Reproduction Spencer Rifle

[Major Matt Lewis]

Jack,

It must of been the folks not in the picture that had the Spencer's   Just kidding.  I obviously got my units mixed up....I should have said 17th Indiana.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Richard:

I'm more partial to rifle green than blue for a uniform ......   

[Major Matt Lewis]

I reckon I knew that...

[RattlesnakeJack]

Although I've been posting on the Spencer forum about it, I thought perhaps an update here in the Barracks would be in order ....

I did receive my reproduction ArmiSport/Cimarron Spencer rifle some time back, and have since then acquired (from Blockade Runner) a reproduction 6-tube Blakeslee cartridge box and also a reproduction Pattern 1853 Enfield bayonet, which I hoped would fit the rifle (or at least could be adapted to fit it) since my understanding is that Canadian militiamen issued with Spencer rifles in 1866 used Enfield bayonets - as would appear to be the case from the photo of the QOR rifleman posted above.

The repro bayonet did not quite fit .... which I had expected would be the case, having tried an original P'53 bayonet on it.   When I did that, I could see that the primary problem was that the front sight block on the reproduction Spencer was rather higher than on an Enfield (and presumably also higher than on an original Spencer, if P'53 bayonets did fit them).  I appeared to me that there would be enough "meat" in the arch which passes over the sight blade and block to permit me to increase the height of the slot, so that I wouldn't have to alter the sight on my rifle.  Yesterday I did some filing and fitting along those lines (also needing to square up the slot in the locking ring and dress down the center of its tightening bolt to permit more room for the sight blade and block to pass through) and succeeded in adapting the bayonet to fit the Spencer and lock in place.  The inside diameter of the socket was just a bit too big, resulting in a "rattling fit", but I soon cured that by flowing some silver solder into the socket and then dressing that down until it fit snugly and securely.

Here are a couple of photos of the rifle, with bayonet and Blakeslee box .... this forum automatically reduces the size of photos, but if you right-click on each image and then use the "open image in new tab" command, or equivalent, you can view the images in somewhat larger size -

[cpt dan blodgett]

Very nice, great initiative in fixing the bayonet (pun intended).

Please post pics when you assemble the rest of the Kit.
I expect the Kit will make the rifle seem inexpensive says one who just dropped a bundle to Dirty Billy's for my US 1872 Infantry officers shako with the "76" crossed rifles.  May receive it in the next month or two.

[Bull Schmitt]

VERY NICE!!

[Pitspitr]

Capt Dan
Dirty Billy is making the '72 infatry Shako?  Cool! The last I knew noone was making them anymore. When you get it please write a review for us.

RSJack
my expirience with reproduction bayonets is that they all take a little fitting.  Are you bringing it to Garnett next month?

[RattlesnakeJack]

Please post pics when you assemble the rest of the Kit.
I expect the Kit will make the rifle seem inexpensive ......

Captain Dan:

Yes, I'll be trying to assemble the rest of the kit over the winter.  I realize that the period photo above doesn't reveal much detail, but here is a colour artist's impression of Queen's Own Rifles kit circa 1866:



The tunic and trousers are very similar to the circa-1885 uniform I already have, although there are a few subtle differences .... the most noticeable being the cuff facings - which are solid green on the later uniform, rather than red as on this version.  I have long wanted to get a better QOR uniform anyway .... because in asking for a lightweight material for my present uniform (.... I was hoping for comfort, temperature-wise ....) I ended up with a polyester-blend material used for making modern Rifles dress uniforms.  The synthetic component makes it hot anyway .... and the damn stuff actually "glistens" in bright light!  This time, I'll insist on pure wool!

It is likely that my biggest problem will be acquiring a suitable reproduction British Pattern 1861 shako - also referred to as the "Quilted Shako", because the felt covering was secured to the cork body with criss-cross lines of stitching which gave it something of a 'quilted' appearance, as can be seen in these images -


(Officer's shako on left, reproduction Other Ranks shako on the right.  I believe that the air vent on the latter is a modern effort toward comfort, as I haven't seen such a device in any photos of original shakos.)

My shako would need to be rifle green, of course, with a green ball ornament.  I was able to recently acquire on Ebay a reproduction (quite possibly home-made) of a US Pattern 1855 shako .... from Australia of all places, and for the unbelievable low price of only AUS$10 .... because nobody else bid on it!  (The shipping cost ended up being twice as much as the shako, in fact!)   I believe I can re-work it into a reasonable facsimile of a British P'61 shako .... although I am literally going to have to take it back to the basic body and rebuild it from there.  Extensive reworking would have been necessary, anyway, if only because the visor was made of black-painted wood (hobby plywood, I'd call it) rather than leather.  It actually didn't look too bad, and it might have been possible to cover it with leather, but being so rigid it wasn't letting me re-shape the body to fit my forehead better.  I am thinking that if I can get suitable green felt or wool cloth (possibly even pieces of the same material my new uniform gets made of) I could have the diagonal stitching done on it before I adhere it to the shako body, to get the "proper" appearance .....

[RattlesnakeJack]

..... Are you bringing it to Garnett next month?

Probably ..... although I won't compete with it until I've get all the proper kit put together for it .....