Wilders confidence in the weapon was well founded, but his willingness to risk financial ruin by personally guaranteeing the loan of nearly $50,000 to purchase the weapons (roughly one million dollars today just in terms of inflation) truly underlines how confident he was in their success. The barrel inspector initials S.L. are visible on the left flat at breech. Rifle measures 47 overall with a 30 round barrel that features six-groove rifling. Spencer's design. Quantity Available: None. Spencer Rifle History: The Repeating 7-Shot Wonder As the war progressed, Spencers were carried by a number of Union cavalry and mounted infantry regiments and provided the Union army with additional firepower versus their Confederate counterparts. They were used at the Battle of Chickamauga and had become fairly widespread in the Western armies by 1864. the first shipment of Spencer carbines was delivered on December caliber rimfire metallic cartridge for use in his rifle. contributed to a large post-war surplus. (In 1860 Spencer priced his rifle at $45.00. These included the 2ndand 6ththrough 10thMichigan Cavalry, the 5th& 7thNew York Cavalry the 8thIndiana and 11thKentucky Cavalry and the 2nd& 4thMassachusetts Cavalry and the 11thOhio and 1stVirginia (US) Cavalry. Extensively used at Gettysburg, this really is a Civil War Classic! machine designs, and in the process, he developed what would be a The next day, Spencer arrived around 2 P.M. Lincoln, Spencer, and a few others went out onto the Mall, near where the Washington Monument stands today, to do some target practice with the Spencer rifle. Colonel Berdans Sharpshooters to be Armed with the Spencer Magazine Rifle. The Philadelphia Inquirer. US Model 1860 Spencer Rifle - College Hill Arsenal SPENCER RIFLE ISSUED TO MICHIGAN CAVALRY - Lot #4755. Spencers continued to serve through the end of the Civil War, and saw action during the Indian Wars as well. Sold Location: Keller, TX 76244. Lincoln took the rifle and shot, missing the target a bit. The most important piece of information on this rifle is the serial number 1646. The 30 barreled, 3 band rifle was designed to take a US angular socket bayonet that was almost identical to the standard US M1855 socket bayonet, although it had a slightly larger socket diameter, a taller bridge to accommodate the front sight, and was unmarked with the exception of a small inspectors mark forward of the mortise cut or on the neck of the bayonet. Alger had 80 of these rifles given to a sister regiment, the 6th Michigan Cavalry. Spencer showed Lincoln his gun, and the president was impressed by how simple it was. Learn More , Sept. 16 - 17: 2023 MAC Show, York Expo Center, York, PA Learn More , EXCELLENT LARGE, ORIGINAL FRAMED OIL PAINTING OF 20TH MAINES JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN BY MICHAEL GNATEK. The .52 caliber 56-56 Rim Fire Spencer cartridge was much more comparable to a real service rifle load and delivered far greater downrange stopping power. Both are contained in rectangular boxes with rounded corners. Spencer Rifle Issued to Michigan Cavalry "Weapons at Gettysburg - The Spencer Repeating Rifle" Topic The AK-47 cannot just simply be adopted by the United States, as Russia is the only country that has perfected the manufacture of AK series rifle. Wood has original finish with beautiful patina and depth of color. There is probably no one weapon of the American Civil War is more representative of the overwhelming force of industry and technology brought to bear by the North against the South than the US Model 1860 series of repeating rifles and carbines that are more commonly known simply by the last name of their inventor:Christopher Spencer. [sr] [ph:L]. Accessed November 26, 2017. Armstrong Custer's Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. About Us | Contact Us | Join/Renew | Corporate Ethics | Privacy Policy, Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present, Frank Brownell NRA Museum of the Southwest, Serialization/ Date of Manufacture from The Blue Book, Store Brand Crossover List from The Blue Book, Gun Collector Organizations from The Blue Book. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. LEFT CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE. tested by the Navy, resulting in the purchase of 1,000 guns. The original magazine tube is present and in fine, fully functional condition. Was the Spencer rifle used at Gettysburg? It was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the American Civil War, but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the time. The result was fierce hand-to-hand combat over the colors. These included the 2, Virginia (US) Cavalry. The case-hardened receiver retains none of the case hardening, but again has a moderately oxidized and somewhat mottled brownish gray patina. These problems were due to the gas system that the M16 has and that the M4 (a lighter version of the M16) still has today. Rifle is a .52 caliber rimfire longarm that used the No. troopers of the 5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment of George Custer's place on the Mall, near the site of the Washington Monument, and At about this time, Christopher Spencer himself had undertaken the roll of company spokesperson and travelling salesman and was visiting the camps and commanders of the Union Army in the Western Theater. Scales, Robert H. Gun trouble.The Atlantic, 2015., 80,Literature Resource Center. MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM. The gun is in its original Civil War configuration and has none of the post war modifications or alteration that were made to some of the Spencer rifles in the latter part of the 1860s. This one is exceptionally nice and worthy of prominent place in any Civil War arms, cavalry, or Gettysburg collection. To fire the weapon, the lever was moved back and forth to eject a spent cartridge case and load a new one. All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. industry with the formation of the Spencer Arms Co., which 8 What was the significance of the Battle of Buford? With financial backing from his father, Ogden Spencer, a The two most common repeating rifles available during the Civil War were the seven-shot Spencer, and the 16-shot Henry. Wilders men first put their new repeating rifles to good use at the Battle of Hoovers Gap during the Tullahoma Campaign in early summer of 1863 and provided massive supporting fire during the Battle of Chickamauga that helped to save the Union Army from potential destruction during heavy fighting on the first day. MANUFACTURER: Chiappa Firearms. President Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth was armed with a Spencer carbine at the time he was captured and killed. A search of the Springfield Research Services serial number books did not find this rifle, but that is not uncommon as those records are far from complete. Model 1860 Spencer Rifle - Low Serial Number With Gettysburg History The first set of initials are those of contract arms sub-inspector Martin MacNary Johnson, who primarily inspected arms in Hartford, CT made by Spencer and Colt. Spencer rifles with serial numbers below approximately 1550 have the potential of being among the guns issued to the 5th Michigan Cavalry in time for use at that battle. Robert Scales believes there is something better out there. Sold Date: 9 months ago. In 1861 the Navy Department placed an order with Spencer for nearly 1,200 rifles, but the army refrained to follow suit. In fact, Wilder was so impressed with Spencer and his rifle design that the colonel personally arranged financing to purchase enough Spencers rifles to outfit his entire brigade and allowed the men to purchase their own rifles on credit, with the cost of the guns deducted from their pay over time. The markings are extremely crisp as shown in the photos and the edges and action are also sharp. them. Both Army and Navy placed additional orders during the Complete with its original 7-Shot tube magazine stored in the butt, this was the gun that advertised, "Load on Sunday and Shoot all week". No trace of government cartouche visible. design, and on March 6, 1860, he was awarded a U.S. patent for his He had been trying to get it adopted by the United States Army with little . During this period, he perfected several experimental His design was one of the most technologically-advanced arms of the The Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version. rifle produced. work. Spencer agreed to assign all future repeating rifle designs or hristian renewed his employment with the Cheney family in 1854 The hammer cocks as it should and responds to the trigger crisply. Even the usually encountered crack in the butt, along the channel of the magazine tube, is missing. through the end of the Civil War, and saw action during the Indian Its serial number, 1589, puts it squarely in the first two shipments of Spencer seven-shot repeating rifles, totaling 1,000 guns, delivered and issued to the 5th and 6th Michigan Cavalry from mid-December 1862 to Mid-January 1863. 7 Who fired the first shot of the Battle of Gettysburg? This device permitted the Its serial number, 1589, puts it squarely in the first two shipments of Spencer seven-shot repeating rifles, totaling 1,000 guns, delivered and issued to the 5 th and 6 th Michigan Cavalry from mid-December 1862 to Mid-January 1863.. Often referred to as Copeland Spencers, these guns were . Later, many rifles and carbines were converted to centerfire, which could fire cartridges made from the centerfire .5070 brass. summer of 1863, and many other Spencer arms were purchased Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. No Spencer carbines were on issue at the Battle of Gettysburg, though two units under Custer had the rifles. Stoddard, William Oates. The rifles were produced in two fairly specific serial number ranges, with the early order being found in the 700 to 11,000 range and a later order found mostly in the 22,000 to 24,000 range. Can something similar be made in the United States? Accessed November 26, 2017. By the spring of 1861, civil war had come to America, and the Cheney family entered into a contract with Spencer in which all rights and patents for Spencer's rifle design would be assigned to them. Shoulder stock is equally as nice with only a old, shallow 1 long gouge on the left cheek of the stock. This demonstration took At the advice of Frank How did the Spencer repeating rifle work? The 30 barreled, 3 band rifle was designed to take a US angular socket bayonet that was almost identical to the standard US M1855 socket bayonet, although it had a slightly larger socket diameter, a taller bridge to accommodate the front sight, and was unmarked with the exception of a small inspectors mark forward of the mortise cut or on the neck of the bayonet. June 20, 1833. $12,500.00 SOLD. The Spencer rifle was of similar design but had a barrel 47 inches long. 5 Did Confederate soldiers have repeating rifles? Firing forces are contained by the receiver at the rear of the breechblock. Both are contained in rectangular boxes with rounded corners. Cheneys paid Spencer a $25 royalty on every machine he produced. Too Little Too Late? The Introduction of the Spencer Rifle All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. 4369. There was a Spencer carbine made in .54 caliber chambered for a special 56/56 In addition to Wilders Brigade and Custers 5, Michigan Wolverines, the Spencer Rifle saw use with a large number of both cavalry and infantry regiments. By 1859, with the encouragement of both his father and the Location, Hours & Contact; About. For example, Colonel John Wilder appealed to his men of the 17th Indiana to contribute money for the purchase of Spencer rifles. them in battle. make them extremely desirable collectors items. The gun retains both of its original sling swivels, including the one in the lower toe of the buttstock and the one on the middle barrel band. Declining sales forced the Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. into By the end of the war, more than 144,000 Spencer rifles and SPENCER RIFLE ISSUED TO MICHIGAN CAVALRY - HistoricalArms.com The answer lies with the chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, James W. Ripley. This famous longarm is a Civil War Model 1860 Spencer Repeating rifle in very good original condition. Gun magazine laws, concealed weapons laws, laws governing new made display guns, airsoft guns, blank fire guns, and other items vary greatly by nation, state and locality. The action works perfectly, with the lever cycling the action smoothly and the extractor working exactly as it should. New York: Charles and Webster Company, 1890. The fore stock is in very good condition. leather-covered wood box containing six to ten tubes, each of which The carbine was almost exclusively a cavalry weapon, and it was normally chambered in . Only two units of the Army of the Potomac were armed with Spencer Repeating Rifles at Gettysburg, the 5th and 6th Michigan under George Armstrong Custer who fought off Jeb Stuarts Cavalry led by the famous Wade Hampton and the beloved Colonel William G. Conner who was commanding the heroic Jeff Davis Legion. The magazine tube in in fine condition, both physically and mechanically. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns manufactured prior to 1899. firearm. overall condition. Boston for production of Spencer firearms. The effectiveness of the Spencer was greatly This number places the gun in the second major production batch of US military Spencer rifles. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the buyer to be in compliance of laws that govern their specific location. Another commander who was impressed by Spencer and his rifle was Colonel John T. Wilder. While no Spencer carbines were in the field at the time of the battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), the 5th Michigan cavalry (part of Custers brigade) was armed with the Spencer Army rifle and used them very effectively on July 3 against General J.E.B. The Spencer is a lever-action repeating rifle designed by Christopher Spencer in 1860. Item Code: 401-28. Sold Date: 8 months ago. prototype firearms. The Guns of Gettysburg | An Official Journal Of The NRA - American Rifleman The original rear sight is in place and is complete and is fully functional. The gun retains relatively clear, mostly legible markings on the receiver, the top of which is marked in three lines: is stamped into the rear of the upper receiver, at the wrist, in front of the buttstock joint, and the matching number is present under the barrel, forward of the receiver, hidden by the forend. This is something rather special that just walked through our door, an Original U.S. Civil War era Spencer Repeating Carbine. One week later, the Spencer again saw action in the hands of troopers of the 5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment of George Custer's Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg. However, the hammer had to be manually cocked before pulling the trigger. A prominent grain line is present along the magazine tube on the obverse, which almost appears to be a tight crack in the photos, but this is really an optical illusion. The gun retains relatively clear, mostly legible markings on the receiver, the top of which is marked in three lines: SPENCER REPEATINGRIFLE CO BOSTON MASS,PATd MARCH 6, 1860. makers Crittenden & Tibbals for the manufacture of a .56 Wiley Sword allowed another 250 for various private purchases, etc., and estimated the low number for Copelands rifles at 1050, extending to 1550 in the first delivery of 500 rifles and then up to 2050 in the second delivery (with 200 more drawn from a third delivery of 500 in late January that need not concern us here.) Often referred to as Copeland Spencers, these guns were ordered by Col. Joseph Copeland of the 5th Michigan Cavalry to arm his regiment. troops under the command of Colonel John Wilder earned the nickname Repeating Rifles of the Civil War | Rock Island Auction By the age of 14, Spencer was apprenticed to the face of determined attacks by General James Longstreet's This is aVERY GOOD+condition example of a US Ordnance Department contractModel 1860 SpencerArmyRifle. How do people make money on survival on Mars? Mount Nebo Silk Manufacturing Co., located in South Manchester, troops were called on again at the Battle of Chickamauga in This was later lowered to 50 cents for each military arm produced. A handful of rifles were intermixed in the serial number ranges of the carbines, but the large majority of rifles extant exist in these two specific serial number production ranges. Lee and Grant: Images of Fatherhood in Victorian America, Debacle at Petersburg: The Battle of the Crater: An Interview with A. Wilson Greene, View CivilWarInstitutes profile on Facebook, View UCsv5Vb22lJoNvOZf9z-gjbws profile on YouTube, Colonel Berdans Sharpshooters to be Armed with the Spencer Magazine Rifle. prevented the breechblock from moving far enough to chamber a This firm was owned by the Cheney family, one of New This number places the gun in the second major production batch of US military Spencer rifles. Gettysburg MagazineNumber 15Contents:Introduction: "Gettysburg Revisited" An Analysis Of The Buford Manuscripts The Spencer Repeating Rifle at Gettysburg "Stuborn Bravery": The Forgotten 44th New York at Little Round Top The Florida Brigade at Gettysburg Holding The Right: The 137th New York Regiment at Gettysburg A Few . Cheney family entered into a contract with Spencer in which all and this gave them, and Spencer's rifle, access to government Even though the standard cavalry long arm technology of the pre-Civil War era US military, the single-shot breech-loading percussion carbine, was still in heavy use through the closing days of the war, the era of the repeating metallic cartridge used in rifles and carbines was firmly established by the end of 1863. Spencer, as Charles Cheney rented a portion of a piano factory in This Spencer Rifle is the 3rd we have handled in the past 5 years and is without question, the best condition example we have ever encountered. Barrel is mated to a black walnut two-piece stock. Spencer Rifle - The Gettysburg Compiler The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The wood is fine and full with remnants of a cartouche. The initial order was for some 1,400 rifles, at a per unit price of $35 each. 6 What caliber was the Spencer repeating rifle? The butt and forend do show numerous bumps, dings and mars from handling and use in the field, which is to be expected. who were equipped with them, and with respect from those who faced of Luke Wheelock, an experienced gunsmith, for the production of 1) There were ONLY Spencer rifles to be issued to US troops in the summer of 1863; Carbines were being produced, but I do not believe any had been sent to the Feds for issue by that time. Spencer greatly impressed Union General William Rosecrans, who immediately requisitioned some 2,000 of the rifles from Chief of Ordnance James Ripley. After several delays, The upper and middle barrel bands show some blue. On 18 August 1863, President Lincoln agreed to test the rifle with Spencer on a weedy plain extending from the White House to the unfinished Washington Monument. Detractors would also complain that the smoke and haze produced was such that it was hard to see the enemy. It is thought by many historians that Conner was the trooper that Hampton tried to rescue during a grand counter-attack on the fateful day. Spencer was at the White House to show the president his invention, the repeating rifle. Later Spencers, beginning with the Model 1865, were equipped with Butt plate, tube magazine, sling swivels, nose cap, barrel bands, and band springs all here and show similar wear with uniform pewter-gray color. The wood is really in nice condition for a Spencer rifle, as the both pieces of wood have areas that are notoriously thin and prone to damage and easy breakage. What was the significance of the Battle of Buford? This specimen, serial #1646, was one of the approximately 11,000 produced between 1863 and 1864. These modern arms, in both rifle and carbine configuration, were In late 1850, Spencer returned to the employ of the Cheneys as a a cut-off mechanism invented by Edward Stabler which, when engaged, In comparison an 1861 Springfield muzzle loader was $14.00). Troops equipped with these boxes patronage of Secretary Welles, Spencer's rifle was successfully History and overview of the Spencer repeating rifle and carbine-. To use the Spencer, a lever had to be worked to extract the used shell and feed a new cartridge from the tube. Since the bolt is a freely-moving part, any dirt or dust that gets into the rifle can cause the boltand consequently the rifleto jam, which is very harmful when fighting in the types of environments that we do today.
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