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.56-56 Spencer

American black powder rifle cartridge

Field	Value
name	.56-56 Spencer
image	File:56-56 Spencer.JPG
origin	United States
type	Rifle
designer	Christopher Spencer
case_type	Rimmed, straight
bullet	.550
neck	.560
shoulder	.560
base	.560
rim_dia	.645
case_length	.875
length	1.545
primer	Rimfire
max_pressure	11600
pressure_method	CIP
bw1	350
vel1	1200
en1	1125
balsrc	Barnes & Amber

The .56-56 Spencer (14×22mmRF) was an American black powder rifle cartridge. It was the first self-contained metallic cartridge for a repeating rifle.

.56-56 Spencer cartridge, bullet diameter .546 inches

Designed for the Spencer repeating rifle and carbine, patented 6 March 1860, it was employed by cavalry during the American Civil War, first appearing at Sharpsburg in rifle form. No Spencer carbines were on issue at the Battle of Gettysburg, though two units under Custer had the rifles. The .56-56 was loaded with a slug of 350–360 gr (22.7–23.3 g) over 42–45 gr (2.7–2.9 g) of black powder. It was loaded by a variety of companies, and was also used in the Ballard and Joslyn Model 1861 non-repeating breechloading rifles and carbines. It is a short-ranged cartridge, ineffective on anything larger than deer. Commercially loaded ammunition continued to be available into the 1920s and 1930s.

Dimensions and nomenclature

The nomenclature of Spencer cartridges was unique. Unlike later cartridges such as the .44-40 Winchester and .45-70, where the first number indicated caliber and the second the charge weight, the .56-56 refers solely to the case. The first 56 is the diameter of the case at the base .56 inches (14.2 mm), measured just past the rim, and the second 56 is the diameter at the case mouth, also 0.56 in. Later versions of the cartridge included the .56-52, .56-50,{{Cite book |orig-date=1956

The Spencer rifle used a tubular magazine. To control the risk of accidental discharge owing to recoil, Lugs describes the .50 calibre round as having been reduced in calibre in order to minimise this.

References

Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ''Cartridges of the World'' (Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972), p. 281, ".56-56 Spencer". {{ISBN. 0-695-80326-3.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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