Spencer Repeating Shotgun

[George M. Purtill]

I have one that was given to me by my father. It has a wacky top ejection system and of course Damascus barrel. Even the pump tube appears to be a Damascus steel.
Patent date is 1882.
Made in Windsor Connecticut- probably near Edgar's home.
Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to shoot light 2.5 inch loads like I do in my composite steel Parkers?

[Steve Huffman]

I have a Burgess shotgun and it has Damascus and I shoot it with 2.5 loads RST Falcon Ultra Lite and I have checked wall thickness .

[Mark Landskov]

I bought a flat of RST Falcon Ultra Lights for all my antiques. I believe they operate well below 5,000 PSI. Good Luck!

[Jay Oliver]

I had my RST "cheat sheet" out as I placed an order yesterday. I have the 12 gauge 2 1/2" Falcon Ultra Lites with 3/4 oz. of shot listed at 4,300 PSI. I didn't order those but did get a case of the Falcon Lites which are 12 gauge 2 1/2" and 7/8oz. of shot at 5000 PSI.

That sound like a neat gun, enjoy!

[John Mazza]

Those 3/4 ounce loads pattern amazingly well ! Try them, you'll like them.

[Dennis E. Jones]

I had a Spencer when I was a kid. I shot Remington low brass ammo in it, I wouldn't do that now. Traded it off on something, don't remember what, oh how I wish I had kept it. It definitely was an interesting shotgun. Can you imagine the looks on guys faces if you stepped up to the line at a trap range with a Spencer.

[edgarspencer]

I had one years ago, but sold it to a kid at work, because I couldn't stand looking at it. I think it was one of the ugliest pump guns ever created.
I seem to recall that it was NOT made in Windsor, irrespective of it's markings. I am quite sure it was made in Manchester.
Christopher Spencer was my great-grandfather's first cousin.

[George M. Purtill]

It is ugly. The top ejection system has to have caused some injuries.

[Rich Anderson]

Is it the same company that made the Spencer rifle? I see there is one of those in the Julia auction. " extremely rare one of a kind Spencer/Bannerman pump action sporting rifle"

George you might have something special.

[Richard Flanders]

I have a 12ga hammer gun that's labelled "Spencer Machine Gun". The original owner shot a lot of ducks with it as a kid in the Anchorage area way back when. I restored it for display.

[George M. Purtill]

Is it the same company that made the Spencer rifle? I see there is one of those in the Julia auction. " extremely rare one of a kind Spencer/Bannerman pump action sporting rifle"

George you might have something special.

Thanks Rich for the heads up. I just looked. The shotgun has the exact same action and weird top ejection system. I would like to shoot it at the Southern in the new pump action event. But I would want to have someone tell me if it would blow up,

[Dean Romig]

Nobody's going to tell you that George - You're on your own.





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[edgarspencer]

Christopher Spencer had many design patents for guns, but the only one which has significant merit was his repeating rifle which Lincoln approved for the War Dept., on the Mall (Well documented event).
Many Columbia bicycle parts, in the early days, used parts designed by Spencer, and made at the Billings & Spencer Forge in Hartford.
Like many of the Spencers that followed him, he was a brilliant engineer, and terrible businessman. Percival (Percy, Spence), his son, was a well known aircraft engineer, who designed the SeaBee amphibious plane made by Republic Aviation, on Long Island NY. He was particularly well known for crashing his planes around the Hartford, Weathersfield and Glastonbury area. He and my grandfather were cousins, buddies, and partners in mischief. Their mutual cousin, Ernie Spencer, from East Hampton, CT, was the guy who drove my dad to Meriden on his 16th birthday to get his first, used, 16ga VH. I have that gun and have lots of memories and visuals associated with it.

[George M. Purtill]

Nobody's going to tell you that George - You're on your own.





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I was hoping you would help Dean. You are so mean.

[Rich Anderson]

If the action is tight and functional and there is good barrel wall thickness I'd try it with some RST Falcon Lights. Maybe sand bag it first and use a piece of cord to pull the trigger.

[Mike Franzen]

George have you ever seen the 12 ga home defense loads? They're about an 1 1/4" long. You could probably get about 15 loaded into your gun. Very mild recoil. Imagine running up to the line yelling "Make My Day" and pumping out 15 rounds. You would be the talk of the town.