SPENCER COWBOY LOAD as Previously posted by Backstrap Bill

[Two Flints]

Hello SSS,

It's been many months since I have been able to get back to the Spencer 56-50 project.  Apparently, the wait was worth it because I got a couple of things figured out.

Concerning the rear sight, I simply put the factory rear sight in the mill & cut the battle sight slot square (vertical sides, flat bottom) to 0.060" wide & about 0.100" deep.  Gave a great, clean crisp sight picture that allows me to get groups about 3" square at 50 yards, plenty good for deer hunting.  I also recut the notch on the elevator slide & the one at the top of the elevator being careful to index everything so that all the notches are on the center line.

Next, I worked up a load for cowboy shooting and what do you know, it prints dead on @ 25 yards, 6" low at 50.  I have not chronographed the load, but here is the data:  365 gr. Rapine bullet, 0.512" dia, 30:1 alloy, SPG lube, 27 gr by volume Elephant 1F (fills a standard Belding & Mull charge tube to 14.5), magnum large pistol primer, 0.030 Walter's wad, 0.035 compression, 1.503 loa, moderate crimp, annealed Starline brass.  I fired 20 rounds w/o cleaning, no leading was evident - I did this in 2 10-shot groups allowing the barrel to completely cool between strings.  Both groups were about 3" in diameter; 1st shot from a clean barrel prints about 1" higher than the others.

Like I said, I have not chronographed the load, but I can tell you that it is s-l-o-w.  my guess is around 600 fps.

Next experiment is a 3F Swiss load for deer hunting.  I am hoping to regulate the load so it prints dead on @ 50 yards.  If it does, I won't have to worry about reworking the front sight to lower the point of aim.  I'll post this load when I get the time to work it up.

I'll try to chronograph both loads sometime this fall.

Once again, stay tuned...
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Here is the chrono data for the cowboy load I described above, as well as recipe & velocities for the hunting load.  All data was collected 15' from muzzle over a Oehler 3 screen chronograph, it has not been corrected to give muzzle velocity.  Conditions were 65 F, 30% relative humidity, wind calm.

Sight setting was using rear sight with the staff laid down, top of front sight even with top of the square notch of rear sight, not the top of the "V".

Cowboy load that prints dead on @ 25 yards, center hold.  1st shot from clean barrel, 596 fps, remaining shots averaged 572 fps.

Hunting load, with center hold, prints 4" high @ 25 yards, 5" hi @ 50 yards.  For first shots from clean bores 4.5" @ 25, 5.5" @50.
1st shot velocity 990 fps., remaining shots averaged 976 fps.  I'll use a bottom hold on the deer.

Interesting note: cowboy load windage is dead on, the hunting load is 2.5" right of center @ 25, 4.5" right @ 50.  So, you might want to readjust the rear sight if you want to use this load for hunting.

Here's the recipe for the hunting load:  28gr by volume (14.8 on Std Belding & Mull charge tube if you have one), Swiss 3F, Federal magnum large pistol primer, once-fired Starline annealed brass, neck sized, moderate roll crimp, 365 gr. Rapine bullet 20:1, sized to .512", SPG lube, 0.030 Walter's wad, 0.035" compression, no drop tube, from a Lyman 99 measure, 1.503" loa.  Group size @ 50 yards, 3" wide by 2.5 high.

I think I'm done messing around with this rifle now so don't look for any more from me until after hunting season.  I plan to try for a whitetail with this beastie.

Thanks to all the Spencer Shooting Society members for their helpful posts & emails along the way.  This has been a great project.

Email me if you have any questions.

Re-Posted by Two Flints

[Tuolumne Lawman]

I had a similar difference in impact between different loads with my GI 1944 IBM M1 carbine.

The 110 grain FMJ 1953 Lake City ball prints 3 inches right of the Winchester 110 Grain JHP that I keep it loaded with for two and 4 legged varmits that frequent the area (I do live on the far side of east Jesus in the Sierras).