Spencer 1882

Spencer 1882 with 30" barrel - 12 gauge

The Spencer 1882 was the first commercially successful, mass-produced pump-action shotgun. It was designed by Christopher Spencer, also known for designing the Spencer 1860 Carbine, and Sylvester Roper.

It uses a rather mechanically unusual system, with a vertically-tipping breechblock instead of a linearly-sliding bolt; when the action is cycled, this first tips down to allow extraction of the fired shell from the chamber (and insertion of a round from the magazine into the lower carrier section of the block), then pops up to eject the fired shell (and allow the shell in the carrier to be driven into the chamber by the forward stroke of the pump), and then back down to close the action. One side-effect of this is that the magazine tube can only be loaded when the action is open (since otherwise the breechblock blocks it off); this also means that, after loading a full tube, an extra rack of the action (or a partial rack to chamber-load an extra shell, as the cycling process can be interrupted before the breechblock pops up, albeit withs some difficulty) is required to chamber the first round. One additional feature of note is the lever in the trigger guard, often mistaken for a secondary trigger of some sort (e.g. a set trigger); this is actually a cocking lever (or, more precisely, the bottom end of the hammer), which can be used to manually cock or de-cock the action - being a direct part of the hammer, it shifts forwards when the hammer is cocked, and snaps back when it drops (the reference image above showing it in the cocked position. Two additional "models" are defined by collectors (though neither are terribly well-established, with features being somewhat blended through production): the "Model 1886" (which features different barrel markings, and an additional screw retaining the action bar cover plates on either side of the receiver), and the "Model 1887" (which features a somewhat awkward takedown system rather than the prior models' torqued-in barrel).

While innovative, the design's high cost meant that it was never quite as successful as some later pump-action designs; following the foreclosure of the Spencer Sporting Arms Company, the design would ultimately be sold to the Bannerman company, who would market a modified version (notably replacing the original's distinctive short, stout hard rubber forend with a slightly longer, more conventional pump, though still made of hard rubber) as the Model 1890, followed by (in the midst of an ultimately-unsuccessful patent dispute with Winchester over their Model 1893) the cheaper, further-altered Model 1896 (with a more conventional textured wooden forend and a slightly-altered takedown system).

Specifications

(1882 - 1902)

• Type: Shotgun

• Caliber: 12 gauge (2 5/8" chamber)

• Weight: 8.1 lbs (3.7 kg)

• Length: 49 in (124.5 cm)

• Barrel length: 30 in (76.2 cm)

• Capacity: 5+1

• Fire Modes: Pump-Action

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The Spencer 1882 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
3:10 to Yuma		Deputies		2007

Video Game

Game Title	Appears as	Note	Release Date
Bioshock	"Shotgun"		2007
Bioshock 2	"Shotgun"		2010
Hunt: Showdown	"Specter 1882"		2018