New Zealand Spencer

[minerotago]

Yesterday a Spencer was placed onto New Zealands internet auction site 'Trademe' and offered for sale. Two Flints - can you give me any information on this carbine which I have described the vendors description from the Trademe site.

Have you any information on who used it or who it was issued to? It has obviously been to England as it has English proofs. It will also be very interesting to see what it fetches - at the moment bididng is at $810 and that equates to about $567 US.


1863 model Spencer saddle ring carbine in 52 cal.Rim fire.
7 shot repeater, tube mag stored in the butt.
Receiver retains 60% original nickel plating.
Barrel lgth is 465mm long with a fixed fore sight and carbine ladder rear sight marked out too 900 yrds.
The bore is shiny with very good rifling.
The stock has usuall dings and marks but sound.
Action,hammer and mag all work well.
Marked on the top of action, Model 1863, spencer repeating rifle, patt march 1860, also V and crown.
Number to the gun is 17591.
Saddle ring, bar and bottom of lever has old pitting.

[Two Flints]

Graeme Thomas,

I did reply to your Email with the information I had on your Spencer Carbine.  Please check your Emails and if you did not receive it, get back to me by PM or Email at fsgrand2@fairpoint.net.

This link may be of interest.  http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,17279.msg219256/topicseen.html#msg219256

Two Flints

[minerotago]

Hi Two Flints

Many thanks for sending the email - unfortunatley I didnt get it which happens now and again, mainly with letters I particularly want! Had I received your email then I would not have begun the topic on the Spencer Shooters forum but I did think that this forum was a sure fire way to get you had the email I sent failed - that is if you were at home and not away hunting or shooting somewhere. I guess that at least the forum did get you.
The Spencer in question I had thought of bididng on if I can trace any provenance for it but not to worry. It is not common for them to turn up here in New Zeland though they do from time to time. I also guess it does interest other Spencer owners to know whats aobut and where. I find it interesting to note what turns up and where.

Here in New Zealand a lot of guns unexpectedly turn up and especially here in Otago where 32 Colt revolving carbines were issued to the Police - they arrived in 1864 and the Otago Provincial Constabulary were also issued with 37 Navy Colts, 12 with Ivory handles for officers in the same year!

In Otago I have picked up some scarcer US firearms, a Whitney Kennedy which was used I understand on a fishing boat for shooting sharks, A Burgess 12g Shotgun, a Spencer carbine, a Colt Navy which was found in the roof of a house demolished in the 1930s and a Winchester 73 to name a few.

[minerotago]

Hi once again Two Flints

I referred to your link but that took me back to the article about Te Kooti, an article which I had contributed to with some facets of new Zealand history and Maori use of a Spencer during the Maori Wars.

[minerotago]

I just got your email Two Flints - many many thanks and very much appreciated! You had sent it on the 29th so it must have somehow got caught up going backwards through the time zone! Is it still the 29th there or is it the 30th - we are either behind or in front - I dont really know! In any case your email was sent hours ago so I should have had it hours ago but it got temporarily lost in the ether!
Thanks again.