.56 Spencer
Visited my sister this weekend and my brother-in-law drags out a .56 Spencer carbine with a patent date of 1860. Stock is cracked and the ejector seems to be worn out but it looks to be in decent shape. Any idea where I can find the screw that holds on the hammer? Suppose some .56 rim fire ammo would be kinda hard to find although he does have some original stuff, looks like the cases are made out of copper, not brass.
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Good luck finding anything for a spencer carbine.[:D] 
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My dad had a spencer that ended up going to my brother. I recall looking for ammo for it in the mid-60s. we lived in San Francisco atg the time. I found some in a small gun store, they had two cartridges and wanted $1.50 each. I didn't buy them. Now both the cartridges and the store are gone. 0 -
AJC, there were four Spencer cartridges and they are unusual in that the the second number of the nomenclature is the caliber, contrary to standard practice in the US: .56-56, .56-52, .56-50 and .56-46. It is probable that the one your b-i-l has would be chambered in the .56-56, although the .56-50 is also a good possibility. All the ammunition ever made for the Spencers had copper cases. None of the ammo has been loaded since at least WW2, but it was a standard item well into the 20th Century. Depending on the headstamp and condition, the rounds tend to sell $10 each and up these days as collector items.
HOWEVER, some years ago, an individual with more dollars than sense ran an experiment with a large number of Civil War era Spencer rounds (may only have been the .56-50; I don't recall the details exactly) which he tried firing - and about 75% did, some 120+ years after they were produced. In fact, the one consistently bad group of loads was from a maker who was infamous for producing dud rounds in the 1860s; apparently they had not improved with age. [:D]
*IF* one could be certain the rifle was safe to shoot, personally I'd burn a round or two just to be able to say I'd fired this combo. I believe the Union cavalry who delayed the advance of Heth's division the opening day of Gettysburg were so equipped (?) and, if so, a good argument could be made that this rifle was the catalyst for the eventual victory in that battle and the war. It's truly a key piece of American firearms history.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals." (me)0 -
I have a friend in the Napa valley that also has one he got from his grandfather about 20 years ago.He has about half a box of ammo for it.Yes it is a cooper case loaded with black powder.Looks like a giant 22 short with a pointed lead bullet.He gave me one cartrige for my bullet collectin.Old Western Scrounger or Navy Arms may have ammo for it.
EvilDr235
Two types of people drive old cars.Rich people because they want to and poor people because they have to.0 -
Evil, from the description you gave, yours is probably the .56-56. The .56-50 is somewhat longer and sleeker, the other two have bottlenecks - the .56-52 is very subtle and the .56-46 quite pronounced.
Good thought on the possible sources, but sadly it's wishful hoping. OWS and Navy Arms get their modern loadings of obsolete rimfire ammo by contract from Fiocchi & CBC (Brazil) respectively. While Dominion (Canada), perhaps Britain and some South American operations loaded some of these cartridges, principally (entirely?) before WW I, foreign manufacture of the Spencers has always been very limited and any specimens other than the Dominion rounds are damned scarce. If anyone is going to load new rounds for these chamberings, it will be domestic and that isn't going to happen given the limited market and liability issues.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals." (me)0 -
If I am not mistaken,the hammer screw from a Sharps Civil War carbine will work. I know that the mainsprings,barrel bands and band springs will interchange,so,it is a good bet that the hammer screw will also interchange. Try Dixie Gun Works www.dixiegunworks.com or S&S Fire Arms www.ssfirearms.com. 0 -
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Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
i`ll try this again...
.56-50 SPENCER
there are currently at least 2 companies making centerfire reproductions of this gun. we have a customer who has placed an order for two of these rifles with consecutive SER#`s. we found a supplier who offers the new centerfire version of this cartridge and ordered a few boxs. the loaded ammo was super pricey ($120.00 per 20 loaded rounds). we also placed orders for the brass, dies, and other componants (all of wich are backordered of course). we do not usualy have to order dies to load an odd round, but we did not have this one...
i have come across a few single piece collectable cartridges in this series...
BALDERSONS OFFICIAL PRICE GUIDE
lists several of this series and offers prices...
.56-46 SPENCER RF $35.00 PER ROUND
.56-50 SPENCER RF $5.00 PER ROUND
.56-52 SPENCER RF SHOTSHELL $25.00 PER ROUND
.56-52 SPENCER RF $8.00 PER ROUND
.56-56 SPENCER RF $10.00 PER ROUND
of course there are certain headstamps, date codes, bullet types, oddball loadings, etc... that are more desirable and can command a premium. condition also plays an important role in pricing, and cartridge collectors can be very picky and demanding.
we have a customer who still shoots a GALLAGHER CARBINE and you should se the oddball brass he has to make by hand to keep this gun supplied with ammo. i think thast DIXIE GUN WORKS makes some of this cup shaped casings...
best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
contact me at the shop at waltsgun@aol.com best regards, mike.0 -
Mike, I've never heard of Balderson's but (JMHO) they have their heads in the same cavity as john forbes kerry. They are high on the standard .56-46, low on the other three and I would *gladly* buy a .56-52 shot cartridge for my personal collection for $25; I've never even heard of such a beast. No offense, but I think you better find a different source for this data . . . whoever is putting this out does it as a sideline to their organic fertilizer business.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals." (me)0 -
TEAK...
its a pretty decent firearms price guide, with several appedices in the back one of wich is a 14 page referance guide to cartridge values. i must bow to your expertise in this matter, as you are the EXPERT.
oddly, the book is fairly accuratte in all other regards, and there evaluations on gun prices reflects current real world values, and is close in line with other guides of the type / in this genre...
i will put a post-it note in the guide reminding me that there collectable ammo prices may not be accuratte.
i have never seen a shot cartridge either...
best cautious regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
contact me at the shop at waltsgun@aol.com best regards, mike.0
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