*** Photos Added *** Spencer Repeating Shotgun Conversion

[Snakeeater]

This Spencer repeating shotgun conversion is not a M1860 Carbine but one of the M1865 Burnside-contract carbines so was at best not delivered to the government until late September 1865. Although the manufacturer's data was sanded off of the receiver, there is still a trace of the Model/1865 stamping atop the receiver to identify it as one of contract carbines as well as the lower block and trigger-plate are modified for the Stabler device.

Essentially, it is a .56-50 carbine that retains only the rear 2-inch section of the original carbine barrel containing the chamber, to which a 20-gauge tapered smooth-bore barrel has been screwed on or perhaps welded (not unlike how Parker-Hale made their patent breech for the Enfield replicas), having only a round bead front sight (no rear sight). There is no gunsmith's info stamped anywhere to identify who may have done the shotgun conversion but as Roy Marcot writes in his book (page 159), a New York company, Bristol Manufacturing Company of 309 Broadway had advertised a similar conversion, the "Bristol Repeating Breech-loading Shotgun", but which was only sold in .56-50 centerfire for $30 each (in 1886). But in their advert they warned buyers against other similar guns made with welded barrels that were sold in rim-fire only. SN 26721 is still in .56-50 rimfire.

A control/assembly number used by the converter evidently had produced at least 38 such conversions as that number is stamped throughout on many of the parts, some in roman numerals, but he must have been Dyslexic as he marked the outer magazine tube "IIIVXXX". The SN 26721 is stamped atop the receiver, under the barrel, as well as in the forearm channel, and the end of the butt-stock.

Six of the photos (the "aak-986" series) are the photos downloaded from Track of the Wolf while the other five photos show the condition of the parts as disassembled. Another photo shows the "socket" wrench used to remove the magazine nut wto minimize damage to the wood. To remove the magazine nut from the outer magazine tube, I altered a 3/8" drive socket for servicing spark plugs because it was the same diameter as the magazine nut (13/16"), and so cut down its sides leaving two projections to fit the magazine nut, enabling me to remove the magazine nut from the stock without causing any damage.
























                               (Photos Posted by Two Flints)