Selma, AL Civil Reenactment: Super time *** Great Photos Added ***

[Sean Thornton]

The Quest for Spencer Knowledge

Using a Spencer in the reenacting world today in numbers is something new.  In the past original Spencer rifles and carbines have been used.  In fact I used an original Spencer carbine and rifle in some early events of the 1980s.  Blank ammunition was always the problem.  Today is different.  There are reproduction Spencer rifles and carbines offered in a variety of calibers.  Also the issue of blank ammunition hopefully has been solved.  Not only the availability of blanks but the cost was always a limiting factor.  Today there are two great options for the .56-50 Spencers.  One was developed by Andrew L. Bresnan using a 32 gauge shot shell hull as the parent case.  The other is a plastic version by Charles Misulia. Both offer a cheap way of shooting the Spencer at a cost of about 22 cents for the 32 based .56-50 if you load these yourself and about 30 cents for the plastic ones.  Also for those that want to use the 32 gauge based blanks but don't want to load them they can be purchased complete from Todd Koster.

The 2011 Selma, Alabama Civil War reenactment held April 29 to May 1 was an excellent opportunity to try out my 32 gauge shot shell based .56-50 blanks.  It would also provide a learning opportunity on using a Spencer at a reenactment.  Jim and I made the 1240 mile round trip down to Selma from central Illinois with our Spencer Rifles and plenty of blanks.  Charles Misulia put out a call for those with Spencers to join him for this event.  I think we had 4 Spencer rifles and 3 carbines.  Several calibers were represented but the .56-50 accounted for 3 rifles and a carbine, I think.  

Jim and I both had our Blakeslee boxes, Jim's a 6 tube box and mine a 10 tube box.  We also made up several paper tubes loaded as "Blakeslee tubes" so we did not have to handle one cartridge at a time.  For Saturday we both carried about 325 rounds of blanks.  Once the battle started our Spencers spoke almost non-stop.  The 32 based .56-50 blanks that Jim and I had made were working almost flawlessly.  Jim did have one that jammed him up for a very brief moment.  I was out of action for about 2-3 minutes also.  My Spencer just failed to fire with the hammer hitting on the frame instead of the firing pin.  Charles suggested that it was probably the lock plate screw.  Once I tightened that screw up I was back in business blasting rebs again.  Jim and I both found out that it was a lot of "work" using a Spencer, much different than working the lever on our Henry Rifles.  We found out that it did not take long for the barrel to warm up and to get down right hot.  With the battle over we returned to our camp, my van, to cool down and clean the Spencers.  One very big plus of the 32 gauge based .56-50 blanks is that upon firing the chamber is sealed allowing no "blow back" fouling into the action.  We both fired about 150 rounds and the action was as clean as when we had started.  The load we used was 35 grains of fffg so the barrel had a lot of fouling that was easily cleaned out.  Our Spencers were cleaned and ready for the battle on Sunday.

For the Sunday battle we decided to see what the least amount of "stuff" we needed for the battle would be.  It was decided that all we would take was our Blakeslee boxes, haversack with 30 paper tubes, canteen and Spencer.  I carried my screwdriver in the leather haversack with the paper tubes.  Once the battle was under way the Spencer armed men kept up an almost non stop firing rate against the fort.  Jim and I started firing as a team rotating shots as we levered the rounds through our Spencers.  This really seemed to work very well.  The 35 grains of fffg is an excellent load and one that I will probably stay with.  At one point in the battle Jim commented on the fact that it does not take long to go through a lot of ammunition.  We had gone through 6 tubes in a short amount of time.  Seeing all of the little red shells, "my children" as I called them,  on the ground was kind of neat.  We did not see a single shell that was left over from the Saturday battle.  I think the kids must have made a sweep through the battlefield on Saturday and found every one of them.  We finally advanced on the fort and took it with the Spencers speaking the entire time.  The battle on Sunday lasted around 45 minutes or a little longer.  Upon doing a round count I found that I had emptied my Blakeslee box, 70 rounds, and had also gone through 19 of the paper tubes as well as having 8 rounds in the Spencer to start with, 211 rounds total for Sunday.  Jim and I had absolutely no problems on Sunday.  I had checked every screw to make sure they were tight after cleaning it on Saturday.  The only issue on Sunday was a very hot barrel. It was a great weekend for the Spencer firing my way through over 350 blanks.

The weekend of Selma was learning experience.  Here are some of the observations from the weekend:
1.  Make sure to keep all screws tightened and have a screw driver with you.
2.  We developed a way of carrying what we need to field our Spencer.
3.  The 32 based .56-50 blanks worked almost to perfection.
4.  Fouling in the action using the .32 gauge based .56-50 was almost non-existent.
5.  The Blakeslee box was a neat addition but sometimes got in the way.
6.  Making paper tubes so as not to have to handle individuals rounds was a good    idea.
7.  As I had already learned the only downside of using the 32 gauge based .56-50 is the color of the shells, red.  It does look neat to see a pile of casings as you move to the next location.  The color red also makes it easier for the kids to pick them up after the battle so that could be a positive.
8.  Not everybody is a reloader like Jim and I are so the option that Charles offers is a great way for those people to go.
9.  A neat observation was to see 7 Spencers in one group.  
10.  I really did not know how many rounds to carry.  Those that know me know that I never run out of ammo for a reenactment.  My best guess now is that at a spectator battle of an hour or less 250 rounds would be more than enough for the Spencer.    
11.  Don't mix different makes of ammunition once you have started firing. One of my rounds stuck in Charles' Spencer.  He  was using his plastic rounds and when he tried the on 32 based .56-50 I gave him it stuck in the chamber.  A quick tap with the wooden ramrod knocked it out.  
12.  A glove could be beneficial since the Spencer will get very hot.

[Andrew6thCav]

It was indeed a great time Andy and thanks again for all the help and advice with my new rifle. 

Also, there was a paper tube found loaded with Spencer blanks found by one of our Company Captains shortly after the battle.  If anyone is missing some ammo, please let me know and I can forward your info to him so you can get your rounds back.  I know making/purchasing these things can be a hassle so we want everyone to get their ammo back safe. 

[nactorman]

A super time, indeed!

I would like to say thanks to everyone who came out and participated with the Wilson's Raiders Company this year. This year's event was indeed a blast!

After meeting up on Saturday morning members marched off to do battle against the Rebs who defended the earthworks protecting the city. Our group was armed with seven Spencers, a Henry, a Smith, and one muzzleloader. Together we managed to lay down an impressive fire on Saturday and get the "bugs" worked out. A screwdriver appears to be the essential accessory for today's Spencer shooter, as most issues are quickly resolved by tightening something.

Andrew and Jim used their shotgun shell blanks in their 56-50 Spencer rifles to good effect. The rounds sounded impressive and made keeping tabs on their whereabouts a cinch - just follow the little red trail! The guys on our end of the line used Veteran Arms, LLC's plastic 44 WCF/45 LC/56-50 blanks. These also seemed to work very well with good report and smoke. Indeed, the only issues encountered came as a result of mixing ammunition.

At one point, after firing quite a few plastic 56-50 cartridges, Andrew handed me a few of his shotgun blanks. The first one cycled in fine and fired great, but the ejector ripped through the brass lip on the shell and it was necessary to poke out the offending round. Apparently, the fouling patterns created by the different blanks make a jam more likely. The same thing happened with one of the 44-40 Spencers when after using one type of blank, a different type was fed in. In that case too, the offending cartridge was quickly popped out and no further problems were encountered as long as only one type of ammo was used.

Having had a chance to see Andrew's blanks in action, I can attest to the fact that they sound great and his process seems just the ticket for folks into reloading. I'll post some additional info on the alternative plastic blanks in a later post.

Saturday after the battle, our company sallied forth to the local steakhouse for a fine repast and much good fellowship. From there several members attended the ball downtown and enjoyed the music. Further fun was had around the campfire before taps sent us to our bedrolls.

Sunday morning, most members attended church services and then marched off to the cemetery for the memorial service. Some further fellowship and shopping was done at the sutlers before we were given the order to form up for battle.

Sunday's battle went much more smoothly and with our superior firepower we were able to overwhelm the Rebel homeguards manning the defenses. Once inside the works, we gave the Rebs a good thrashing and forced a general rout. I managed to fire over 200 rounds of ammo on Sunday.

Sunday's scenario was actually very accurate considering our impression. We portrayed the dismounted troopers of the 4th Iowa for the weekend. Considering the reenactment is a sort of scale version of the actual battle, our unit was placed in just the right spot on the Union left, followed up the initial assault conducted on the Union right, and we mopped it up inside the works following our charge using our Spencers. It doesn't get better than that.

I will be posting some photos from the event in this and following posts. I hope other members of the SSS will consider coming out next year so that we can field an even bigger group and really give our Spencers and the skedaddling Rebs a good workout.

Charles Misulia

[nactorman]

The "Troiani Shot"

[nactorman]

Inside the lines

[Sean Thornton]

Charles thanks for posting some of the pictures.  Selma was a fun time.  It was great to meet you and I thank you for the blanks.  I look forward to trying them, they seemed to work good in your Spencer and offer a good option for those wanting a blank that is easy to load without a lot of equipment. Hopefully we can do this again. Wilson's Raiders was a neat impression and having a group of Spencers is a different aspect in Civil War reenacting.  We hope to have 6 Spencer rifles at Conner Prairie in a couple of weeks along with about 20 Henry and a few other weapons in our company. You are welcome to join in with us even though it is a long drive, north of Indy.

[Andrew6thCav]

Charles thanks for posting some of the pictures.  Selma was a fun time.  It was great to meet you and I thank you for the blanks.  I look forward to trying them, they seemed to work good in your Spencer and offer a good option for those wanting a blank that is easy to load without a lot of equipment. Hopefully we can do this again. Wilson's Raiders was a neat impression and having a group of Spencers is a different aspect in Civil War reenacting.  We hope to have 6 Spencer rifles at Conner Prairie in a couple of weeks along with about 20 Henry and a few other weapons in our company. You are welcome to join in with us even though it is a long drive, north of Indy.

Charles' blanks are working excellently for me now that I've sorted out the right primer.  With just a slight modification to a spare spring for my magazine tube to compensate for their low weight they manage to cycle and fire with ease.  They're ideal for someone like me that doesn't have the space for a lot of extra equipment for round making and reloading.  I'm really looking forward to giving them a full try at my next event. 

[bluesuit01]

I too had a great time. Charles and all are a great group of fellows to hang out with and to stand next to in line. I was using a carbine in .45 Schofield firing blanks made from .44 WCF and .44 magnum cases. I got a few misfires with the magnum cases, having to sometimes strike the primer twice. I put in a brand new firing pin for Sunday and had no misfires using the WCF cases. My great, great uncle 1SGT Tilford Ellis was in the 6th KY Cavalry, which was a part of Wilson's Corps. Though his brigade did not strike the city, I think uncle Tilford would have been proud.

[Sean Thornton]

It was great to see everyone and make new friends at Selma.  Charles did a great job in putting this together and i look forward to doing it again.  It was also very interesting to see the different Spencers.  I think there were 3 .56-50 Spencer rifles, I think a .44-40 rifle, a .56-50 carbine and a .45 Scofield carbine, .44-40 carbine and I am not sure about some of the others. 

[nactorman]

There was also a 45 LC Rifle (long version). We also had a Smith carbine + a Henry.

[nactorman]

Another pic.

[nactorman]

Oops, realized I posted the wrong one above. Its a duplicate.

[Two Flints]

Please name the men in this photo  Please, anyone know their names

















Two Flints

[nactorman]

From Left to Right in the first photo:

Joe McElroy
Tim Downey
Zack Ray - Standing
Jake Ray - Kneeling
Dave Robinson
Jesse Joyner - Standing
Charles Misulia - Kneeling
Andrew Bresnan - Kneeling
Jim Coon
James "Jim" Standard

[Two Flints]

Hi nactorman,

Thank you for the names!  Much appreciated.

Two Flints

[Sean Thornton]

"Taking the Piece"

[nactorman]

Oops! Someone's been smoking out behind the kerosene soaked cabin again. 

[Rusty Bull]

Hey, that's the work of Company B, 1st Alabama Cavalry (USV)!