The Lever-Action and the .44 Rimfire
At its core, the Henry Rifle was characterized by her lever-action, breech-loading design. Lever-action in that the operator need only pull the integrated lever handle in a downwards/forwards fashion to introduce a fresh cartridge into the chamber (this action also simultaneously removing any spent cartridges) while at the same time cocking the hammer in preparation to fire; breech-loading in that the cartridge was loaded from the rear of the receiver as opposed to a muzzle-loading weapon loaded from the front of the barrel. The caliber of choice was the custom .44 caliber rimfire cartridge known by many names including the ".44 Henry", the ".44 Rimfire", the ".44 Long Rimfire" and the "11x23R" - "R" for "rimfire".
The .44 Henry was an all-new cartridge design featuring 200 grain and an (originally) flat nose bullet tip backed by 25 grains of gunpowder. It received its name from the method of firing in which the firing pin struck the base of the cartridge "rim" as opposed to the base of the cartridge center (as in centerfire cartridges). The Henry Rifle utilized a long spring-fed, tubular magazine holding fifteen rounds of ready-to-fire ammunition. It was this feature that forced the Confederate soldier unlucky enough to face the Henry on a given day to quip "That damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week!" and oft-called the Union's "Sixteen Shooter". Reports placed the rate-of-fire of the Henry Rifle at approximately 24 rounds per minute, this of course assuming an experienced and trainer operator.
Henry Rifle Walk-Around
Externally, the Henry Rifle shared much of the appearance of the soon-to-be Winchester lever-action repeating rifle family line. The receiver featured strong lines and little in the way of detail with the exception of a few bolts. Early frames were constructed of iron while later frames switched over to the more classy-looking brass. The cocking lever made up the trigger ring/guard and sported a wide mouth oblong loop for a good firm pull with the trigger hand. The receiver contoured finely into a wooden walnut buttstock making up the grip and capped at the curved shoulder inset by a brass plate. The 24-inch octagonal barrel extended out from the forward portion of the receiver, strengthened by the underside tubular magazine running nearly the same length but sporting no foregrip. This lacking feature would make a hot barrel a concern for the operator within time. The hammer was noticeably protruding from the rear of the upper receiver and within easy reach of the trigger hand. Sights included the standard front post and a graduated rear of the flip-up type. There was no safety feature associated with the Henry Rifle, making it one unsafe weapon when loaded but not in use.
The American Civil War
During its Civil War tenure, the Henry Rifle was something of a prize for both sides of the conflict. It was somewhat readily available to those Union soldiers willing to pay for it by their own means for the rifle was never officially adopted into service by the Army. The fifteen-round repeating action gave a distinct advantage to the Northern troops when facing the single-shot, muzzle-loading Southerners. The Confederate soldier made do with what he was issued or could get his hands on - so this very rarely meant he handled the Henry Rifle. Even when if the Confederate soldier was lucky enough to capture a Henry, there was still the issue of finding a large enough ammunition supply to feed the weapon - the .44 Henry round was essentially custom to the rifle itself and found to be more plentiful in the North where it was manufactured. Despite its limited presence in the war, the Henry Rifle still found its way into the hands of "specialist" operators such as scouts, raiders or marauding parties. However, it was not featured in those massive concentrated troop formations so common to the conflict.
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