Guns International #: 101204493

Category - Spencer Rifles - Antique Rifles - Cartridge

Category
Spencer Rifles
Antique Rifles - Cartridge

EXCEEDINGLY RARE SPENCER FACTORY SPORTING RIFLE

Description:
 VERY SELDOM ENCOUNTERED SPENCER  SPORTING RIFLE. The Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. is best known for their famed Civil War Carbines and Rifles. Most collectors don’t realize that they also made a limited number of Sporting Rifles. In fact, George Armstrong Custer used one and was well pleased with it. Most of the Spencer Sporters were made after the Civil War from 1865 to 1868. This was a difficult time for arms manufacturers as there was a glut of Civil War arms of all kinds being inexpensively sold as surplus. The Spencer Sporters were priced at around $50 which put them out of reach of most potential purchasers. There were many “sporters” made by independent gunsmiths who altered military rifles and carbines by putting new forends and barrels on Civil War actions. As the Spencer fed through a tubular magazine through the butt plate, stock and into the action from the rear, the butt stocks were almost always kept with the actions. One of the quickest ways to tell a factory sporter from an altered military arm is to note the placement of the serial number on the upper receiver behind the hammer. Military serial numbers are placed in the middle of this area while factory sporters had the serial numbers placed to the side so that it could still be read if a tang sight were installed. This example with number 6XX has the longest round barrel offered at 30” and is correctly chambered for the Rim Fire 56-46 bottle necked (actually .44 caliber) round- this cartridge was typically loaded with a 320 grain bullet ahead of 45 grains of black powder for a velocity of about 1200 feet per second or about the same as a .44 magnum today with a heavy bullet load. This was certainly more potent than the .44 Henry Rim Fire round that fired a 200 grain bullet with only about 26-28 grains of black powder. This rifle has the original Spencer latter rear sight with slide intact with small blade front sight. The barrel is an even, attractive aged blue while the receiver is a somewhat mottled uncleaned dark gray with all the correct Spencer markings on the top. The butt stock has an inletted sling swivel which appears to be factory and is identical to one pictured in the excellent Spencer book by Roy Marcot. The forend is correct with rounded pewter forend tip and held to the barrel by two screws. The bore shows fine rifling throughout with some rust/roughness toward the middle of the barrel that will probably scrub out better. Excellent wood, tight action, mag tube intact. A super scarce original frontier Spencer Sporting Rifle in particularly fine condition that rarely is offered for sale!

SOLD

Antique: Yes
Manufacturer: SPENCER REPEATING RIFLE CO.
Model: SPORTING RIFLE
Serial Number: 6XX
Caliber Info: 56-46
Condition: FINE+
Barrels: 30 ROUND