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  • shell casings

    • Artifact ID #: 2509
    • Excavation Unit: 0N 19W
    • Level: 15cmbs at South Wall
    • Identification: Spent .50 caliber, rimfire, Spencer shell casing. This shell casing is a spent (or fired) shell casing from a popular frontier weapon, the Spencer rifle or carbine. The Spencer was a popular firearm for hunting big game such as deer, elk, moose, or bison during the late 1800s. Produced for the American Civil War, many of the Spencer rifles and carbines came to the American West as government surplus. This shell casing is different than a modern example, as it is a rimfire not a centerfire. Before the 1890s, most firearms used rimfire casings, whereas the primer to ignite the gunpowder was located around the base of the shell. In centerfire shell casings the primer was located in the center of the base, hence the name differences. This particular shell was produced most likely between 1870 and 1900.


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