Plastic Spencer Blanks

Started by Tuolumne Lawman, August 31, 2006, 10:24:06 AM

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Tuolumne Lawman

Howdy to the camp.

I got 200 plastic 56-50 Spencer blanks with the rifle.  The feed great, but are a bit** to get the magazine tube over.  The rims are molded with a crisp, sharp rear face, and the tube does not like to slip past them while loading. I took a few and beveled the back edge with a dremel, and that worlks great. 

Anyone have an idea how to make a quick jig gizmoto put them in a drill chuck so I can spin them to make the dreme work faster?

I dont have a lathe. Maybe a piece of 1/2 inch dowel wiuth a piece of 1/2 ID heater hose slipped on the end?
TUOLUMNE LAWMAN
CO. F, 12th Illinois Cavalry  SASS # 6127 Life * Spencer Shooting Society #43 * Motherlode Shootist Society #1 * River City Regulators

major

Interesting that you should have that problem.  I had an Armysport Spencer in 56-50 in here last summer and had the same problem with the plastic blanks I got from S & S.  I had been using them in my original 56-56 Spencer and never had any problems with installing the fowler or the cycling of the blanks.  Are your blanks the ones from Taylor's or S & S?
Terry
Terry
Free Mason
9th NYVC www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com
155th NYVI http://155thny.org
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Tuolumne Lawman

Howdy,

I got mine from Taylors.  They are headstamped Kersaw Cannon Company.  I think TAPCO sells them too.

The problem is that unlike brass where the edge of the tube will hit the rear face of the brass and slide a bit, the plastic ones "grab" the sharp edge of the tube.  I beveled the rear face of several with a dremel, and the tube would slide down.
TUOLUMNE LAWMAN
CO. F, 12th Illinois Cavalry  SASS # 6127 Life * Spencer Shooting Society #43 * Motherlode Shootist Society #1 * River City Regulators

major

TUOLUMNE
The ones I got from S & S don't have any headstamp on them and they are brown.  Even so they may have come from the same manufacturer.  I wonder if the fowler in the originals are larger or maybe the tip is shaped different and that is why they work better in my original than in the repro?  Perhaps reshaping the fowler in the repro would solve the problem instead of having to reshape all the individual cartridges?
Terry
Terry
Free Mason
9th NYVC www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com
155th NYVI http://155thny.org
Alabama Gun Slingers
Shadows of the old west reenactors
SASS Life Member
SCOPE Life Member
NRA Life member
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a handsome, and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...."WOW!... What a ride!"

Tuolumne Lawman

Well, I got it worked out.  I slightly beveled the sharp rear face of the plastic blank rim with a dremel.  I held the dremel still in one hand with a silicon carbide cut off wheel on it at high speed.  I took the blank in my other hand and rotated it around on the edge of the rim.  I then I used some coarse steel wool to twirl off the polyethelene flashing that was created during the bevel process.

I also flared the open end of the magazine tube slightly. (this helped with loading live rounds, also).  Blanks functioned perfectly, though they only hold 20 (or maybe closer to 15) grains of BP.
TUOLUMNE LAWMAN
CO. F, 12th Illinois Cavalry  SASS # 6127 Life * Spencer Shooting Society #43 * Motherlode Shootist Society #1 * River City Regulators

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