Blanks for the 56/50????

[Grapeshot]

Anyone out there know of any outfit that manufactures blanks for the .56/50 that will function reliably in the Taylor's Spencer??

[major]

Grapeshot
If you want to use a Spencer for blanks you are better off with one in 44 Russian.  That way the blanks are cheep and disposable.  Check out this article on the subject.
http://www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com/spencer_article.html
If you have to use a 56/50 then you might want to try the plastic shells that S & S sells.  You add a shotgun primer and you can also add about 20 grains of Black Powder to it to make it sound better and smoke some.  They worked fine in my original 56/56 but I had trouble getting them to cycle in a 56/50 Armisport Spencer.  One other problem with them is that they are about 95 cents each so you have to stop to pick them up so you can reload them.  Hope this helps.
Terry

[toballes]

Is there any other alternatives to buying the blanks from S&S? I am a Civil War reenactor and want to use my recently acquired Taylor (Armi Sport) 56-50 on the field. 

[Harve Curry]

Some have mixed success with using cut down WWI era 8mm French Lebel blanks.
I tried some but they wouldn't feed or extract in my original carbine cal.56-50.

You cut them down with a tubing cutter, this removes the wooden bullet, leave the old powder in and cover with thin paper wad.

They are corrosive Berdan primed.

They work better in some guns then others.

They are loud, inexpensive and come with the powder.

[French Jack]

A friend of mine turned me out a few on a lathe.  They are made from aluminum rod, nad are turned to replicate the dimensions of a loaded round.  Drilled a hole for powder, and made to accept a 209 primer, they work very well.  Feed and function perfectly.  caliber is 56-50 Taylors.

[Rosoce Coles]

I have a bunch of them made by the 7th Michigan cav of the NCWA years ago.  They are turned out of brass so the have the outside dimensions of a 56-60 case and drilled down the middle to take a .38spl case.  They loaded up a pile of BP .38 spl blanks then inserted them into the brass "blank" to feed through the gun.  This worked well  and made reloads easy , just push out the expended .38, slip in a fresh one and your ready to go.

[walta44]

I`ve been using 348 Win. brass(Buffalo Arms-about$.60 each) - cut off just below shoulder with tubing cutterwhich leaves a radius. Is 1.40 OAL. Imade a crimping die from an old die from my junk box which rolls case mouth nicely (with a little help from Rockchucker press and some goose grease).filled wih 3F and tissue wad . Cycles fine as tapered case feeds without a hitch. Now i`m all dressed up with nowhere to go as New Eng. re-enactor brigade has banned cartridge guns(my Henry, too!) Guess I`ll go scare Hell out of the squirres in the backyard!

[Two Flints]

Hi Walta44,

Just curious, why the ban?  Any specific reasons?

Two Flints

[major]

Sounds like "Gun Control" to me!!!  Or at the very least "stitch nazi's" at work probably using "safety" as a smoke screen.  I think I would be looking for another unit if I were you.
Terry

[walta44]

Cartridge guns are banned to prevent someone from chambering live rounds by accident(!).  It`s foolish because our weapons and cartridge boxes are inspected in formation before we take the field. They do allow my Smith carbine (Navy Arms), however which could easily be loaded with a bulleted ctg.. Dont want to point out inconsistency as they may ban them too. It`s the only local re-enactment group that sponsors local events- don`t have time to go big events down south .  Are all the Taylor spencer rear sights crappy? Had to file sight groove so could see front sight and squeeze slider so would`nt be sloppy.

[major]

Walta44
You might want to point out to them that anyone with a musket could load a blank charge and then accidentally, or on purpose get a stone down the barrel and shoot it out. 
Also almost anyone using any kind of  breach loader...(if the shooter was an imbecile that is)...could load a live cartridge.   Perhaps a compromise would work, it being that cartridge guns would be allowable if loaded as single shot.  That kinda defeats the purpose of a repeater but at least you could still use it.  I know that all of us would be interested in the outcome of this, please keep us informed.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Howdy,

The "battle notch" on the Taylor's Spencer is way too little.  Needs to be opened up. I have had a 45 Schofield and two 56-50s, though, and never had a problem with the sliders.