 56–56 cartridge, which, while about as powerful as the .58 caliber rifled musket of the time, was underpowered by the standards of other early cartridges such as the .50–70 and .45-70.

At first, conservatism from the Department of War delayed its introduction to service. However, Christopher Spencer was eventually able to gain an audience with President Abraham Lincoln, who subsequently invited him to a shooting match and demonstration of the weapon. Lincoln was impressed with the weapon, and ordered that it be adopted for production.

The Spencer repeating rifle was first adopted by the United States Navy, and subsequently adopted by the United States Army and used during the American Civil War where it was popular. The South occasionally captured some of these weapons and ammunition, but, as they were unable to manufacture the cartridges because of shortages of copper, their ability to take advantage of the weapons was limited. Notable early instances of use included the Battle of Hoover's Gap (where Col. John T. Wilder's "Lightning Brigade" effectively demonstrated the firepower of repeaters), and the Gettysburg Campaign, where two regiments of the Michigan Brigade (under Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer) carried them at the Battle of Hanover and at East Cavalry Field. As the war progressed, Spencers were carried by a number of Union cavalry and mounted infantry regiments and provided the Union army with additional firepower versus their Confederate counterparts. President Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth was armed with a Spencer carbine at the time he was captured and killed.

The Spencer showed itself to be very reliable under combat conditions, with a sustainable rate-of-fire in excess of 20 rounds per minute. Compared to standard muzzle-loaders, with a rate of fire of 2-3 rounds per minute, this represented a significant tactical advantage. However, effective tactics had yet to be developed to take advantage of the higher rate of fire. Similarly, the supply chain was not equipped to carry the extra ammunition. Detractors would also complain that the smoke and haze produced was such that it was hard to see the enemy.

In the late 1860s, the Spencer company was sold to the Fogerty Rifle Company and ultimately to Winchester. With almost 200,000 rifles and carbines made, it marked the first adoption of a removable magazine-fed infantry rifle by any country. Many Spencer carbines were later sold as surplus to France where they were used during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Despite the fact that the Spencer company went out of business in 1869, ammunition was sold in the United States up to about the 1920s. Later, many rifles and carbines were converted to centerfire, which could fire cartridges made from the centerfire .50–70 brass.

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