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Proper Way to Shoot a Spencer


Smiling Wolf

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I would like to know the proper way, or the SASS approved way to shoot a Spencer. I've been watching videos and some cock completely, work the lever and fire and others half cock work the lever,fully cock and fire. So what is the correct way,or can you use either way?

 

  Thank you for the help

    Smiling Wolf

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By rule, there is no 'approved' way.

 

Speaking as someone who has unexpectedly sent a round down range after levering in a round but neglecting to put the rifle on half-cock...I prefer to not do it that way...

 

Did you cock the hammer fully before levering or not cock the hammer at all before levering?

 

Angus

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I've shot on a posse with a Spencer shooter.  Incredibly slow.  Irritated some, amused others.  Choose your posse wisely.

 

Shot my first EOT (2005?) with a PM who shot a Spencer. Alias was Choupique (sp) from somewhere in Arkansas. Anyone who was frustrated by your posse mate would have been apoplectic over this guy. Not only shot the aforementioned Spencer rifle, also a Spencer pump SG and a 10 gauge long tom single shot. BP pistols as well. We had a great time!

 

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When I use my Spencer, it's cock, lever, shoot, repeat.

 

I was always worried that levering it uncocked could cause it to slam fire, and as stated above, apparently it can.  I don't know if it is safe to do that, and I tend to think not.

 

I think next time I use it, I'll pair it with my Spencer revolver.  

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A 75 and 73 run... pretty dang good for a Spencer. I celebrate heartily when I break 80 seconds. I fully cock before levering.

 

Alice Palmer trying my .56-.50 on a stage... she went back to her '73 for the next one. :lol:

AlicePalmerSpencer.jpg

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I shot my Spencer for five years and not one pard complained. I was able to cycle 8 Schofield rounds and only had to load two rounds over the top. Cock, lever, fire and repeat worked for me. I always shot my 32 inch hammered shotgun paired up with my C&B revolvers. It is not a rifle for everyone and hope to find an affordable Spencer Rifle to shoot at a match. Once you developed your routine it is fun to shoot. DC

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Like the above - cock, lever, shoot. However, I have one of the early (2 digit SN) Spencer's in 44 Russian so I also have to lean the rifle at 45 degrees to the left to facilitate chambering!:D

 

True story - the last time I used it, I was striving to finish a stage in less than a minute. At the fifth or sixth stage, I accomplished the feat! Now, mind you, as this was an ongoing quest during the match, a lot of pards were watching to see if I could do it. When I got to the unloading table, I regrettably found TWO loaded revolvers! As the revolvers were last, I completely forgot about them in the heat of the moment. But in addition to my forgetfulness, the spotters and TO also failed to notice that I had not shot them! Only one person in the posse noticed and I heard him comment as I was unloading.:blink:

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Don't worry about what other people think.  You are there to have fun and compete against yourself.  

 

I have always shot it as follows on an empty chamber or a fired round: full cock, lever, aim, fire.  On firing the seventh round, I don't eject the round first, I reload the remaining three shots through the stock and then repeat the steps (you'll eject the shot seventh round after the reload).  And I never take the firearm from my shoulder during the whole process except to reload through the stock, if single loading after the seventh round the firearm will stay shouldered.  

 

At one point I was told that on some of the older Spencer reproductions if you didn't half or full cock them before levering the rifle the firing pin would sticking out of the breach face and that it would be broken off by levering the rifle.  

 

Just my two cents.  

 

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I've shot on a posse with a Spencer shooter.  Incredibly slow.  Irritated some, amused others.  Choose your posse wisely.

 

If I shot at match or on a posse that were irritated by someone using a Spencer, it would most likely be the last time I shot there. There was a match I used to shoot at, but folks started gearing it all toward the competitive nature and pushing out the folks that weren't about being the fastest. I don't shoot there anymore.

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Don't worry about what other people think.  You are there to have fun and compete against yourself.  

 

I have always shot it as follows on an empty chamber or a fired round: full cock, lever, aim, fire.  On firing the seventh round, I don't eject the round first, I reload the remaining three shots through the stock and then repeat the steps (you'll eject the shot seventh round after the reload).  And I never take the firearm from my shoulder during the whole process except to reload through the stock, if single loading after the seventh round the firearm will stay shouldered.  

 

At one point I was told that on some of the older Spenser reproductions if you didn't half or full cock them before levering the rifle the firing pin would sticking out of the breach face and that it would be broken off by levering the rifle.  

 

Just my two cents.  

 

That's why when I converted my original .56-56 to central fire, I set it up as an inertial firing pin.  But I still would cock, lever, fire.  Never had a problem with folks criticizing my speed. I'm even slow with a Henry or M92! :P

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That's why when I converted my original .56-56 to central fire, I set it up as an inertial firing pin.  But I still would cock, lever, fire.  Never had a problem with folks criticizing my speed. I'm even slow with a Henry or M92! :P

 

Found a spelling error in my original post so had to edit.  

 

But I would be interested in hearing more about the conversion process, and why you decided to convert an original instead of letting it be a safe queen and letting it rest in its old age.  

 

I just use mine in matches where the club prefers there to be a little bit more historical accuracy to the shooting rather than going fast.  

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Found a spelling error in my original post so had to edit.  

 

But I would be interested in hearing more about the conversion process, and why you decided to convert an original instead of letting it be a safe queen and letting it rest in its old age.  

 

I just use mine in matches where the club prefers there to be a little bit more historical accuracy to the shooting rather than going fast.  

When I converted mine, there were no replicas available.  This goes back a number of years.  S&S firearms was offering the centerfire upper breech block, with the striker long enough so you could either go with the firing pin extending out of the face of the block, or could trim it back for inertia mode, which is what I did.  Out of respect for its age, I have retired it, with the original rimfire block in place.

As far as the conversion process is concerned, S&S suggested the upper block would fit 95% of all original Spencers without modification.  It turned out mine was one of the other 5%.  This required some filing on the S&S block's rear surface, but NO modification to the original receiver.  The bigger headache was making ammo for it, as the original .56-56 cartridge used a heel bullet, which would have been a pain.  What I determined was that the original M1860 carbines had tapered bores! :o  At the breech, groove diameter was .545", tapering to .535" at the muzzle.  I was able to measure several other M1860 carbines, which verified this fact.  Shortening .50-70 brass, and reaming the inside of the cases, plus annealing the brass, I was able to use straight-sided bullets cast from a Lyman #533487AX hollow-base bullet, sized .535", using #2 equivalent alloy, which produced acceptable accuracy out to about 50 yds.  An interesting fact about these brass cases with the bullet seated is that the water capacity turned out to be very similar to .45 LC!  The Relative Sectional Density (weight divided by the square of the bullet diameter) is virtually identical to a .45-250 bullet!  Were one tempted to load smokeless powder, .45 LC loads of 8.0 gr of Unique would, theoretically, produce muzzle velocities of around 850 ft/sec.  Using 24.7 gr by weight of Pyrodex P, resulted in an actual MV of 900 ft/sec.   Except for the Pyrodex P, with which I never had any corrosion problems when the carbine was cleaned with hot soapy water,  I did not use actual BP.  As I said, this was about twenty-five years ago.  When I got seriously involved with SASS/CAS, I went to a M1860 Henry by Navy Arms in .44-40, and retired the Spencer.

 

An historical note:  The .56-.56 Spencer cartridge used the heel bullet.  Army ordnance soon went to the .56-.50 (these are all dimensions of the case at the base and the mouth of the case) with an internally-lubed bullet.  But Spencer, himself didn't like the design of the military case, so he came up with the .56-52 Spencer cartridge that had a bottleneck to it.  Those were sold commercially, but would fit any .56-.50 Spencer carbine or rifle, interchangeably with the military ammo!  Sorta like the .244 Remington versus the 6mm Remington.  Militarily, the .56-.50 case was lengthened, and changed to an internally-primed central fire cartridge...the .50-70.

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Wow, I may try Injun Ryder's method of shooting a stage under one minute. :P Luckily, as a wart hog Holy Black shooter, the targets get obscured!!!  :D I might get away with it. ;)

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What I think is a funny story.  At the Colorado state match in White Water several years ago.  A gentleman was shooting a Spencer.  I didn't know if he was good or bad or somewhere in between but he sure was entertaining.  I was counting when he came up to shoot and I take counting seriously.  He stored his extra rounds in a drop pouch very period correct.  His ability to shoot and load the Spencer was so engrossing that I forgot to count as he loaded from the pouch.  It was truly a show to remember even though I had to admit my failure to count the last four shots fired from the rifle (clean shooter).  Easily the most entertaining shooter on the posse and no I didn't count for him again because rouge that I am I wanted to watch.  

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Just be sure to cock before you lever to avoid an AD.

 

Oh wait! On second thought maybe that’s a way to slam fire a Spencer and keep up with the speed guys!  Now to figure how to get 10 in the mag tube.

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Just be sure to cock before you lever to avoid an AD.

 

Oh wait! On second thought maybe that’s a way to slam fire a Spencer and keep up with the speed guys!  Now to figure how to get 10 in the mag tube.

 

Get a longer stock made.  Then install a longer magazine tube so you can fit ten rounds.  Finally (if you're not over 6 ft. tall) sleep standing up with 50 lbs of lead strapped to both wrists.  This will lengthen your arms Stretch Armstrong style allowing you to shoot the Spencer with the longer stock.

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