Burnside Rifle Co. Model 1865 Spencer Carbine, .56-56 Rimfire, 20-inch Barrel, U.S. Contract (1865)
This antique U.S. contract carbine is a Burnside-produced Model 1865 Spencer chambered in .56-56 Spencer rimfire. Built in 1865 at Providence, Rhode Island, it follows the Spencer pattern with a 20-inch barrel, a 7-round buttstock magazine, a Stabler magazine cutoff, and a left-side saddle ring and bar. The receiver top is marked "Model 1865" with a faint Burnside legend, reflecting a Civil War era repeating carbine configuration.
Condition
Overall Condition: Fair condition, showing extensive signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Overall Condition: Fair - Generally clean, some residue or smudges, slight corrosion.
Bore Rifling: Fair Rifling - Worn rifling, slight loss of definition.
Specific Condition Notes: Widespread rust and pitting are present along with general finish wear. Scratches and blemishes are visible throughout. The bore appears dark, though rifling remains visible. The stock shows damage around the rear sling swivel.
What’s Included
- Burnside Rifle Co. Model 1865 Spencer Carbine chambered in .56-56 Spencer rimfire
This carbine uses the Spencer external-hammer lever-action with a dropping breechblock, paired to a 20-inch barrel in classic carbine configuration with a single barrel band. The receiver and barrel are iron/steel, and the furniture consists of a walnut buttstock and a short walnut fore-end.
Feeding is via a 7-round tubular magazine housed in the buttstock, loaded through the buttplate latch. A Stabler magazine cutoff is positioned ahead of the trigger, and this example includes a left-side saddle ring and bar plus a bottom sling swivel on the stock. Length of pull is 13.0 inches.
Sighting equipment is period-correct iron: a front blade set on a base near the muzzle and a folding ladder/leaf rear sight with a sliding elevator. Markings include "Model 1865" on the receiver top with a faint Burnside legend, consistent with U.S. contract production by Burnside Rifle Co. in Providence, R.I.
As an antique, Civil War era carbine produced in 1865, this Burnside-made Model 1865 Spencer represents a U.S. contract variant with the hallmark Spencer features and buttstock magazine system that define the platform.