CIVIL WAR HENRY MODEL 1860 REPEATING RIFLE — U.S. GOVERNMENT PURCHASE RANGE — SERIAL NO. 3987

Fine example of the iconic Henry Model 1860 Repeating Rifle, serial number 3987, chambered for the .44 Henry rimfire cartridge. This rifle falls within the generally recognized 3,000–4,000 serial-number range associated with the 800 Henry rifles purchased by the U.S. Ordnance Department under the December 30, 1863 government order, making it particularly desirable for its association with Federal Civil War procurement.

The rifle remains in fine condition and, importantly, retains its original four-piece cleaning rod set within the buttplate compartment, an accessory frequently missing from surviving Henry rifles. There are some initials crudely carved into the stock "T H M".

Developed by Benjamin Tyler Henry, superintendent of Oliver Winchester's New Haven Arms Company, the Henry evolved from the earlier Volcanic repeating-arm system. Henry perfected both the lever-operated action and the powerful self-contained .44 rimfire cartridge, receiving his celebrated patent on October 16, 1860. With a 24-inch octagonal barrel and tubular magazine carrying fifteen cartridges, plus one in the chamber, the Henry gave a soldier an extraordinary sixteen-shot capability at a time when the standard military arm remained a single-shot muzzleloader.

Approximately 14,000 original Henry rifles were produced between 1860 and 1866. Though relatively few were officially purchased by the Federal government, the rifle earned a legendary reputation during the Civil War and became the direct predecessor of the Winchester Model 1866 and the celebrated line of Winchester lever-action rifles that followed.

A fine Civil War Henry with the added desirability of a government-range serial number and its scarce original cleaning rods.

Richard Ferry Military Antiques — Florida’s largest Civil War dealer

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