H011

[JEBar]

knowing we have some Henry historians in our community, I'd appreciate any insight available on a question of design of the Original Henry Rifle https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/orig ... -original/ .... Why no wooden forend grip ? .... it didn't/doesn't take many rounds for the barrel to heat up and having a wooden forend grip is a major asset ....

[PT7]

JEBar,

Clicking on your link, I got a "404" error and the page wasn't there. Might be something on my computer. Anyway, I just looked at the Henry page of the original bronze and CH H011 models. I'm not an expert for sure, but I don't think a wood forend grip would work on this rifle.

If you look at the picture of this rifle on the Henry site (that's where I think your link was sending us), the small "tab" that is right under the barrel just in front of the receiver is moved forward when you need to load ammo. You then "break open" the bottom half of the barrel assembly to load ammo. Once the ammo is in, you close the bottom half of the barrel assembly, and the spring inside will then move each bullet toward the receiver. Any wood forend grip would stop this tab and of course, stop ammo from chambering.

The only way I'd think a wood forend would work is if the Henry engineers could design a forend where that tab would "tunnel through" the forend and not be stopped. But I don't know if the true 1860 original was built that way...haven't look for those way-back-when pictures. Might be interesting to do.

Like I said, I'm not that knowledgeable about your question....above is only my "guess" from watching some Hickok45 videos on this rifle. The Hickok45 video on that rifle --- http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hic ... &FORM=VIRE --- does show the tab moving as he fires rounds, and I think he even mentioned how he had to move his hand out of the way from holding the barrel.

Another good eval video on this rifle is on the Gunblast.com site: http://www.gunblast.com/Henry.htm At about 3min 40secs, he shows how to load the rifle and you can see the spring and where the bullets ride under the barrel assembly. When he shoots it, the tab creeps toward his hand and actually wedges against it.

Anyway, that's my < 2-cents on your question.

[JEBar]

link fixed, thanks for the heads-up .... Winchester runs its ammo tube through a wooden forend ... the spring operation may well be the key and if that's it one would think they could engineer a fix

[ditto1958]

The original Henry rifle was designed by Benjamin Henry at New Haven Arms Company. In 1866, Henry tried to take control of the company, but lost out to, and was ousted by Oliver Winchester, who reorganized the company as Winchester Repeating Arms.

Winchester employee Nelson King charged with the task of designing an improved successor to the Henry. He was enormously successful, as the rifle he produced was the 1866 "yellow boy." King is credited with inventing the loading gate, as well as the improved tube magazine that allowed the use of a wooden forearm.

[JEBar]

interesting .... I knew we had folks who are up on Henry history .... info appreciated

[Squatch]

Some good original info here. Even though this is an Uberti.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbfXjqDzago

Same guy but with an engraved Henry Original.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svmXamQ8HKw