MY new Taylor's Spencer - first shots

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Well the dust has settled.  Relinquishing the original I got from Major 2 (sob ) to a list member made up the down payment deficit and left me $500. I took that  and sold off one wheel gun and had enough to get another Taylor's 56-50 Spencer.  I had some "Midway bucks" from a refund credit on a large order last year (surprised me they were still valid!), and used that to get some Starline brass and a Set of Lyman dies from Midway.  I have a LEE .515 Smith mold that will work, but DWM has sent me a modified that I like.  It should be here any day.

The Lyman dies needed work.  I had to trim about 1/16 inch off of the bottom of the crimp die to get enough of a crimp.  The case expander die, while better than in times past, still left a little buldge 1/3 of the way up from the base.  I took the bench grinder in the garage and solved that by tapering it more.

The gun is awesome.  Nice wood, great case color, and trigger about 5 lbs out of the box. Had the dumb rod on the trailing end of the follower that allows only 4 rounds in the mag, so I removed that.  Rear sight notch tiny (of course) so I opened it up with a cut off wheel on a dremel.  JUST RIGHT!   The action will open with hammer down, as it has a semi-inertial firing pin (still protrudes slightly with hammer down, but travels farther under hammer impact.  I will still cock the hammer prior to cycling action.  It prevents unnecessary stress on the firing pin and firing pin hole in breech block.

I am waiting on a modified mold DWM has sent me (hopefully today), but I lucked out.  I was getting out the lead pot to cast some bullets I owe Two Flints, and I found about a dozen of the .512 sized modified Lees mixed in with other re-cycled bullets I had tossed in (while it was cold) to melt next time I cast.  I promptly loaded up a dozen rounds with my pet load:

Starline brass, full length sized, 350 HRHW/DWM modified LEE (50-70 500 grain gut down), LEE Alox liquid lube, 40 grain volume Hodgdon's 777 FFG (actually 29.3 grains by weight), CCI 250 Large Magnum Rifle primer.  I was sizing them .512, but I think I will leave them unsized (they were .514 with my hard alloy). It should do around 1100 with the FFG.  No one around here has FFFG, but the FFG seems very accurate, and is in several stores, even in this small town.

Went down by the creek on my little farm where I have a 25 yard range set up (Do you seriously think I would move anywhere where I could not have at least have A 25 yard range ) Shooting leaning across the top of a 20 gallon garbage can (so, I haven't had time to build a rest<g>) First shot about 1 1/2 inch above POA to the left 2 inches.  Drifted sight, fired one, and drifted a tidge more.  Groups dead center about 1 1/2 to 2" above POA at 25 yards.  Best group a loose cloverleaf about 1" center to center.   Took the last four and bounced four pop cans at about 15 yards free standing, off hand.

Hot Dang!!!  I am in business.  I will re-sight using the unsized bullets instead of .512 sized, but should be about the same.


I DO LOVE A SPENCER!!!!!!!!!

[Black River Smith]

Rifle or Carbine?

[Tuolumne Lawman]

It's a carbine.  I will use it for both CAS and my mounted CW cavalry re-enacting when I don't feel like using the Smith.