The "modernization" of the Spencer

[Harve Curry]

  Trailrider, Now your talkin ![/font]

[Bead Swinger]

Somebody correct me.
Couldn't you just take an Armisport 56-50 Spencer and put a new barrel on it, with the chamber milled for necked-down 56-60 cases? If you could still cram 45 gr. FFg into the case, that would be a really fun shooter. This doesn't seem like such a difficult thing to ask of a gunsmith.  But I'm not a gunsmith, nor can really afford one. My gues is that the Starline 56-50 or cut-down 50-70 brass would serve well.

Of course I shoot a 56-56 rifle w/ CF, and honestly couldn't afford a repro, and really doubt whether I could get enough for my original to buy a repro.  For as much as I brutalize my original by using it (I have to check/tighten the lockplate and triggerguard screws between stages because they shake loose ), sometimes I think I'd like to be using something modern. But there is nothing like the roar of a real repeating rifle that's flinging 400 gr of lead downrange.

Now here's an odd question for Authenticity.  After having seen an Evans Rifle in a musem, and discussed on this list, that sure looks like a really marvelous CBA gun.  The problem is that the .44 Evans round doesn't exist any more.  Would a .44R, .44C or .44/40 be the closest match? Of course, where would I find the many $1,000's needed to build such a marvel.