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I handled and inspected a Spencer repeating rifle Sunday. 1865 Carbine version, NRA fair condition. $3100 and it's yours. Sounds steep but I haven't a clue. Cleaning and oiling the stock would help.
Does anyone load for one of these?? RCBS makes dies for it, Starline makes brass.
SHiloh
At one time there was a company that made a replacement breach block to convert it to centerfire. After that, you can get brass and have a bullet mold made. Its not cheap, but it could be a fun project.
If you go to CAS, they have a spencer shooting society that should provide you with all the info you may want or need. I have a repro Spencer carbine that I bought after reading through that site.
A repo will cost a lot less, and they are more fun. I've had several and 10.5 gr's of trail boss behind a 360gr. bullet will be sub-sonic and that's the right charge for the gun. but I had to modify a lee primer tool to prime the brass. and yes, I poured all my bullets. but mine where quite accurate. but your talking about a 100 yard gun or so. very neat cowboy gun!
They went through a long phase of being an old-fashioned rifle for which ammunition wasn't available, so there just aren't that many of them. They do tend to go for prices like that. The design concept is good. I believe that with more metal it could have made a strong and accurate single-shot rifle with that kind of rising block in a rotary carrier. I don't think it would have been difficult to make it hammerless either. Being fond of Martinis, I have never understood the American logic that the absence of a hammer changes the colour of the powder from black to something else.
The conversion without such frills shouldn't be a difficult one, even if you have to make the block yourself. If you have a good bore, the light charges for this round would be a long, long time harming it. Unlike some, it is also one that would give pretty fair case life with turned brass cases, if you have to use those, or the rather thin Magtech shotgun cases. But a replica, if they are still available, is certainly worth considering.
Spencers are fun to shoot and mine is quite accurate. I have to make brass for my 1865 carbine from 50-70 cases as the Starline rims are too small for the blade extractor. I carried mine last deer season but didn't get a chance to try it.