{"product_id":"original-u-s-indian-wars-spencer-model-1865-saddle-ring-repeating-carbine-serial-751","title":"Original U.S. Indian Wars Spencer Model 1865 Saddle Ring Repeating Carbine - Serial 751","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely \"frontier worn\" condition genuine Spencer Repeating Rifle Company Model 1865 Saddle Ring Carbine. While most M1865 carbines we have seen were made by Burnside Rifle Company, about 40% of the total produced were manufactured by Spencer itself. This is one of the few model 1865s we have had made by Spencer, and it is definitely not an M1860 conversion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Spencer factory manufactured nearly 23,000 M1865 Spencer carbines, of which 12,502 were equipped with the Stabler cut-off. In the post-war period, Springfield Armory retrofitted about 12,000 M1860s to incorporate M1865 features. The .56-50-cal. M1865 Spencer carbines manufactured by the Burnside Rifle Co. and the Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces with 20-inch barrels, and they had an overall length of 37 inches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnderstandably this weapon became known as the one you \"Loaded on Sunday and shot all week.\" First produced in 1860 by Christian Spencer of the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company, which remained in business until 1869.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere we have a very nice genuine Spencer Repeating Rifle Company Model 1865 Saddle Ring Carbine, which looks to have seen long service on the frontier. The exterior metalwork has a mottled patina, and the stocks show significant wear and damage. Under the stock and inside the action however, it was protected from the elements, and still has a lot of the original finish present. It bears original serial number \u003cstrong\u003e751\u003c\/strong\u003e clearly on the tang of the receiver, as well as on the underside of the barrel under the fore stock. The barrel is correctly marked \u003cstrong\u003eM.1865\u003c\/strong\u003e over the chamber, and it has complete Spencer maker markings on top of the receiver, which are still fully legible:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSPENCER REPEATING\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRIFLE CO. BOSTON MASS.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAT'D MARCH 6, 1860\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Model 1865 carbine was made by both Spencer and by Burnside under license, and they each had their own serial number sequences. We can see some faded cartouches on the left side of the butt stock, but we are not able to make out the letters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe metalwork of this carbine, as mentioned previously, definitely shows a good amount of wear from use out on the frontier, with some areas of peppering on the sides of the receiver. It looks to have been cleaned repeatedly over the years, so the barrel has a nice mottled patina, and other places have a nice matured gray color. The saddle ring bar has however been removed, cut and ground down on the left side strap. The original ladder sight was replaced with a different one, which is missing the slider on the ladder, while the front sight is still intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe action functions well, though we have not tested the ability of the magazine to feed or of the ejector to function, though all parts are present and look to work. The bore is in very good condition, still showing the 6 groove rifling clearly, and the finish is mostly bright. There is some wear and past fouling, but no major oxidation, and this carbine looks to have seen only use while in service, with crisp edges to the lands. The magazine tube removes correctly, and is in good condition. This is one of the 10,498 Carbines manufactured by Spencer without a Stabler cutoff, and there are no signs that one was ever installed. There is no notch on the breech block, nor is there the proper inlet and screw on the trigger assembly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stocks show long use on the frontier, displaying a relatively dark red brown color, and both show wear and damage from use. The fore stock has some cracking hear the receiver, and there are numerous dents and dings from use in service. The butt stock shows some heavy denting on the rear left, and there is a long crack running back from the saddle ring bolster near where the faded cartouches are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall a very nice frontier worn example of an iconic weapon. Perfect for any collection, and ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYears of Manufacture: circa 1865\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .56-50 Spencer rimfire \/ .50 Government Rimfire\u003cbr\u003eAmmunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 20 inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 37 inches\u003cbr\u003eAction: Lever Action with Manual Hammer\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: 7 Round Tube Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory and overview of the Spencer repeating rifle and carbine-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45105857167429,"sku":"ONJR26MYMF018","price":2295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/5A38DAFD-C283-4181-9EFB-2ABB79BD850E.jpg?v=1780700737","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-indian-wars-spencer-model-1865-saddle-ring-repeating-carbine-serial-751","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}