Rifle "Henry" 1860: description, characteristics, history

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Henry rifles with a bracket (Lever Action in English) have gained incredible popularity, only in terms of total circulation they are slightly behind the well-known Kalashnikov. It is noteworthy that, despite their popularity, barrels of this type were never officially in service, although they survived many military stories. This happened, probably, because for that time the concept of a pistol cartridge in a weapon with a long barrel turned out to be too innovative, as well as the mechanism of a rifle.

The Mauser S-96, the legendary pistol, which has been used since the Boer War almost up to the present day, has a similar story, and was also not officially in service anywhere, although in Russia and Germany it was recommended to officers for self-purchase.

The rifles that conquered the Wild West

The story of the conquest of the Wild West would not fit in a thin pamphlet. This is a multi-page book, but its ink was the real "iron" - different models of weapons that were in the hands of the soldiers. In thisIn this article, we will learn to distinguish the “main characters” of those events using the description of the Henry rifle as an example.

How it all began

Among the first pistols that ended the history of the Wild West was the Volcanic. A pistol of this type is very interesting in itself - this is the first rifle with a lever-bracket and an underbarrel tubular magazine. Reloading was carried out using a lever similar to the Henry bracket, but designed for one finger. Today in gun shops you can stumble upon replicas (copies) of the "Volcanic" under a unitary cartridge. They are deservedly popular among fans of the weapons of the Wild West.

History and characteristics of the 1860 Henry rifle

The Winchester 70 is one of the first lever-action rifles, which received its baptism of fire on June 25, 1876, during the battle of the Indians with the American army. This collision took place in Montana near the Little Big Horn.

It was an attempt by the 7th Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel J. Custer, to clear out the Sioux. However, enterprising natives expected such a turn of events and managed to prepare well. They gathered all their forces, bought new Henry Winchester rifles at that time and a fair amount of cartridges for them. If we recall the fact that the Indians were mainly sold only weapons that had lost their relevance - primer or flintlock, then this time the greed of the sellers overcame all common sense, and the people from the Sioux tribe received brand new multi-shotrifles 38 and 44 caliber. The unheard-of carelessness of the gun shop owners! After all, this weapon was distinguished by an unthinkable at that time rate of fire of 50-60 rounds per minute and a magazine for 10-12 rounds, depending on the length of the barrel and the caliber of the rifle.

The army was armed with solid and reliable "Springfields" and "Spencers" 45 caliber, accurate, powerful, but with one charge. The rate of fire in them was highly dependent on the location of the bandolier rather than on the hinged bolt. It was high when mounted on a rifle, but gradually decreased when the shooter switched to a belt bandolier, falling completely while removing cartridges from pockets and other secluded storages. The Henry rifle had only one drawback - a rather weak revolver cartridge. But this could be compensated by a sharp reduction in the distance to the enemy, which was applied in practice.

The debut of lever-action rifles

J. Custer reconnoitered and found that there were more Indians than expected, however, he presumptuously decided to attack. Without waiting for reinforcements, he divided the detachment in half and attacked the Sioux settlement from two sides. The first part was ambushed (if you remember that the Indians in close combat had three or even four times superiority in firing speed, everything falls into place), suffered losses and retreated, but the Indians, not allowing them to break the distance, overtook and completely defeated the squad. The second detachment, not expecting such a powerful resistance, immediately dispersed. Another detachment that came to their aid changed its trajectory altogether,when he heard the cannonade standing over the camp.

It was the delightful debut of the Henry Rifles in the Winchester 70. Of course, he did little to help the Sioux settlement historically, but it definitely made people think about using repeating weapons.

Next, you can see how nicely the Henry rifles fought in the First World War in the hands of soldiers of the Russian army. In the United States, an order was placed for several tens of thousands of such rifles chambered for 7, 62x54. But, as it turned out, the contract was not fully fulfilled, the number of them was insufficient, so later they turned into a genuine antique firearm that adorned any collection.

Kings of the Hunt

However, no one cancels the fact that the main niche of the Henry rifles is hunting. Lever weapons on the American continent were an indispensable attribute of travelers and hunters. It was even called the "weapon of the cowboys" in the Wild West. Since there are no protruding parts on the rifle (bolt handles, magazine, etc.), it is easily and quickly removed into an oblong case that resembles a knife sheath and placed in a car, on a horse attached to a backpack. This weapon is lightweight and always ready to fire. Loading it is very simple: if the cartridge is in the chamber, it is enough to cock the trigger, if not, one movement of the bracket is enough and you are done!

The first rifles earned their popularity thanks to a good choice of cartridge. For hunting any game in North America, the revolver counterpart wasjust right, with him you could safely go at least on a buffalo. Moreover, it turned out that it is incredibly convenient to have a rifle and a revolver chambered for a unitary cartridge. The long and happy life of the lever-action rifle - the brainchild of American designer Benjamin Henry (Benjamin Henry), is due to its simple and reliable mechanism, tolerance for poor conditions and unpretentiousness.

Having talked about the history of rifles, we can move on to a more detailed acquaintance with the weapon with the "Henry" clip.

WINCHESTER-1886

This is the original Winchester that was produced by the company between 1886 and 1892. It has a powerful faceted barrel, designed for the use of jacketless lead bullets and black powder. The model is quite old, so it is not surprising that the WINCHESTER inscription, once stamped on metal, can be worn out from long use. Despite the fact that this model is more than 120 years old, all the mechanisms work properly, and the mock cartridge is thrown out and sent without any delay! Antique gun enthusiasts are beating their heads over the 44 WCF hallmark.

It is clear that the first letter is the name of the manufacturer (Winchester), but the next two are questionable in interpretation. There is an assumption that CF is a center fire, that is, a central fire. During the creation of the rifle, an active transition from ring-fire cartridges to cartridges with a primer in the center of the sleeve bottom had just begun. They were called center fire. A little later, these letters disappeared, and the cartridge that fits thisrifle, became known as 44-40. Indirectly, the letters WCF say that it is better to shoot cartridges with black powder only. The carabiner box is open at the top, for charging there is a window on the right, which is closed by a spring-loaded door. The box itself is solid and quite massive, made from a single piece of metal.

Other features

Interesting store device. It does not have any interceptors for cartridges, they are held by a feeder tray. This is a very reliable and simple design, the only feature of which is the fact that the cartridge must exactly correspond to a certain length so that the feed mechanism does not jam. The shutter of the "weapons of cowboys" is classic - a reliable and durable locking on two wedges in the rear. The wedges are controlled by the reload lever, they move down and unlock the shutter during reloading. Then it moves back due to the movement of the bracket forward through the system of levers. Then the trigger is cocked, while the cartridge case is extracted and the feed tray with the cartridge is lifted. When the reload lever moves back, the cartridge from the tray is sent to the barrel. Further, when lifting, the wedges lock the shutter, the tray is lowered, the magazine opens, in turn, the cartridge from it enters the tray.

Shutter Mirror

It is also original. Its entire lower part is shifted forward and spring-loaded. It has two functions. The first is a reflector. The constantly spring-loaded sleeve during the backward movement of the bolt is, as it were, wedged between the chamber and the lower part of the larva. When the sleeve leaveschamber, the reflector, after being released, throws the sleeve out of the box. The advantages here are undeniable: despite the slow opening of the shutter, the extraction will always be reliable. The second function is to prevent a shot when the shutter is not closed. The striker simply will not be able to reach the primer while part of the shutter is moved forward. The thoughtfulness and simplicity of the design is simply amazing, it is worth noting that it is the result of a huge work on milling and fitting parts that are complex in configuration. Attention to them can be traced in the next stroke: the aiming line is blocked by a lowered trigger, signaling that you are about to shoot, while the gun is not ready to fire.

MARLIN MOD-1895

This is a very powerful and solid rifle in caliber 45-70. Its dimensions are not much larger than the previous model, but it is quite heavy. The cartridge is powerful, accelerates a 21-gram bullet to 500 m / s. We can safely recommend it for hunting in Russian forests.

Up to a distance of 150 m, it has a flat trajectory, and during sighting at 100 m, corrections from 0 to 150 m can be neglected. The box at the Marlin is closed, it has two windows on the right side. The bottom is for charging, there is a door. The upper one is used to extract the sleeve. The reflector is in it, and when reloading, it is better to vigorously retract the shutter to ensure reliable ejection of the sleeve. To lock the shutter there is one wedge entering from below. During closing, it supports the part that transmits the blow from the hammer to the striker, which ensuresthe impossibility of a shot with an open shutter. The gun itself is solid, maneuverable and powerful, as experts say. It is considered an excellent option for driven hunting for large and medium-sized animals.

ROSSI-92

Is a pretty good copy of "Winchester-92", which was released by the Brazilian company Puma. To comply with modern standards, a safety lever was added, mounted on the gate, it also locks the firing pin. There is a full-fledged blocking of the striker, although it remains possible to reload, cock the trigger and even trigger, while the shot will not occur. The second improvement is the key that locks the trigger. He just turns, and that's it - the rifle is completely blocked, it is impossible to either cock the trigger or open the bolt.

This feature is considered very convenient. And another useful innovation is a twisted mainspring instead of the original lamellar one. It is much more durable and easier.

HENRY GB

This rifle is from the company that gave the name to the entire line. Many fans of such weapons say with sadness that only 22-caliber weapons are supplied to Russia. Those who have purchased a good quality model note its appearance: a yellow box, expensive solid wood, an octagonal heavy trunk. The rifle has a classic look and box shape, reminiscent of the Winchester-70. Collectors note the smoothness of the mechanisms. The shutter movement is so smooth and soft that it feels like it's rolling on rollers.

The box of the rifle is closed, on the left there is one window for extracting the cartridge case. For charging there is a special hole on the store. It is necessary to turn the washer and pull the spring-loaded tube out of the magazine housing, then reinsert the tube with the spring until it stops. Everything, the weapon is loaded - you can shoot. This type of charging is very convenient for those who prefer recreational shooting.

Conclusions

The common disadvantage of these rifles is disassembly. To carry out this operation, you must have a whole set of slotted screwdrivers available. The passport of the Rossi rifle generally says that if disassembly is necessary, it is worth contacting a gunsmith. This cannot but impress our people, who are ready to open anything without an additional tool. In general, such weapons are an excellent historical rarity; such rifles can also serve as companion rifles, for example, at a shooting range. Still, it's an antique and a nice looking item, not a murder weapon.

Lever Action is not very suitable for hunting, hunters will prefer it, rather, a semi-automatic or "bolt gun". But on a trip, the Henry rifle would go with joy. But who would dare to take such a rare item with them on a risky venture is another question.