The New Original Henry In Hunt Camp

Updated: August 3, 2024 BY Robert Sadowski

New Original Henry rifle resting on a rustic tree stump

Sunlight glints off the polished brass receiver of the New Original Henry. I’m in Lawrence County South Carolina, a place where photographs of Robert E. Lee still hang on the wall. About 200 yards away I see movement. Silver along the backs of three massive Russian Boars. Shoats scurry to get out of way their way as the small herd trots closer. They’re like an ocean wave rolling into me. I’m looking for one about 100 pounds; a sow or boar for BBQ and sausage. They’re on me fast. I see the one I want and thumb back the hammer, swing the long-barrel Henry, and take the shot fast.

The .45 Colt bullet slams the boar into the dry dirt, and as fast as he went down he’s up and running. I lever another round into the chamber and hit him on the run. No sound of crunching leaves. He’s down.

New Original Henry Review

The New Original Henry is based on the Henry Model 1860. It was described by Confederate soldiers as “that damned Yankee rifle that can be loaded on Sunday and fired all week.” Chambered in .44 rimfire, the Henry 1860 was the first practical lever-action rifle. The tube magazine under the barrel held 15 rounds.

Closeup on the barrel of an old rifle — The New Original Henry is based on the Henry Model 1860.

The 1860 Model saw limited use by Union cavalry units during the Civil War. Compared to the single-shot muzzleloaders that were standard issue to both sides, the 1860 could lay down a withering rate of fire. By the war’s end, the 1860 Model would go on to settle the West, defending and feeding homesteads. Other lever-action rifles with stronger designs and chambered in more effective calibers would overshadow the Model 1860, but all the lever-action rifles evolved from the Model 1860. The New Original Henry has the aura to it. A been there, done that type of attitude to get the job done.

The New Original Henry rifle brass receiver against a backdrop of leaves and pine needles — The New Original Henry has that iconic brass receiver which Henry polishes to a bright shine.

How The Gun Works

Henry Repeating Arms produced the New Original Henry and it is an attractive lever-action with a bright polished brass receiver—you can almost shave in the reflection—and deep blued octagon barrel. The stock is a nice figured piece of American Walnut. The New Original has better metallurgy compared to the mid to late 19th century Model 1860 and it has a half cock safety. So while it looks like an elegant antique, it is safe to shoot and hunt with.

New Original Henry closeup on the brass elevator in the hunter's hand — The brass elevator lifts a cartridge and aligns it with the chamber before the bolt closes on the New Original Henry.

The lever worked a pair of toggles inside the receiver. As the lever is pressed forward a brass elevator drops out the bottom of the receiver to accept a round from the magazine tube. At the same time, the bolt cocks back the hammer. Pull the lever forward and bolt chambers the round.

Henry Caliber Choices

The original .44 Rimfire cartridge is long obsolete so the New Original Henry is chambered in .44-40 or .45 Long Colt. I opted for a .45 Colt since trying to find .44-40 ammo is nearly impossible. Besides, the bullet and load choices for the .45 Colt are broad, ranging from light cowboy action shooting loads to heavy, hard-cast rounds that can put the hurt on grizzly bears. Since the New Original Henry has a brass receiver it only uses standard velocity loads. Stay away from +P loads unless you want the barrel to peel back like a banana or you want brass-plated teeth.

How To Load It

The New Original loads differently than more modern lever-actions. There is no loading gate. Loading gates weren’t invented when the original Model 1860 was introduced. A brass follower is pushed toward the muzzled and when the follower clears the magazine tube rotate the sleeve away from the magazine tube. The sleeve traps the follower and magazine spring so you can load the tube.

Loading a rifle — To load the New Original Henry cartridges are dropped into the magazine tube.

Drop cartridges into the tube primer end first. The New Original holds 13 rounds in .45 Colt. When the tube is full, hold the follower and rotate it back so it aligns with the tube, and gently let the magazine spring expand until the follower is pressing down on the bullet of the top cartridge.

Cartridges loaded into the New Original Henry magazine tube — The brass follower presses down on the Hornady LeveRevolution cartridges in the New Original Henry.

New Original Henry Sights

Each front sight is a thick blade left in the white so it contrasts with a dark target. The rear sight is a folding ladder. With the sight folded, the New original was dead on at 50 yards. Elevation was perfect, but it was hitting a little to the left. That means the rear sight needs to be tapped in the direction we want the bullet to go. The rear sight is dovetailed into the barrel. I used a nylon hammer to gently tap the sight to the right. With iron sights, it takes a bit of guesswork since there are no graduation marks or any other indicators. After a tap or two and a few shots to confirm, it was dead center.

The rear sight on the New Original Henry works in the folded position and was dead on at 50 yards.

The folding ladder can be rotated in the upright position and the rear notch can be moved up the ladder to compensate for distances out to 800 yards. Do I think a .45 Colt can hit out to 800 yards? Sure, but it will have a high arching trajectory and drop like a small stone. I was more interested in 100 yards maximum distance. My shot from a stand would likely be 30 to 100 yards, which was well within my comfort zone with the New original.

Rear ladder sight on the New Original Henry — In the raised position the rear ladder sight offers set distances out to 800 yards.

.45 Colt Ammo For Henry Lever Action

I went to ammunitiontogo.com since the website offered a good selection of .45 Colt ammo and one-stop shopping. They had and I bought ammunition that ranged from the Blazer 200-grain JHP defense rounds to an assortment of hunting loads including Winchester Big Bore 250-grain SJHP, Hornady LeveRevolution with a 225-grain FTX bullet, and Federal American Eagle with a 250-grain JSP. I thought any one of these rounds would be a pig punisher.

LOAD	MUZZLE VELOCITY	MUZZLE ENERGY	ACCURACY
Federal American Eagle 250-gr. JSP	1180 fps	773 ft-lb.	2.29 in.
Winchester Big Bore 250-gr. SJHP	1118 fps	694 ft-lb.	1.39 in.
Blazer (aluminum case) 200-gr. JHP	1230 fps	672 ft-lb.	0.97 in.
Hornady LeveRevolution 225-gr. FTX	1142 fps	652 ft-lb.	1.73 in.

Averages for 3-shot groups fired at 50 yards using a rest and open sights.

I expected the longer 24.5-inch barrel would wring out more pep than the typical 16.5- or 20-inch lever-action barrel and it did. The light 200-grain Blazer bullet offered the most velocity at 1230 fps and the best accuracy averaged 0.97 inches for three shots at 50 yards. The next most accurate round was the Winchester 250-grain SJHP at 1.39 inches. Hornady LeveRevolution with the 225-grain FTX bullet came in third with an average group that measured 1.73 inches.

Hornady LeveRevolution ammunition on a rifle's brass receiver — Hornady LeveRevolution ammo, among other hunting loads, was used in the New Original Henry.

Accuracy Vs Energy

While accuracy is one indicator, I also looked at energy because wild pigs can be tough. Federal American Eagle packed the biggest punch with 773 ft-lb of energy. I would have used the Winchester ammo for the hunt but it was balky on entering the chamber, so I opted for the Hornady ammo since my past experiences hunting with FTX bullets meant a full freezer.

expanded Hornady LeveRevolution bullets — The Hornady LeveReolution bullets offered excellent expansion to take the running pig down.

Shooting The New Original Henry Rifle

The rifle is barrel-heavy with the feel and balance of a muzzle-loading rifle, but that’s fine. Heavy barrels reduce felt recoil and help keep the barrel nearly rock steady. The long barrel also offers a longer sight radius which is helpful when shooting iron sights.

There is no forend on the New Original because the brass follower moves backward the length of the cartridge with each stroke of the lever. Eventually, the follower will interfere with your support hand as you cycle through rounds. The barrel can get hot after extensive shots are fired. I had no issues though when I was squirting lead through the New Original to collect ballistic data. The lever is typical Henry meaning it cycles silky smooth. Empties are ejected straight out of the top of the receiver and over your shoulder. The trigger is crisp with just a small amount of creep. The New Original is a pleasure to shoot and if you like lever-action rifles make sure the New Original is on your bucket list.

Final Thoughts on the New Original Henry Rifle

The New Original Henry rifle with the hunter and wild boar it shot — Hunting with the New Original Henry is like taking a step back in time.

Hunting with an iron sight is a challenge, but the Henry instills confidence as well as the ability for a fast follow-up shot. I had plenty of gun for those pigs and deer, too. As much as I like the practicality of synthetic stocked Cerakoted rifles in juiced-up calibers, life can be too short to shoot ugly rifles. The New Original Henry is easy on the eyes and still can bring home the bacon.

Specifications: New Original Henry, Model H011C

Action Type: Lever action
Caliber: .45 Long Colt
Rate of twist: 1:16
Overall Length: 43 in.
Weight: 9 lb.
Barrel: 24.5-in. octagon
Finish: Polished brass receiver/blued barrel
Stock: Fancy American Walnut
Magazine Capacity: 13
Sights: Blade front/folding ladder rear
Safety: Half cock
MSRP: $2,829

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