Original 56-52 rifle or Romano Carbine

[Dana]

OK Spencer shooters, it's coming down to crunch time. I'm looking at two different guns. This is going to be my Silhouette shooter, my choices are the rifle or carbine, new vs original. Please give your opinions.

Note: 150 to 200 yd range.

[major]

Dana
If the rules for the competition you are in will allow it I would go with a rifle in 44-40.  It would be a lot cheaper to buy and to feed.  Plus the shooting accuracy of a 44-40 is much better than one in 56-50.  Just my 2 cents.
Terry

[Herbert]

This is choice that you will have to make,is the rifle defently a 56-50 , and what distances will you be shooting at,I find the rifle much easier to shoot acuratly,the Romano guns are a work of art an very acurate with the right loads the original rifles  are also very acurate whith the right loads,as for colectors value in the future the original will defintly go up but so will the Ramano(quality always apreshiats eg old Rolls Rocies)I agree with Major the 44-40 is the only Armi Sports Spencer that would be acurate enough for silhouette shooting,any way you go you will have the best avalible,I am still saving for a Romano rifle , hope they are still avalible when i get the money

[Trailrider]

Ditto for the above opinions.  Just a historical note here:

The .56-50 and .56-52 are really different manifestations of the .56-50 cartridge for the (mostly) post-CW Spencers.  The .56-50 was created by the Springfield Armory, and features a straight-taper (almost cylindrical) cartridge case, with an inside-the-case lubricated bullet.  The mouth of the case is crimped around the ogive (curve) of the bullet's nose.  One of the ammo makers, Crittenden & Trimble, did not like the design of the "Springfield .50 caliber carbine cartridge. They came up with a very slightly bottlenecked cartridge that is shorter than the .56-50, and uses an outside-lubed bullet.  So what Spencers rifles or carbines are chambered in .56-52?  The answer is NONE!  The two cartridges are interchangeable in the .50 caliber guns!  It's about like the difference between 6mm Remington and .244 Remington cartridges (although the rifles designated as "6mm Remington" have faster twist rifling, which is NOT true of the .50 caliber Spencers).

In addition to the above, you can probably shoot .56-50 or .56-52 ammo in a .56-56 Spencer, though the bullets may rattle down the barrel and accuracy would probably be miserable.  But, in a pinch, if you were facing a bunch of hostile individuals at close range, you might make do. 

[Herbert]

I have some Winchester H marked 56-52 cartriges ,the bullet in these is .532 diameter ,they chamber in my 56-50 and i suspect they may bump up to work in a 56-56(maybe)most 56-52 bullits i have measured are around .525,I think this is why they had a good record for acuracy,some 56-50s the bullit was as small as .495 and avrage was .513 ,fine for the tighter springfild barells but to small for best acuracy in a .522 avrage groove diameter 56-50

[Trailrider]

I have some Winchester H marked 56-52 cartriges ,the bullet in these is .532 diameter ,they chamber in my 56-50 and i suspect they may bump up to work in a 56-56(maybe)most 56-52 bullits i have measured are around .525,I think this is why they had a good record for acuracy,some 56-50s the bullit was as small as .495 and avrage was .513 ,fine for the tighter springfild barells but to small for best acuracy in a .522 avrage groove diameter 56-50

Yeah, if you look in the Spencer book, in the chapter on cartridges, the dimension, especially the bullets varied all over the place, depending on the manufacturer.  I haven't had the chance to slug the bores of any .50 caliber Spencers, but the M1860's had tapered bores!  Generally, the groove diameter (six lands & grooves) started at .545 and squeezed down to .535" at the muzzle of carbines.  The 3-land, 3 groove barrels are tough to measure by conventional means, and require a special gage setup.  I would think they would measure about like the .50-70 Gov't, since the dimensions were set up at Springfield. But then, again, maybe there was variation in the Burnside-made carbine barrels.  Quien sabe?

[Herbert]

All the Burnside Spencers I hav measured were .521 to .524,I had trouble with mine till I enlarged the mould to .525,the two Springfield converted rifles I set up for other people both measured .513