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Who shoots a Henry?


El Hombre Sin Nombre

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Having committed to shooting cap guns this whole year, and maybe longer, I’ve been contemplating adding a Henry to the mix. Seems like a perfect companion. So what say you guys they shoot them? Any recommendations or advice? I have a chance to score one at a great price, but I need just a little convincing to pull the trigger rather than stick with my 66. Thanks folks 

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I shoot an “iron” 1860 Henry replica that was given to me by Schoolmarm for our 29th anniversary.  We celebrated our 43rd last August!!

 

GOOD RIFLE!!  Takes some getting used to. DON’T let the follower slip when loading it!!

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Have two. Uberti 45 colt and a HRAC Iron Frame in 44-40. 

 

Been shooting the HRAC about 25% of the time the past couple of years. Have not used the Uberti in a few years.

 

They are heavier than the other rifles being used in our sport.

 

Just use caution when loading. Do not let the follower slip and slam down. This could (and has) caused a chain fire.848735953_IronFramepic.thumb.jpg.f49b605c263bf9a2ecd42e635fbad218.jpg

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Buy it. Last Saturday I was at the loading table with Fire N' Fallback and he glanced over and said "That's cool as hell!". Mine's a Uberti military model with a sling in .44-40. BP of only course.

 

I highly suggest a dowel rod and brass pin to avoid the Henry Hop.

 

Oh and make sure to get the follower back in the slot or it won't feed...

 

 

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Originally I bought a 45 Colt Henry.

After several years of smokeless and mostly Bp, I could not get a good seal on the case and did not like the action getting so diry during a match that I ahd to clean the action some time during the match to continue.

 

Made some phone calls and found a 44-40 barral assembly at the US Uberti office.

Got it and changed the 45 to 44-40.

This fixed my issue with the action getting so dirty requiring cleaning during the match.

It also made cycling the action faster because the 44-40 did not catch on the barrel during moving forward.

 

Now this is not to say the 45 Colt is a problem, just something to be aware of while shooting so you know to slow down and let the round feed in to the barrel with out the bounce of hitting the back of he chamber.

 As for loading, I would keep one hand wrapped around the barrel out past where the loaded rounds wwould be in themagazine.

If the follower happened to release, my hand wopuld stop it before getting tothe rounds.

Then after loading all rounds, I would let the follower down to my hand then slide my hand down until the follower rested on the ronds.

I have seen several Henry followers free fall resulting in damaged magazines and hand injuries from blown cases.

 

The Henry is a fine rifle as long as you learn what you need to do to keep it safe.

 

Oh, one more thing.

After loading the Henry and setting on the prop table. Make sure to lift the rifle straight up and not pull it to you while lifting.

This can cause the follower to catch on the table sliding it forward than releasing it to free fall agains the rounds.

 

The Henry is a good rifle and best suited for BP.

 

And the slide lever.

You can install a wooden dowel to move it out farther to avoid the off hand hop or you can learn to bridge your hand and fingers to let it pass by.

 

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Let me add another vote for a spacer dowel in the magazine.   Load your ten rounds, the the dowel.   This will negate the need to do the "Henry Hop," and prevent your hand from preventing the chambering of the last couple of rounds.    They are available, as far as I know, in only two calibers, .44-40 and .45 Colt.   Mine's a .44-40.    Other than loading, it's really not all that different from a 66 or a 73.  Plus they have a high coolness factor.

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I shot a Henry for N-SSA for many years.  I found that the best caliber is 44-40.  Because of the better seal the 44-40 gives it.  I shot it with 25gr of 3F black powder and 5gr of Cream of wheat for filler.  I used a lead lubed bullet that was .429.  They are a great gun for shooting and you get style points besides.

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Unfortunately, I only have four.  Four Henrys.  1860s.  All are 45 Colt.  Keeping them running with BP and Subs can be a real GROAN.  Then I learned to anneal my cases.  With annealed cases, my 45s run as clean if not cleaner than the 44-40.  My Henry rifles are my primary Main Match Rifles.  Oh, forgot, the 45s run clean enough with annealed cases the only cleaning I have to do is run a nice wet patch through the bore after a match.  With some adroit rubbin-n-buffin and perhaps a Short Stroke, the Henry will run with ANY toggle link rifle.  Did I mention .... Maximum COOL factor.

 

FORGOT:  A 45 COLT Henry can be run with 45 Schofield cases.  And with a cartridge stop added to the carrier, can be run with Cowboy 45 Special brass.  Way cool to stuff a henry with 18 rounds.

 

If you don't want to fool around with annealing, go for a 44-40

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1 hour ago, El Hombre Sin Nombre said:

Having committed to shooting cap guns this whole year, and maybe longer, I’ve been contemplating adding a Henry to the mix. Seems like a perfect companion. So what say you guys they shoot them? Any recommendations or advice? I have a chance to score one at a great price, but I need just a little convincing to pull the trigger rather than stick with my 66. Thanks folks 

 

Agreed; a perfect companion.

 

LL

 

DSCN2113.JPG

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Iron-Frame 1860 Henry in 44-40

1860 Henry set up for 45 Cowboy Special by Coffinmaker

1860 Henry converted to a Transitional by Confinmaker in 44-40 -- This is my main match rifle

1860 Henry converted to a transitional by Happy Trails in 44-40

 

I LOVE HENRY RIFLES! 

 

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Well.  Well well ... With the additional, your probably going with a 44-40 (firm grasp of the obvious).  You already have an 1866, so another brass rifle would make a real nifty companion rifle.  However, the "Iron" frame Henry with a CCH frame is just too KOOL!!  Way too KOOL.  So my suggestion is an Iron Frame Henry in 44-40 (Captain Obvious again).

 

Whom is setting up your Cap Guns for ya??  Curious.

 

Dat be hilarious right there Widder  :D

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Nah.  Not hanging up the Shingle again.  Just hope he gets his Cap Guns set up for playing CAS. Otherwise it's becomes an exercise in frustration.

 

Cap Guns be UBER KOOL!!

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I wanna add an additional warning. A cowboy who shall not be named let the follower strike a loaded magazine and had the dreaded mag explosion. Flat nose bullets are mandatory, that is obvious. But what we discovered was that the bullet had a very small and conical shape. It only measured about.008 and that was enough to create a boom. Look closely at your bullet. And have fun

 

Imis

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30 minutes ago, Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 said:

I wanna add an additional warning. A cowboy who shall not be named let the follower strike a loaded magazine and had the dreaded mag explosion. Flat nose bullets are mandatory, that is obvious. But what we discovered was that the bullet had a very small and conical shape. It only measured about.008 and that was enough to create a boom. Look closely at your bullet. And have fun

 

Imis

 

It happened on a low loading table!

 

Left scars in some interesting places!:o :rolleyes: :lol:

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51 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Well.  Well well ... With the additional, your probably going with a 44-40 (firm grasp of the obvious).  You already have an 1866, so another brass rifle would make a real nifty companion rifle.  However, the "Iron" frame Henry with a CCH frame is just too KOOL!!  Way too KOOL.  So my suggestion is an Iron Frame Henry in 44-40 (Captain Obvious again).

 

Whom is setting up your Cap Guns for ya??  Curious.

 

Dat be hilarious right there Widder  :D

Iron frame Henry is really a cool look. If I don’t get the deal I am considering on a brass frame then it just might be the direction I go. 
 

I have quite a few sets of cap guns, setup by various smiths, including a few I did with the pettifogger instructions, but my favorite and most reliable were done by Longhunter 

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I shoot a .44-40 Uberti Henry (brass frame). Identical action to your ‘66 and can be slicked up with SS kits et al the same way. Mine is and it’s awesome. 
 

I’ve handled an HRAC version and it’s smoother out the box than a stock Uberti, but not as smooth as a slicked up one. 

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Of course not there C. J.   The Henry was designed to have 16 plus 44 Henry Flat rounds to fill the magazine full up.  No hazard there.  We seldom if ever fill our modern Henry magazines "full up."  There is always some gap between the last round loaded and the Follower.  

 

The stick was first developed to fill the gap between the cartridge and follower to prevent magazine detonations.  A side benefit is to grip the rifle a tad further out for better control without the "Henry Hop."  I originally started the "stick" thing and since I have graduated to "Stick, Mark 1, A-1".  It's a real fancy piece of kit too.  

 

Let's not lose sight this a Fantasy Game.  Not re-enacting.

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Howdy

 

Uberti 'iron frame' Henry, 44-40 caliber. It has been my usual main match rifle for about 10 years now.

 

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Making smoke.

 

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Making more smoke.

 

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I replaced the stock rear sight with this one from Track of the Wolf.

 

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Stick

 

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Loading ammo on my Hornady Lock and Load. Starline brass, Federal Large Pistol primers, 2.2CC (about 33.3 grains) Schuetzen FFg, Big Lube Mav-Dutchman 200 grain bullets sized to .428. Yup, the brass is stained. Shiny brass does not shoot any better, it is just easier to find in the grass.

 

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Every now and then, I shoot a brass framed .44-40 1860. I owned the "JKO" steel frame .44-40 Henry for awhile, but sold it to a pard in Billings a couple years ago.

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Nothing cooler than having two 1860 revolvers and an 1860 rifle.

 

Now if there had been an 1860 shotgun...

 

BTW you can cut down on the weight a little if you can find an 1860 carbine in 44 Russian

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:rolleyes: Hey S. Dave :wacko:

 

Unfortunately, there was/is no Henry Carbine chambered in 44 Russian.  "IF" you can find one, A 44 Special Henry with a cartridge stop in the carrier block would suffice.  Best I can do on the Shotgun is an 1868/replica.

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50 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

:rolleyes: Hey S. Dave :wacko:

 

Unfortunately, there was/is no Henry Carbine chambered in 44 Russian. 

I make a request to Henry every couple months to make a limited edition 1860 in .44 Russian, but I'd accept a .44 special version.

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46 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

:rolleyes: Hey S. Dave :wacko:

 

Unfortunately, there was/is no Henry Carbine chambered in 44 Russian.  "IF" you can find one, A 44 Special Henry with a cartridge stop in the carrier block would suffice.  Best I can do on the Shotgun is an 1868/replica.

 

Thanks,

I shoot with a guy that has an 1860 Carbine that he shoots 44 Russian in. Stuffs them full of BP and then compresses it really well.  Even at 50 yards they hit the targets with authority.

 

My 1860 Rifle is chambered in 44-40. I have an ammo can of old 10-X BP sub rounds that I have been shooting in it. Between the full load of powder and the extra hard cast lead bullets they will hit a target hard enough to get everybodies attention. I no longer shoot them at SASS matches because I have dented a few mild steel targets. I have reserved them specifically for NCOWS where at 50+ yards there is no question if I have hit the target or not.  When I use them all up I'll reload them with a little milder load.

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1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

:rolleyes: Hey S. Dave :wacko:

 

Unfortunately, there was/is no Henry Carbine chambered in 44 Russian.  "IF" you can find one, A 44 Special Henry with a cartridge stop in the carrier block would suffice.  Best I can do on the Shotgun is an 1868/replica.

 

Armisport use to make a Spencer in 44 Russian.

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On 2/22/2020 at 1:11 PM, El Hombre Sin Nombre said:

Having committed to shooting cap guns this whole year, and maybe longer, I’ve been contemplating adding a Henry to the mix. Seems like a perfect companion. So what say you guys they shoot them? Any recommendations or advice? I have a chance to score one at a great price, but I need just a little convincing to pull the trigger rather than stick with my 66. Thanks folks 

I may be in the minority but I'd just stick with your 66 if you like it. I'm not a big fan of the Henry's, there's a reason they made the 1866 improvements!

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33 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I may be in the minority but I'd just stick with your 66 if you like it. I'm not a big fan of the Henry's, there's a reason they made the 1866 improvements!

Valid argument there. But then couldn’t you say why the 66 with the 73 improvements? And then why the 73 with the 92 improvements? 

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