Need help with Spencer Cartridge ID. Also had a good adventure in CA

[coinshooter]

I found this in a park in San Diego (of all places!).
I think this is a really rare find for California.
Can someone give me some info. I am trying to figure out if it is a 56-56 or a 56-52, the age of the cartridge,
and what type of gun might have fired it (I think it said WInchester), but what type?

First I was hunting and found the 44 Merc. , then I found a really big old oak tree toppled ove. I ran the detector over the dirt at the root zone and popped out this cartridge. I had never seen such a large cartridge, so I figured it was old. Looked it up as best as I can and think it's from around 1893? The $20 (1982) Mex Coin was next as I headed down into a canyon. When I got to the bottom, I was hacking away at some dirt where a target was when all of a sudden, I felt monster pain on my body. I saw a yellow streak and knew I was in big trouble.
I don't think I have ever run up a hill so fast. When I got to my car I was still fighting off yellow jackets. I got into my car and one flew out of my shirt or pants. Had to get out of the car and shoo him off.
I ended up losing my Lesche somewhere near where I got stung (I wasn't going after it) and ended up with 11 yellow jacket stings which still hurt as I write. I had 3 on my arms 4-5 on my torso, one on my butt and a few in my lower front belt line. Those creatures are pure evil!!

 

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[coinshooter]

Where's CC Hunter? Nobody knows about this?
I figured I'd have an answer pretty quick, but I guess nobody knows about these cartridges?

 

[tennessee digger]

What you have is a Henry cartridge. The Henry rifle was used during the civil war and several years after. It is probably a .44 caliber. Do a Google search on Henry cartridges. Good finds BTW. Tennessee digger

 

[Chuck In Oregon]

What you have is a Henry cartridge. The Henry rifle was used during the civil war and several years after. It is probably a .44 caliber. Do a Google search on Henry cartridges. Good finds BTW. Tennessee digger

What he said. The H is pretty much of a give-away. The odds of it being other than a .44 Henry are slim. You can find a decent article on them at THE CARTRIDGE COLLECTOR.

NOT a good trade for the wasp attack. I've been swarmed once and that was more than enough. Hope you heal soon.

Chuck

 

[kuger]

Yep,what they said,and actually were quite popular in Cali

 

[coinshooter]

Thanks! Still trying to figure out how to get my Lesche back: but I might just have to abandon that thought.

 

[Dixiegal]

Some kind of old rimfire pistol cartridge. Hard to tell the caliber.

 

[milk86]

you can always go back to get the digger...main thing you got out of there.

Nice Finds

 

[cudamark]

I was going to give you a hard time about not inviting me along on your hunt, but, now I'm glad you didn't! I've had a few run-ins with yellowjackets too and would rather not have another. I'd rather hunt the beach this time of year but it's a lot harder to find the old coins there.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Umm... pardon me, please... but it is definitely not a .44 Henry casing. Coinshooter's photo with the millimeter ruler showing the casing's base says it is 16mm wide, which translates to .56-inch wide. The casing's mouth is a couple of millimeters narrower, therefore approximately .54-inch in diameter. That's not a .44 Henry casing.

Matching the casing's mouth-diameter and the raised-H headstamp, Coinhunter's guess is correct, it is a postwar Spencer casing. According to the info at the following website, Coinhunter's casing was produced sometime between 1874 and 1880, for the .56-52 Spencer rifle. Scroll down the webpage to see the raised-H mark and info: International Ammunition Association {iaaforum.org} - View topic - Spencer Headstamps

 

[Chuck In Oregon]

Umm... pardon me, please... but it is definitely not a .44 Henry casing. Coinshooter's photo with the millimeter ruler showing the casing's base says it is 16mm wide, which translates to .56-inch wide. The casing's mouth is a couple of millimeters narrower, therefore approximately .54-inch in diameter. That's not a .44 Henry casing.

Matching the casing's mouth-diameter and the raised-H headstamp, Coinhunter's guess is correct, it is a postwar Spencer casing. According to the info at the following website, Coinhunter's casing was produced sometime between 1874 and 1880, for the .56-52 Spencer rifle. Scroll down the webpage to see the raised-H mark and info: International Ammunition Association {iaaforum.org} - View topic - Spencer Headstamps

Nicely done, and well-supported opinion.

Chuck

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[pistol-pete]

It is a Spencer rifle cartridge case probably 56-52, been fired in a Spencer, very destinctive firing pin mark, common perion of use 1866-1890's