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Can someone identify a RF Cartridge for Me?

victorj19
Some years ago an aquaintance gave me a bunch of stuff that his dad had. In it was a large rim fire cartridge. Bullet dia is .490, OAL is .620, conical bullet, copper case with a "s" headstamp.

What do I have?
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    Chances are it's a Spencer cartridge. This was for rifles and carbines used during the Civil War.
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  • charliemeyer007
    So measure the rim dia. and overall length. Is it a straight case? Can you tell if it is a healed bullet like 22 lr are?

    Edit 56-50 is my vote. Oh and no crimps near the base as on inside primed case?
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  • gartman
    Are you sure that OAL is right? Seems like it should have a one in front of it. Can't imagine a cartridge only slightly longer than it is wide.
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  • 35 Whelen
    Being that short, it sound like a round that would've been used in a Derringer of some sort.
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  • givette
    What you most likely have is the 56-52 Spencer.

    Unlike BP loadings we are familiar with, Spencer named the various sizes of his rounds by taking two measurements of the casing only, just forward of the rim, and at the case mouth. Yours should be of the straight-taper design.

    This is a 56-56 Spencer. It is a non-taper straight walled case, as both the first measurement, and the case mouth measurement are the same. Best, Joe

    SpencerCarbineRound.jpg
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  • victorj19
    Thanks for the questions.
    My OAL was incorrect. It is 1.620
    Bullet dia is .490
    Rim dia is .640
    Case dia at opening is .550
    Case dia just above ring is .550(straight case)
    Case (not bullet) has 3 crimps about .7 from the headstamp surface
    Has a flat shallow depressed area centered (concentric) inside of the rim dia of the head stamp area
    The bullet does not have any grooves
    Cannot tell if the bullet is healed
    Has a tapered crimp
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by victorj19
    Thanks for the questions.
    My OAL was incorrect. It is 1.620
    Bullet dia is .490
    Rim dia is .640
    Case dia at opening is .550
    Case dia just above ring is .550(straight case)
    Case (not bullet) has 3 crimps about .7 from the headstamp surface
    Has a flat shallow depressed area centered (concentric) inside of the rim dia of the head stamp area
    The bullet does not have any grooves
    Cannot tell if the bullet is healed
    Has a tapered crimp


    There were a number of different Spencer cartridges made both during and after the U.S. Civil War. The dimensions you have given come closest to the 56-50 Spencer carbine cartridge. This was used by the U.S. military in the Indian Wars of the 1860's, and sold by commercial cartridge companies as late as 1920.
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