Spencer 1860 carbine

[scooter748driver]

Been on the hunt for an Indian War converted Spencer carbine to go with my Springfield Model 1873 carbine. Was fortunate enough to finally acquire this one recently.

From College Hill Arsenal: There is probably no single weapon of the US Civil War that is more representative of the overwhelming force of industry and technology brought to bear by the North against the South than the US Model 1860 Spencer Carbine, more commonly known simply as the Spencer. Various single-shot, breech-loading percussion carbines were the standard issue US cavalry long arms prior to the war, and most of these guns remained in heavy use through the closing days of the war. However, the Spencer firmly established the era of repeating carbines firing metallic cartridges by the end of 1863.

The Spencer was in essence the original assault rifle. For the Confederates it was "that **** Yankee carbine that you load on Sunday and shoot all week!" While the Henry Rifle offered a greater number of cartridges in the magazine, the .44RF Henry round was essentially the ballistic equal to a pistol cartridge. The .52 caliber 56-56 RF Spencer round was much more comparable to a real service rifle load and delivered far greater downrange stopping power.

The Spencer was also very fast to reload. With a 7-round tubular magazine that fed through the buttstock, troopers could reload very quickly. Even though the Spencer shooter did have to manually cock the hammer for each shot, the robust design and powerful cartridge combined to make it the most prized, and most feared, cavalry long arm of the American Civil War.

Roughly 50,000 of these carbines were produced (in the 11,000 to 61,000 serial number range) between 1863 and 1865 and almost all of them saw service during the war. After the war, many were altered and modified at US armories and many remained in service on the frontier through the early 1870s.

Between 1866 and 1874, Springfield Armory refinished approximately 12,000 Spencer carbines for service with Cavalry units on the Western frontier. Changes included drilling out the original 52 caliber bore and putting in a 50 caliber 3-groove sleeve, installing a Stabler magazine cutoff, repairing and refinishing the stock as needed, and repairing and replacing metal parts to include rounding hammer noses and receiver tops to permit easier loading of single cartridges when the cutoff was engaged.

My carbine, serial number 28409, was manufactured in mid-1864 and likely saw service during the Civil War. It was refinished by Springfield Armory as described above and reissued to a Cavalry unit out west for further use.

Pictured here is my Spencer Model 1860 carbine with the Colt Model 1860 percussion revolver.

I'm excited to add this wonderful carbine to my Civil War and "Old West" collection.

 

[gary]

Congratulations on the Spencer acquisition.

The Henry's advantage is that cocking the hammer is integral with the operating the lever (and the hammer can be cocked independently). So it's faster. The Spencer's advantage is (besides stronger cartridge) is faster reloading, especially with the Blakeslee box. The Spencer also had a wood forearm, making it more comfortable to hold than the Henry which could get hot to hold. Between the two, I'll take the Spencer.

You apply Renaissance wax on that leather?

Nice photo composition too.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The Henry was not a military weapon. The exposed magazine was both easily fouled & damaged during field conditions. The Henry had 39 moving parts, which made it both expensive & slow to manufacture. The pistol cartridge ammunition was not an ideal combat load.

In contrast, the Spencer only has nine moving parts. Spencer was a machinist who had worked for Colt. As a result, his rifle design could be manufactured at scale remarkably quickly.

It was not until the late period of the war that the Blakesley box magazine was produced. Very few, if any, of the (-/+) 50,000 Spencer wartime carbines were utilized with the box magazine.

Colonel Wilder & the enterprising men of the Lightening Brigade simply filled their horse's feed bag with bullets. Loading the Spencer is simplicity itself. Grab a handful of rounds & feed them into feed tube. Leave or lever a round into the chamber & the 9.5 pound rifle / carbine had eight rounds, exactly like a WWII M-1.

Again, unlike the Henry, the Spencer naval version had a bayonet. I have never seen one. General Wilder mentions the bayonet, but again I have no reference of soldiers carrying one. Originally, Wilder's mounted infantry was called the "Hatchet Brigade" because they replaced sabers with axes. That proved problematic, so Wilder's veteran's were very unlikely to have burden themselves with bayonets.

Late in the war, Spencers were modified for loading a single round. Men on picket duty, e.g., could fire deliberately, one round at a time & save the seven shot magazine at need. Apart from that, the drop block action was fully functional from the beginning. No "B" model Spencer Repeaters were proposed. Spencer sold the company & went on to invent many practical devices. Ammunition for Spencer rifles was available at local hardware stores into the 1920's.

My brother's table hunting French relations have a Spencer rifle that, on special occasions, they still bring to wild boar hunts.

For a detailed history of the Spencer Carbine, read more here.

LInk

U.S. Spencer Lever Action Repeating Carbine