Spencer magazine "Events"...

[.56/50 Iron]

As I read the information posted here, every so often one cautions about the possibility of magazine blow-ups. Be aware that any rifle whose magazine tube allows the bullet tip of the round to sit on the primer area of the round in front of it just may be subject to an accidental discharge of the one ahead of it in the tube.

Use very blunt or flat nosed bullets in the Spencer. When you reload rounds for this carbine, make real sure that the primers you are seating are well into the primer pocket so that they don't stick up beyond the flat surface of the base of the cartridge. No excuse for loading high primers!

If you are in too much of a hurry to clean out the junk that might remain in the primer pockets before you seat the new primer, or, if you are in too big of a hurry to feel the newly seated primer with your finger tip after you seat it (you will immediately detect a high primer by doing this), then STOP, get yourself a cup of coffee, kick back for awhile, and then go back to reloading! Also, you might want to try a primer that is made with a harder primer cup and is resistant to being struck by bullet tips in the magazine tube. Such a primer is the CCI #34 large rifle primer. It is used by the military in their ammo and eliminates the accidental discharge problem. The CCI #34 is also considered to be a magnum primer.

Also, if you ever come upon a REAL, VERIFIABLE case of a magazine explosion in a Spencer, please report it to us here! If you can't verify the situation, then it is just another rumor and we are all aware of the possibilities! I wonder how many of these accidents have REALLY occurred? Be careful as no one wants any more ringing in the ears than we old shooters already have singing to us!!

56/50 Iron

[nactorman]

Although I'm sure you were referencing "events" in the new Armi-Sport Spencers, the report below may be found in the Official Records regarding the weapons used in Wilson's Raid. I just thought it might be of some interest.

"Two accidents arose from the magazines of the Spencer carbine exploding from being half filled while on "hot march" by concussion. In one instance the magazine was in the pouch, in the other in the stock of the carbine. The tin tubes, or magazines which contain the fixed ammunition, metallic cartridges, should be therefore kept filled. Four inches of play on a hot day may explode them, as evidenced in these two cases."  -- The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. ; Series 1 - Volume 49 (Part I), Page 409.

[Herbert]

The main danger with the rimfier amunition exploading in the Spencer was wen loading,if the magizine was slaped down it could hit the rim of a cartrige causing it to detonate ,if eased in this was not a problem,and when the cartriges are in the magizine they are under spring presure and it would be almost imposible for them to explode by them selves ,a rifle shot could do it though ,i think the cartriges in the Blakslee box would be almost as hard to detonate,reports in war can get distorted ,i would bet if these explosions hapend there was somthing else besides a bumpy ride that set them off

[Arizona Trooper]

I know of one instance of a magazine going up with a CF conversion. It happened in the early 1980s and involved pistol primers and the original round nosed magazine follower. Luckily, there was only one round in the magazine when it happened. The stock blew out opposite the lock but no one was hurt, the stock was reparable and the carbine had no other damage. All in all, the shooter was unbelievably lucky! By the way, he sold the carbine right after that, unrepaired. 

The account from hte ORs sounds like it is referring to the Blakslee box. That said, there are plenty of reports of rimfire Spencer magazines going up during the Indian Wars era. That was one of the reasons that the War Department went back to single shots.

Bottom line, use RIFLE primers! They are a lot less sensitive, which makes the tube magazine a lot safer.

[Herbert]

I do not want to start a argument ,but i belive magizine explosions in tube magizine rifles are almost always caused by high primers ,as pistol primers sit below the leveal of  primer pocket opening i belive they should be safer with a flat nosed bullet as it can not touch the primer,but i still youse the hardest primers i can buy,CCI orWOLF,the magizine folower should defintaly be be flat or even better holow pointed lick the S&S follower,i have heard of the stories of exploding Spencers and belive it must have hapened ,but i can not find any documantation ,has anyone found any,it would be interesting to see what the reports have to say as the reason,not douting this hapened explosions in tube magizines have hapened and will hapen if care is not taken