{"id":48836,"date":"2015-12-24T11:30:15","date_gmt":"2015-12-24T16:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=48836"},"modified":"2015-12-24T11:30:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T04:55:14","slug":"the-henry-original-new-old-gun-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-henry-original-new-old-gun-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Henry Original–New Old Gun Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam’s Note: This review was written by my Dad. He is a lover of history and taught me to love it as well. Many a family vacation was spent at historic sites, museums and battlefields.\u00a0 I remember standing near the Bloody Angle at Spottsylvania with my dad on my 14th birthday.\u00a0 It was August in the south but it was quiet, and spooky. Henry Rifles were used there in 1864. <\/em><\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>

The Henry Rifle ready to rock in the 21st Century.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Buy one on GunsAmerica:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Search.aspx?T=henry%20original<\/a><\/p>\n

Check out the Henry:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.henryrifles.com\/rifles\/the-henry-original\/<\/a><\/p>\n

From Guest Contributor Harold Trisler<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hell yes , we love the old west. Lots of us old coots go to great lengths to just experience a mere taste of it. Friends, I hope someday you get a request from the editor of Guns America to review a Henry.\u00a0 Really a Henry, and an American made Henry<\/em> to boot<\/a>. Where do I sign up? I first met the editor, some years ago , when he had one of the worst chores of any western era, wrangling donkeys through the mountains of New Mexico. It\u2019s that kind of experience that makes an editor well rounded, and he wants me to review a Henry rifle.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The iconic Henry Rifle.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Allure of a Henry<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s hard to overestimate the mystique of a Henry. I think it has something to do with it being stuck in a period of time, it did not evolve, like the Colt or the Winchester. Yes, it did evolve into the Winchester but the Henry stayed THE HENRY. It represents it\u2019s place in history the same way a flintlock does. And there were only about 14,000 of the originals made by the New Haven Arms Company, which makes originals rare and valuable today.<\/p>\n

When my son and I visited<\/a> one of the great old gun stores in New Orleans, James H. Cohen and Sons<\/a>, the owner told us his grandmother\u2019s advice was to always try and keep a Henry in the shop–a testament to the \u00a0unique appeal of this gun. She meant that having a Henry in stock gave their shop more respect and prestige. There are not that many original Henry’s floating around the market at any given time and they command a high price.<\/p>\n

The gun was first produced in 1860, just in time for The War Between the States. It was carried by several different Union units. It was the most successful repeating rifles of its time. The only other repeater made in any quantity was the Spencer. The Spencer is a good rifle in a lot of ways, but the Henry had it beat.\u00a0 The Henry held more rounds, self-cocked its hammer when the action was worked, and was faster and easier to reload.<\/p>\n

It is a tribute to the value of the Henry that troops would take it into battle despite an uncertain war time supply of rim fire cartridges. By the end of the war, the Federals had addressed the need for ammo by buying over four million rounds of .44 Henry Rimfire. Speaking of government buying–the US Army and Navy only purchased about 1,700 Henry Rifles during the war.\u00a0 The others were bought by the soldiers themselves and the Army was happy to keep the Henry’s fed.<\/p>\n

Other than its cool looks, because it is a really cool looking rifle, part of the allure of the Henry is its historical significance. The Henry evolved out of the Volcanic Arms guns that used a hollow based bullet that contained a powder charge, there was no case like me know today. This caseless ammo was very weak and prone to moisture issues. The Volcanic loaded like the Henry with the lever, but the Henry fixed the ammunition problem using a copper (later brass) cartridge. The advent of the metallic cartridge, and the first guns that usefully utilized them, was a game changer. The average solider during the Civil War could load and fire 3 rounds in 1 minute with the standard infantry musket. The Henry and other rifles using the metallic cartridges could fire 3 rounds in seconds.\u00a0 The Henry evolved out of the Volcanic and the Winchester evolved out of the Henry. Three pretty significant guns right there.<\/p>\n

\"Throwing<\/a>

Throwing brass and slinging lead.<\/p><\/div>\n

Specs<\/h2>\n

Below are the specs on the new Henry rifle being made by the Henry Repeating Arms Company. This is the review rifle and we will get into the differences with the original Henry in a bit.<\/p>\n