"New Model" 1868 Spencer Rifle *** Photos Added ***

[Ibgreen]

Long story short.  I was in high school and visited one of my good friends.  He had a dozen or so antique rifles on his wall.  Remington rolling block, trap door springfield etc...  There was one cool looking gun that turned out to be an 1868 spencer rifle.  The collection belonged to his uncle in France who died and left these to him.  15 years later, he shows up with this gun wrapped up for my wedding present.  Model 1860 with 6 groove rifling, no stabilizer cut-off and no lane extractor.  Only markings on the gun are underneath the front stock a "W" and what looks like a "O" same area but closer to the receiver.


                                (Photo Added by Two Flints)

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Welcome to our addiction.... It is either a weapon that was sold by the US government to France after the Civil War,
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,42559.0.html

or perhaps a Begian copy of the 1860.  They are almost impossible to tell apart, though I think the Belgian ones were 56-50.
http://www.n-ssa.org/vbforum/showthread.php?4920-WTS-Antique-Spencer-Carbine

[Ibgreen]

I plan on obtaining a cf block and mag follower.  Plans are to do some deer hunting with the spencer.  Neoprene covers for the stock should protect it from inadvertent bumps and scrapes.

[Ibgreen]

Here is a picture of the whole rifle.

[Ibgreen]

This is the only mark on the gun (other than a small O closer to the receiver)

[Ibgreen]

I ran a .50 cal powerbelt (without the belt) down the barrel. It fell freely.  I am to assume this is chambered 56-56?

[Two Flints]

IbGreen,

Thanks for joining SSS

You might be better served to send me your photos.  I can blow them up for a better "look see".  You have my Email address.

Two Flints

[Ibgreen]

IbGreen,

Thanks for joining SSS

You might be better served to send me your photos.  I can blow them up for a better "look see".  You have my Email address.

Two Flints

Emails with photo attachments sent to Two Flints  (What a great guy )




















          (Photos Added by Two Flints)

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Cartridge guide looks like the one on the Belgian made one, but I am not an expert.

[Ibgreen]

I guess I need to slug the barrel.  Even though the .50 cal power belt bullet passed through it, there was little play when putting it in.

[Ibgreen]

Well I slugged the barrel with a .577 round ball.  Attached is a picture with it beside a .50 power belt bullet.  To the naked eye it sure does look closer to .50.  What do y'all think?

[Arizona Trooper]

You have a New Model rifle made in about 1868. The short blade extractor and the Spencer patent magazine cutoff are the identification keys. It's not a Belgian. Not sure why it wold be unmarked unless it was assembled from surplus parts by SH&G after Fogerty sold off the Spencer parts when they bought the operation. Neat rifle! It should be 50 caliber.  

[Herbert]

Spencer sporting rifles are somtimes unmarked,maybe it was originly intended to be a sporting rifle but finished of as NM rifle,or asembled from parts to clear stock by the buyers of the Spencer company.A couple of carbines have shown up that started life with sporting rifle frames and were barreled with carbine lenth barrels and have Wichester 66 carbine rings fitted,I am convinced these were put together by Winchester to fill orders from France,but I have no proof of this,your rifle would allso fit into this period,O.F. Winchester would try any thing to save paying that $1 royalty to C.M. Spencer.Very nice and interesting NM rifle

[Ibgreen]

Wow!  Thanks guys for the added info.  Being a NM, does the replacement CF block fit?  I guess I need to change my title of this topic.  Hey, maybe NM stands for no markings?

[Herbert]

The blocks will fit,the rifle is chamberd for the 56-50 & 56-52 round you will need a bullet off .520 to .525 for best acuracy

[Ibgreen]

This is the only mark on the gun (other than a small O closer to the receiver)

Does anyone know what this lone mark under the front stock (either a M or W) indicates?

[Arizona Trooper]

The W (or M) is an armory sub inspection mark. When parts were being made, at each major step they would be gauged to see that they were within specification. If they passed the gauge, the inspector's initial would be stamped in them. Most of these inspections were done by armory employees. The final checks on government contract arms would be done by an Army (or Navy) inspection officer. Your Spencer should have a few sub inspector's stamps, but no US government inspections. If it was built by Spencer as a civilian arm, it would have assembly numbers on all the major parts. Since it doesn't, that makes me think it was built from parts on hand after Spencer sold out. Neat rifle!

[Ibgreen]

The blocks will fit,the rifle is chamberd for the 56-50 & 56-52 round you will need a bullet off .520 to .525 for best acuracy

Herbert,

I measured the slug.  .515 was the bore.   Would you go with a .520 with that measurement?

[Herbert]

Double check the size then check again,+ .001 to .002 over size seems to wok best most of the time.I would buy a .520 mould that holds plenty of lube and all so get a Lee custom lube sizer to suit ,eg .516 or .517,these sizers are push trough from the bottom and are perfect for dip lubed bullets