Civil War Spencer Carbine .56-50 Rimfire 20″ Repeating Lever Rifle Antique
SOLD FOR: $2,025.00
LSB#: LSB260602CL042
Make: Spencer Repeating Arms Co.
Model: 1865, Spencer Carbine
Serial#: 11091
Year of Manufacture: Circa 1865, Antique
Caliber: .56-50 Spencer Rimfire
Action Type: Lever-Actuated Repeating Rifle with a butt-fed Tubular Magazine
Markings: The top of the receiver has a faded marking which reads “SPENCER REPEATING / RIFLE CO. BOSTON MASS. / PAT’D MARCH 6 1860” and it features the serial number “11091”. The barrel is marked “M1865”. The stock cartouche is faint and not legible.
Barrel Length: 20″
Sights/ Optics: The front sight is a barley corn blade fixed to a base by the muzzle. The rear sight is a V notch folding ladder sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition/ Grip: The stocks are two-piece wood featuring a forend that is secured by a barrel band with a spring and screw, a saddle ring fixed to a sling bar on the left side of the wrist, a straight comb and a metal butt-plate with a provision for the installed tubular magazine. The LOP is 13″ from trigger to buttplate. The mag tube is not stuck and appears to be in working order. The stocks have been refinished. There are scratches and compression dents throughout. There is chipping at the wrist and around the sling bar. There is minor cracking on the forend and behind the lock plate. Overall this stock is in Good condition as refinished.
Type of Finish: Blue and Case Color
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is bright. The rifling is well defined. There is minor erosion and pitting. In this writer’s opinion this bore rates 8.5/10.
Most antique firearms have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but also to the use of black powder. When fired, black powder reacts corrosively. NRA Antique Firearm Conditions Standards are quite lenient for bores. In some cases, the NRA standards disregarded the bore’s condition for collector’s firearms.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 75% of its current metal finish. There are scratches and corrosion stains throughout. There is handling and operational wear. The color case shows good color but has some pitting. There is a missing screw on the lock plate. The Stabler cutoff has been removed. The screw heads are lightly tooled but serviceable. The markings are legible. Overall this rifle is in Good to Very Good condition as refinished.
Mechanics: The half cock engages. The action functions correctly. We have not fired this carbine. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box Paperwork and Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: The Spencer Model 1865 Carbine is one of the most recognizable repeating arms of the Civil War era, combining a lever-actuated action with a tubular magazine housed in the buttstock. Chambered in .56-50 Spencer Rimfire, this example features a 20″ barrel, folding ladder rear sight, saddle ring and bar, and the characteristic removable magazine tube through the buttplate. Although refinished and altered, it retains the essential configuration that made the Spencer such an important early repeating military carbine.
The Spencer system was patented in 1860 and gained fame during the American Civil War for giving mounted troops and infantrymen a major increase in sustained firepower over single-shot muzzleloaders. The Model 1865 incorporated refinements to the earlier wartime pattern and used the .56-50 cartridge, becoming one of the final major military developments of the Spencer design. Spencer carbines remained in use after the war and saw service during the early Indian Wars period, making surviving examples significant artifacts of America’s transition from muzzleloading arms to metallic-cartridge repeaters.
This carbine retains about 75% of its current refinished metal finish, with scratches, corrosion staining, handling wear, and some pitting in the remaining case color. The refinished stocks remain in Good condition with scattered dents, chipping at the wrist and sling-bar area, and minor cracking at the forend and behind the lock plate. The bright bore has well-defined rifling with minor erosion and pitting and rates 8.5/10, while the action and half-cock function correctly and the magazine tube appears serviceable. The Stabler cutoff has been removed and a lock-plate screw is missing. Overall, this is a Good to Very Good refinished Spencer Carbine with a strong bore and substantial historical appeal. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids! MF