Burnside Spencer - Date of Manufacture?

[AZJOE]

Hi all,
I just purchased a Burnside M-1865 Spencer carbine, serial number 6931. Can anyone point me in the direction to find the guns date of manufacture and if it might have any significant history. I came across this forum last night and the information I found swayed me towards the purchase of this gun. The reloading supplies can't get delivered soon enough!!

Thanks for the help, AZJOE   

[Two Flints]

AzJoe,

The following is a partial page from the Roy C. Marcot book, Spencer Repeating Firearms, page 97.  It may answer some of your questions.



Two Flints

[Herbert]

in carbines of the civil war by john d. mcaulay your carbine was deliverd on 7th june 1865

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Pard,
Lest you be too disappointed that your Burnside Spencer missed the Civil War, there is a fair probability that it may have been issued to Cavalry troops in the Indian Wars campaigns.  While I can't go into it in detail here, a number of carbines, listed as "Spencer Repeating Rifles, cal. .50" were issued to the 7th Cavalry, the 10th Cav, and IIRC, the 4th Cav, at the very least.  The Burnsides were all caliber .50 (.56-50), as opposed to the Spencer-made M1860's, which were cal. .52 (.56-56).  In point of fact, various companies of the 7th and 10th had M1860's and later turned them in for M1865's (Burnsides)!

Hope this helps!  Happy Thanksgiving!

[AZJOE]

Thanks for the info. My main interest was the age of the gun. To see the condition of it I don't think it saw much action, unless it was exceptionally well maintained. The only firearms I purchase are those that I can shoot and of the ones I have seen this one tops the list. Aside from some damaged screw heads and a minor stock repair all else is good. The bore is mint and there is still a lot of case coloring on the receiver, lock, trigger plate and lever. Speaking about the barrel, was it common practice to serial number the barrel? When I took the gun apart to clean and inspect it I found a matching serial number underneath the forend.

Again, Thanks for all the help and info, AZJOE   

[Herbert]

nealy all original spencers were seiral numberd under barell to match frame number the exceptions are a few sporting rifles that wernt numberd at all and the belgin spencer made in 1873 and of cause gunsmith conversions

[Arizona Trooper]

A lot of Spencers were refinished by Springfield when they were turned in. If it has an ESA cartouche behind the saddle bar, it went through Springfield for repair and refinishing. Repaired and refinished arms were considered second class and would not be issued to regular troops, but did find their way to state troops, scouts, settlers in rough areas (like Arizona) and even to land grant universities for their ROTC programs. Lots were never reissued and sold off as surplus in like new condition.