Product Description
Modified CIVIL WAR/FRONTIER Antique US Army M1860 SPENCER SRC “UNFORGIVEN”
Early Repeater Famous During CIVIL WAR & WILD WEST
Here we present an antique U.S. Model 1860 Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. Army Model Saddle Ring Carbine, made circa 1863-1865 in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Civil War. The Spencer is a lever-action repeating rifle designed by Christopher Spencer in 1860, leading some to refer to this example as the “Model 1860”. These lever-operated, breech-loading rifles were marvels of the time and had a lasting impact on how war was to be fought in the future. Though their service life in the U.S. military was relatively short, the Spencer story includes Christopher Spencer, the inventor of the rifle, demonstrating and shooting with President Abraham Lincoln, who gave his full endorsement of the piece. Supposedly, during the battle at Gettysburg, a captured Rebel that day said one could “load in the morning and fire all day!” This was due to the Spencer’s most endearing quality: a 7-round magazine tube in the butt of the gun. This gave the shooter phenomenal firepower in a day when most soldiers were muzzle-loading single shots or even singly loading their breech-loading carbines. This is one of the iconic carbines of the Civil War and Western Frontier.
The Spencer was the world’s first military metallic cartridge repeating rifle, and over 200,000 examples were manufactured in the United States by the Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. and Burnside Rifle Co. between 1860 and 1869. The Spencer repeating rifle 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. Among the early users was George Armstrong Custer. This Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version designed for the cavalry.
This is the type of Spencer that was used by Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood in the movie “Unforgiven”. Many a buffalo were taken off the plains during westward expansion by the Spencer rifle.
This carbine was modified in the post-war period to optimize for hunting and perhaps fighting. A full-length barrel rib was soldered to the original barrel which provided the space to install a finer front sight as well as a simple notch rear sight. The stock just behind the receiver was milled out for a rear peep sight. The saddle ring bar was removed as most non-military users probably didn’t utilize this feature and it tended to make more noise that would scare game or alert enemies. The front sight post and the rear peep sight are no longer with the gun.
The overall condition is good. Gray patina throughout. The action is excellent. The bore is semi-bright with some spotting, some of which will clean up well. The walnut stock shows much use and there are some stable splits along the grain on the left side of the wrist area; solid. This is a neat period modified version of a cutting edge metallic cartridge carbine!
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 22 inches.
Caliber: .52 Spencer
Overall condition as seen in photos.
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$2400
#233088