Spencer repeating rifle

Spencer repeating rifle
M1865 Spencer rifle
Type	Lever-action rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States Army United States Navy Queen's Own Rifles of Canada[1] France Siam Tokugawa Shogunate Aizu Domain Empire of Japan Empire of Brazil Argentina[2] Chile Bolivia Peru[3] Mexico Kingdom of Dahomey[4] China
Wars	American Civil War Indian Wars Fenian Raids Boshin War Paraguayan War Franco-Prussian War Occupation of Araucanía Second French intervention in Mexico War of the Pacific[5] Argentine Civil Wars[6] Second Franco-Dahomean War Federalist Revolution[7] First Sino-Japanese War[8]
Production history
Designer	Christopher Spencer
Designed	1860
Manufacturer	Spencer Repeating Rifle Company Burnside Rifle Co [9]
Unit cost	$40 (1861)[10]
Produced	1860–1869
No. built	200,000 approx.
Specifications
Length	47 in (1,200 mm) rifle with 30 inch barrel 39.25 in (997 mm) carbine with 22 inch barrel[11]
Barrel length	30 in (760 mm) 22 in (560 mm)[12] 20 in (510 mm)[13]
Cartridge	.56-56 Spencer
Caliber	.52 in (13 mm)
Action	Manually cocked hammer, lever action
Rate of fire	14-20 rounds per minute[14]
Muzzle velocity	931 to 1,033 ft/s (284 to 315 m/s)
Effective firing range	500 yd (460 m)[15]
Feed system	7-round tubular magazine

The Spencer repeating rifles and carbines were 19th-century American lever-action firearms invented by Christopher Spencer. 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. The Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version designed for the cavalry.