When was the Lane Extractor Introduced?

[klw]

In 1996 someone offered me more money for my gun collection than I could walk away from.  They also wanted my gun book collection, 450+ books, and my reloading press collection.  Never thought that one person would offer to buy all that stuff.  I never regretted selling all that as it allowed me to retire early, at 54, but sometimes I miss the books.

The only book I now have that discusses Spencer's is Joseph Bilby's "Civil War Firearms."  On page 202 he says:  "Although the Spencer Model 1865 carbine, chambered for the .56-50 cartridge, and specifically requested by General Wilson for his massive 1865 raid, was not issued during the Civil War..."

Now I thought that the Lane Extractor first appeared on the model 1865 and was eventually retrofitted to some of the earlier guns.

So when was the Lane extractor first used in civil war combat and how many gun during that war had it?

[Two Flints]

Hi KLW,

According to the Marcot book, "Spencer Repeating FireArms," 'In the fall of 1866, Thomas W. Lane, an employee of the Spencer factory in Boston, developed a new cartridge extractor for the seven shot repeater....Lane assigned all rights to his invention to the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company in October, 1866...the new mechanism eventually replaced the blade-type extractor and was put into thousands of Model 1867 and New Model Spencer carbines and rifles....the (Lane) extractor did not fulfill its function as well as expected, so the company returned to a shortened, blade type extractor in 1868.'

Two Flints

[klw]

So the Lane Extractor appeared in 1866.  Thanks!  That's helpful.

Does that book also indicate when the model 1865 first saw civil war combat?

One last questions.  I've read somewhere that although the Lane Extractor works well with currently made brass that it didn't necessarily work well with Civil War Era brass.  Something about the cartridge rims being too weak.  Any idea what the truth was there?

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[Two Flints]

Hi,

As I recall from my reading, the Spencer Carbine Model 1865 chambered for the 56-50 cartridge was not issued during the Civil War, although it remained in active service through the early 1870s.

Two Flints

[klw]

Thanks!  That's what I recall also but since my library isn't what it once was I could find the reference.

So the Lane extractor appeared in 1866.  The model 1865 was never used in the Civil War.  But I think that a lot of Civil War Spencers did eventually get the Lane extractor.