Posted on 12/23/2017 3:25:37 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
The eyes of soldiers, notables and frontiersmen, posing with their sleek, efficient Henry repeating rifles in century-and-a-half-old photographs, typically reflect pride and confidence, and imply that the rifle’s users know they’re holding something special. Such feelings are understandable. The 16-shot Henry lever-action set the owner above the norm. It was truly one of the mechanical wonders of its era.
During a time when most military and sporting arms were single-shots or cumbersome percussion repeaters, a gun that effortlessly spat out a rapid stream of bullets with only one charging of handy, self-contained cartridges was something to be admired and coveted. Originally made in relatively limited numbers between 1860 and 1866, the Henry .44 Rimfire rifle, which was devised, built and primarily carried in the United States, eventually fell into disuse. Nearly a century-and-a-half later, a modern resurgence of interest in Civil War arms and the rise of cowboy action shooting have given many vintage arms a new lease on life-including the Henry. Replicas of the rifle began to be successfully made overseas in the 1970s. Now the process has returned full-circle thanks to Henry Repeating Arms of Bayonne, N.J., which has brought the manufacturing of this all-American firearm back home.
The Henry rifle has one of the most tortuous histories of any firearm ever. Even though its official production lasted a scant half-dozen years, its antecedents and descendants extended for many years. In 1848 inventor Walter Hunt introduced an odd-looking lever-action long arm that chambered an early incarnation of the metallic cartridge.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanrifleman.org ...
Somewhat anemic .44 rimfire caliber and the magazine follower can be interfered with by the supporting hand but it was very effective in the right hands.
Such as one particular Indian during the Battle of the Little Big Horn: battlefield analysis showed that one with a Henry accounted for a large percentage of all of the cavalry casualties by crawling closer to the troopers and picking them off, one by one.
Wonder if someone has one for sale.
A few Uberti replicas on Gunbroker:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/727870352
But if you looking for an original, those are BIG bucks.
Not so dangerous as one might think. They did have a half-cock notch to hold the firing pin off the cartridge (but it’s not to be entirely trusted). I do not own one, but have had the chance to examine and fire the replicas. Interesting design for loading (the top 4-5”of the barrel pivot aside once the magazine follower lever is past, and cartridges are dropped down the magazine tube). This was made obsolete by the loading gate introduced on the 1866 Winchester “Yellow Boy”. Also, if fired rapidly, the lack of a forend made for hot fingers. For this reason they are not as popular as other rifles for Cowboy Action Shooting (the Winchester 1973 is the most used).
USA made, although many Italian clones from Uberti etc are pretty good.
https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/the-original-henry-rifle/
Yes, saw those already. Wishing someone local in TX had one (repro, of course). Have been searching.
.44 Rimfire is basically unobtanium today, it was last produced commercially in the 1920s or 1930s. Even single rounds are collectable. I recall reading about a Sioux or somebody who has a Henry and an ever dwindling cache of ammunition that has been handed down from father to son, father to son, from whomever captured it originally. Once every year or so they pop off a couple rounds or somesuch. Original Henry repeaters are expensive.
Originals go for 30k to 50k.
I believe the phrase was, “Load them on Sunday fire
them all week!”.
Yes. Some 16 rds, some 17. lol
I’ve never owned one, but I own a book called “Winchesters”, as I recall the problem was the rounds themselves, stored in the magazine. This is still a problem today, or can be. If a round nose bullet is butting against the primer of an adjacent cartridge, a hard enough drop or jolt can possibly set it off. Then the rest of them go off too. Probably more annoyance than a danger, but I dunno.
Well, surely someone wants to get rid of one then, lol.
The solution is to buy Cowboy ammo, with a round nose flat point (RNFP) bullet. Made by many companies... Ultramax, Black Hills, HSM and others. For higher porformance (say out of a bit more modern rifle like a Marlin 1894, Hornady makes the LeveRevolution that has a soft polymer pointed tip.
I almost bought a replica Henry a dozen years ago, but after firing one with follower coming down the barrel and no forearm (because of the moving follower) I opted for a Uberti 1873 Winchester in .44-40 instead. The 44-40 is the original round for it and I fire cartridges loaded with black powder, just like the originals. A blast to shoot (pun intended).
Do you shoot cowboy action?
Well not the originals! The reproduction Henrys are very addictive. .357 shoots .38 too, for economical plinking. Very fun, and accurate right out of the box. The Golden Boy .22 is a real gem. Get the kids version with the short barrel, they are amazing. Now, to be sure none of these are really Henry rifles, but they are decent USA made rifles. They use nice walnut blanks, if you dig through a couple maybe find a real nice example. And their service department is second to none, their CEO is pretty serious about it and often answers the phone hisself.
The 1st DC Cavalry was the only unit of the Union Army armed with the Henry repeating rifle by the Government.
Yep. Georgia Arms is my favorite. They use starline brass and good components. Cowboy action ammo is a little anemic but I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of it either. Hollowpoint should be OK too, Blazer makes or made an affordable version in non-reloadable aluminum. They are just plain fun to plink with. No tin can is safe around this cowboy!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.