Spencer Repeating Rifle Model 1865 .56-50 Springfield Lever, 1860s Antique
SOLD FOR: $3425
LSB#: 210723TS22
Make: Spencer Repeating Rifle Company
Model: 1865 Rifle, the barrel may have been installed on a receiver which was originally an 1860 Rifle or 1865 Carbine (see Our Assessment)
Serial Number: 7658
Year of Manufacture: 1863 to 1866
Caliber: .50 Springfield Carbine (.56-50 Spencer Rimfire)
Action Type: Lever Operated Rotating Breechblock Repeating Rifle With Tubular Magazine Loaded Through The Buttstock
Markings: The top of the receiver at the chamber is marked “SPENCER REPEATING / RIFLE CO. BOSTON MASS. / PAT’D MARCH 6, 1860.”. The top rear of the receiver is marked “7658” and the top of the barrel at the receiver is marked “M 1865”. The right of the lever and breech-block assembly has “R”, “J” and “S” inspection marks.
Barrel Length: The round barrel is 30” in length.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned to a slotted base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder sight. There is a “V” notch in the bottom of the sight for use when the ladder is folded down. When the ladder is raised, there is a “U” notch at the bottom of the ladder, a “V” notch at the top of the slider and another in the top edge of the ladder. The ladder is marked from “2” at the bottom of the ladder for use with the lower “U” notch, “3” to “8” for use with a slider, and marked “9” next to the notch on the top edge.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two piece smooth walnut. The forend has a nosecap and three spring-clip secured barrel bands with a sling swivel on the middle band. The forend is also secured with a screw at the bottom-rear. The buttstock has a straight grip, straight comb, sling swivel in the belly and a steel semi-crescent buttplate with the head of the tubular magazine at the heel. The stocks have some scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches. There is light wear from removal/installation of the barrel bands. The wood shows discoloration from age and oil. There are a few minor grain-line cracks around the edges. The LOP measures 13” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has some scattered light surface oxidation and erosion, most notable at the heel. The stocks rate in about Fine overall condition as Antique.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: The finish appears Original to the parts, we believe that the barrel is not original to the receiver (see Our Assessment).
Bore Condition: The six groove rifled bore is bright, tending to gray at the muzzle. The rifling is sharp. There is some minor oxidation in the bore near the muzzle.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 15% of its metal finish. Most of the remaining finish is in the barrel which has scattered minor surface oxidation and some spots of light surface erosion. The exposed portions of the receiver are worn to white with some case color visible inside the receiver and on the portions of the lever/breech-block assembly which are concealed when the action is open. The receiver and lever/breech-block assembly have some scattered minor surface oxidation and infrequent minor erosion. There are some light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows operational wear and there is some stubborn dried grease on the lever/breech-block assembly. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety position. This rifle was originally equipped with a Stabler Cutoff device, but it has been removed and a fill-screw installed. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a single 7-round magazine stored in the buttstock. The magazine shows operational wear and some oxidation, but the follower is present and the spring is still fairly strong.
Our Assessment: The inventor of the Spencer Carbine was Christopher Miner Spencer, one of the leading figures of the machine tool industry. The Spencer carbine was different from any other firearm of its time. It was accurate; fired rapidly; had a long effective range; and held seven metallic cartridges that weren’t affected by moisture. It could be fired about as rapidly as a Colt style revolver but could be reloaded in one-tenth the time. By the end of the Civil War, more than 144,000 Spencer rifles and carbines had been manufactured; over two-thirds of which were purchased by the U.S. government. To keep up with demand, Spencer subcontracted some production to the Burnside Rifle Co. of Providence, Rhode Island. Spencer rifles and carbines met with high praise from those who were equipped with them, and with respect from those who faced them in battle. In its first combat test, Spencer-armed Union troops under the command of Colonel John Wilder earned the nickname “Lightning Brigade” when they defeated a numerically superior Confederate force at the Battle of Hoover’s Gap, Tennessee on June 24, 1863. This is a Spencer Rifle with an M1865 marked barrel, differing from its Civil War predecessor by having a .50 caliber bore instead of the earlier .52 caliber. The barrel is for an M1865 Rifle, but the serial number on the receiver is not in the range for this model, indicating that the barrel has been installed on a receiver originally assembled as an 1860 Rifle or an 1865 Carbine. The receiver was at one time equipped with a Stabler Cut-Off device, but that mechanism has been removed. The rifle is in about Very Good condition with about 15% of its original finish remaining. The bore is quit outstanding considering both the rifles age and that it would have seen use exclusively with black powder. The stocks are also in quite good shape for their age. This is a nice find for collectors of Civil War-era and other early American cartridge rifles. Please see our photos and good luck!