SPENCER BUFFALO RIFLE – FRONTIER GUNSMITH
REBARRELED WITH AN EARLY HAND RIFLED HEAVY BARREL:
A classic example of the
post-Civil War use of surplus military firearms on the
Western Frontier, this Spencer “Buffalo” or Plains Rifle
is a one of a kind, frontier gunsmith shop conversion
offering all the unique features and flavor of a gun
right out of the old west.
These gunsmith modified Spencer Rifles leave little
doubt that they “were there”, on the fringes of the
frontier and carried far beyond the eastern
settlements. Not only was the Spencer a mechanically
sound and durable firearm which had proven itself on the
battlefields of the recently ended Civil War, they were
economically competitive with the other repeating rifles
available on the market. Henry Rifles, which fired a
relatively anemic cartridge delivering a 255 grain
bullet propelled by only 23 grains of powder, were being
offered from $50 to $100 depending on where you made
your purchase. Conversely, these Spencer Rifles
delivered a much more robust 330 grain bullet over 45
grains of powder and period advertisements offered them
in the range of $2 to $30.
Well known gunsmiths, as well as many lesser known or
unknown smiths, throughout the west produced these
guns. J.P. Gemmer of St. Louis and Carlos Gove of
Denver are both believed to have made these Spencer
Plains Rifles using J & S Hawken marked barrels
purchased from the famous gunmakers’ estate. A. J.
Plate of San Francisco also made Spencer “Hawken” style
rifles, one known example in .50 caliber with an
impressive 32” long barrel. A number of luminaries on
the frontier favored these dependable rifles, not the
least of whom was Geronimo who surrendered a .44 caliber
Spencer Plains Rifle with a 30” barrel.
Weighing in at just over
12 pounds, this Model 1860
Spencer receiver is mounted with a
.56-46 (.45) caliber,
22 ½”
octagon barrel that
measures
1” from flat to flat.
The barrel appears to have
been salvaged from a half stock percussion plains rifle,
as evidenced by the staple mounting points which held a
barrel key that are still present on the bottom barrel
flat under the forearm. There is a name applied to the
bottom flat of the barrel, again under the forearm,
applied with a series of awl or punch strikes which
reads “J. WARNER” or “WARREN”. This may well be the
name of the gunsmith who performed the conversion. The
bore is excellent with only very minor wear, showing
evidence of extremely good care by the original owner,
with strong, definitive rifling throughout.
The metal surfaces all have a smooth, even patina, with
no pitting or damage.
The butt and fore stocks have a nice patina and show the
marks and wear one expects to see in a frontier used
rifle. Both pieces are solidly mounted with no play.
The one point of wear that is present on the stocks is
located on the left side of the wrist, and it attests to
this rifle’s use on the frontier and having been carried
many, many miles balanced across the pommel of a saddle
or across the horse’s neck. Immediately above the
trigger guard/loading lever the wood is worn away where
it was abraded by the movement of the horse and rider.
The surface of the wood is polished smooth as each
successive layer of grain was worn away, eventually
exposing a short band of the magazine tube inside the
butt stock. The wood has been reduced below the height
of the trailing edge of the receiver and the washer of
the rear lock screw, again evidence of prolonged and
steady wear in this one area. As a result of the loss
of wood over the magazine tube, an age check runs from
the exposed tube forward to the edge of the receiver,
however the surrounding wood is stable, there is no play
in this area, and the check shows no sign of expanding –
certainly it has long since stabilized. This sort of
saddle or pommel wear is considered by many collectors
to be a desirable feature as definite evidence of a
rifle’s use on the frontier. Other than this area of
wear, there are no other cracks, splits, or loss of
wood. The fore stock is attached with the original
screw through the bottom of the fore stock into a tenon
mounted in the bottom of the barrel.
The rear sight is the original Model 1860 Spencer rear
sight which was correct for both the Model 1860 Rifles
and Carbines. It is complete with the tension leaf
spring, sliding sight bar, and screw stop. The front
sight blade is fashioned from a slice of a silver 1869
dated US Half Dollar mounted in an iron base dovetailed
into the top flat of the barrel. The coin blade still
retains much of its detail and the date is fully
legible.
The breech block functions very well with no play due to
wear, with smooth metal surfaces. The lock and trigger
assembly functions as crisp as a clock.
The butt plate shows no more age than one would expect
on one of these rifles and the magazine is complete,
intact and fully functional.
Handling this Frontier Spencer evokes all of the color
and the mystique of the early American West, modified
immediately after the Civil War before the Sharps and
Remington rifles became a commercial success on the
buffalo ranges. Far less commonly encountered today
than the Sporting Rifles made by Spencer at his factory
after the Civil War, these modified Spencers provided an
attractive combination of a dependable repeating rifle,
a sturdy, proven design, and a heavy projectile all in
one package at a price considerably less than the Henry,
Winchester Model 1866 and even the factory made Spencer
Sporting Rifles cost. Well regarded on the plains and
carried by such notables as Jeremiah “Liver Eating”
Johnson, these Frontier Spencers are in a class all
their own and deserve a place in any Western gun
collection. (0109) $3250
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