FALL 2019
nomancouldstand in front of them and
live. He also stated that the Confederate
forces would not assault the fort again in
fear of the Henry’s firepower. An unknown
Confederate officer, after a battle with the
7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, said, “It’sa
rifle you could load on Sunday and shoot
all week long.” There is no doubt thatit
contributed to many victories and, inturn,
helped the North win the war.
The Henry went on to serve the military
and civilians alike for many years afterthe
Civil War, and it was also used extensively in
the Old West to great effect. The Henry has
played many parts in some great Westerns.
One of my favorite movies, Dances with
Wo l v e s, stars Kevin Costner as Lt. John J.
Dunbar, a decorated Union soldier whose
heroism allows him to serve on the Western
prairie. The rifle he carries is the 1860 Henry,
and he uses it in one scene to stop a charging
buffalo that’s looking to run down a wound-
ed Native American boy. Since the original
1860 Henry was chambered in .44 Henry, we
can only assume that was the caliber used,
but this was never stated in the movie.
The .44 Henry (also known as the
.44 Rimfire) was named in honor of its
designer, Benjamin Tyler Henry. It used a
216-grain lead bullet backed
by 28 grains of black pow-
der.Originalroundsutilized
a 200-grain,flat-nosebullet
butwerereplacedinfavor
ofa round-nosedesign.
Still,itdidnotproduce
long-rangeresults.The.44
Henryactedmuchlikea
modern200-grain.45ACP
andwasnotveryeffective
past 200 yards.Nevertheless,
thecartridgeremainedin
serviceformanyyearsand
waschamberedinother
firearms,includingthe
WinchesterModel1866,the
S&WModel3 revolver,the
ColtModel1871-72Open
TopandtheModel 1860
long-cylinderconversion.
Coltalsoproduceda SingleAction Army
that fired the .44 Henry so that the owner
of the rifle could also own a revolverthat
used the same ammunition.
In 1871, the .44 Henry was improved
by George R. Stetson. By changing the bul-
let shape, and swaging and pre-lubing the
bullet, he made it much more efficient.
U.S. Patent 120403 was awarded to Stetson
on October 31, 1871, and assigned tothe
Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
Although the .44 Henry is no longercom-
mercially available, it can be handmade
from a centerfire cartridge conversionby
cutting down a .220 Swift case.
But if you don’t have the time forthat,
Uberti has made your life a lot easierby
offering 1860 Henrys in either .44-40or
.45 Colt. Both were born in the OldWest
and are available at your local ammunition
dealer. If you choose to reload for anyof
these calibers, companies like RCBS offer
the dies and equipment needed to keep you
and your Henry shooting.
Uberti currently offers five different
1860 Henry replicas, including 24½-inch-
barreled brass-framed rifles in either .44-40
or .45 Colt; two steel-framed options with
the same barrel-length and caliber options;
and an 18 ½-inch-barreled Trapper in .45
Colt. Although the replicas don’t have the
24-round magazine capacity of the original,
instead holding 13+1 rounds for the rifle
variants and 8+1 for the Trapper, I’m sure the
soldiers and civilians of the past would have
approved. I know I loved the .45 Colt version
I tested with a 24½-inch barrel and a brass
frame. All five Uberti 1860 Henry models
have MSRPs ranging from $1,499 to $1,579.
r r
Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool
Western fan, a firearms collector or both,
you will find some of the most beautiful,
authentic, hand-finished replicas in the
business with Uberti. The attention to
detail and the craftsmanship are master-
fully represented in all Uberti firearms,
and the prices reflect the time taken to
give you something you can hand down
to your children.
I had the chance to
examine and shoot both
of these rifles, and I was
very impressed with their
quality. They give shoot-
ers an opportunity many
may otherwise never know
by producing exact repli-
cas you can actually own
and shoot. What makes
these replicas even better
is Uberti’s use of modern
CNC machining to create
firearms stronger than the
originals, without fear of
injury or damaging a his-
toric gun worth thousands
of dollars. For more infor-
mation, visit uberti.com or
call 800-264-4962. ✪
OA Length: 38 inches • Weight: 8 pounds (empty)
Stock: Walnut • Sights: Blade front, adjustable rear
Action: Lever • Finish: Blued, casehardened • Capacity: 1 • MSRP: N/A
SPECIFICATIONS
80 GUNS OF THE OLD WEST
I had the chance to
examine and shoot both
of these rifles,and I was
v r r
with their quality.
DYNAMIC DUO
