(Yes, you can buy one. Or, if you prefer, the rifle version. But they are not cheap.)
The .56-50 Spencer was the rifle that the Federals "loaded on Sunday and shot all week". I presume that the .56-50 that this replica is chambered for is a centerfire cartridge and not the rimfire original. Loaded ammo is about $3/round when you can even find it, so it'd be almost mandatory to be able to reload your own. Unless you really feel the need for a .56-50, you'd probably be better off buying one in .45 Colt, for that cartridge is far more available, cheaper, and likely cheaper even to reload.
I was taught to read that as a .56 cal with 50 grains of black powder, but what do I know.
ReplyDeletew3ski
I'm confused. Did I say otherwise?
DeleteYou didn't, but I read the Chiappa site/ad. They refer to it as "case dia. versus bullet dia.". Got me all messed up now.
Deletew3ski
According to the Wikipedia article on the .56-56 Spencer, that is correct. Spencers used a caliber designation that referred to case diameter and bullet diameter.
DeleteChristopher Spencer's son, Percival, was the designer of the SeaBee and he died less than 20 years ago. Christopher's father was, according to an article I read a long time ago, born during the Revolution. The lives of those three men spanned most of our national history.