New Haven Arms Co. Model 1860 Henry Rifle MFD 1864 MATCHING NUMBERS Lever Action Rifle, .44 Henry

SOLD FOR: $18,025.00
LSB#: 180918JR72

Make: New Haven Arms Co.

Model: 1860 Henry

Serial Number: 4246

Year of Manufacture: 1864 (“The Henry Rifle” by Les Quick, pg. 131)

Caliber: .44 Henry Rimfire

Action Type: Lever Action with Slotted Full-Length Tubular Magazine

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “HENRY’S PATENT OCT. 16, 1860 / MANUFACT’D BY THE NEW HAVEN ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CT.” and at the receiver with “4246”. The left side of the lower tang is also marked “4246”.

Barrel Length: The barrel is about 24 3/8”” in length. The barrel is round with an octagon sleeve that includes the magazine.

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a bone blade held in a slotted base at the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder sight that is dovetailed into the barrel. When the ladder is folded down, there is a “V” notch sight presented. When the ladder is folded up, the sight presented is a “V” notch on the top of the slider, a tiny “V” notch at the top of the ladder and another tiny “V” notch at the very bottom of the ladder. The left rear face of the ladder is marked “2-8”. There is also a threaded stud installed on the upper tang, which may be for mounting a peep sight.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is a one-piece walnut with a lacquered finish, straight grip and a crescent shaped brass buttplate that is slightly rounded (instead of sharp) at the heel. The buttplate has a spring-loaded hinged door in the center for access to cleaning equipment stored in the butt. There is a sling swivel inlet into the left side of the buttstock and a sling ring is screwed to the barrel about midway down its length. The stock has a small “Henry Bump” below the sling swivel. There is a deep ding above the sling swivel and several smaller dings and tool marks around the swivel. There are several deep dings, bruises, small gouge marks and drag lines scattered over the remainder of the stock with a deep bruise at the front of the tang, a small gouge mark through the finish on the left side of the lower tang and another at the right rear of the upper tang. Overall, the wood to metal fit is very good. The LOP measures 13 3/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate shows a mustard colored patina with multiple small handling marks. The buttplate is in about Very Good condition. The stock is in about Very Good overall condition.

Type of Finish: The barrel is blued. The lever, hammer and trigger are case colored and the receiver, carrier and magazine follower are brass.

Finish Originality: All Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with moderate wear in the rifling. There is moderate erosion from the muzzle back a few inches with a few spots of moderate-heavy erosion.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 0% of its metal finish. The receiver has developed a mustard colored patina and the barrel, hammer, and lever show finish loss with a mottling of dark spots of light erosion. There is a scratch through the patina on the lower left near the front of the magazine tube and several small dings scattered over the barrel with a deeper bruise on the right side about 2” in front of the rear sight. There are several small dings and drag lines in the receiver with tool marks around the hammer screw and spring screws on the underside of the frame, and multiple dings in the bottom of the carrier and the lower edge of the left side plate. The checkering on the hammer and the edges of the barrel show light wear. The hammer screw, lower tang screw and the two spring screws in the underside of the frame are disfigured. The markings are clear. This rifle rates in about Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly, and the barrel extension pivots properly for loading of the magazine. The hammer does not have a half-cock safety. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None 

Our Assessment: The Henry rifle was designed in 1860 and held 16 brass cartridges in its magazine. Sources aren’t clear about when it actually began production, but by 1866 it ceased production with about 14,000 having been manufactured. At that time, New Haven Arms became Winchester Repeating Arms Company and the Henry evolved into the M1866 Winchester. A few thousand Henry Rifles were purchased by the Union during the Civil War and many more were privately purchased by Union soldiers. The rifle quickly became known as the “rifle that you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long”. We can’t imagine what it must have been like for the Confederate troops to have faced these rapid firing rifles armed with only their muzzleloaders, but because the Henry wasn’t purchased in large numbers by the Union, there were only a few Civil War battles where the Henry played a decisive role, one of which was the Battle of Franklin. Unfortunately for Custer and his Springfield Trapdoor armed troops, a few Henry rifles also fell into the possession of the Sioux and Cheyenne troops at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. This rifle was made in 1864 and its metal parts have not been refinished. It has the important “Henry Bump” on the left side of the buttstock below the sling swivel (no one is really sure why this bump is there or why it is sometimes missing). The frame and barrel have matching numbers (we didn’t remove the buttplate for fear of damaging the screws). The edges on the barrel show light wear and the markings are clear. The rifle is in about Good overall condition. The bore is gray with moderate wear in the rifling and a few spots of moderate to heavy erosion near the muzzle. The action functions correctly. This is an all-correct Henry rifle complete with sling swivels that really ought to please the collectors out there.

CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This Antique rifle can be transferred/sold in California.

We have removed the stock to check for serial numbers. The serial number “4246” is found marked on the buttplate at the toe and on each of the buttplate mounting screws. It appears that the top of the wrist was relieved slightly, likely when the modification was made to the top tang, and there is no serial marking on the stock. Given the fit of the plate, original screws and the Henry “bump” under the sling swivel, we are confident that the stock is original. No screws were harmed in the making of this message.