Guns International #: 102284348
Seller's Inventory #: 227756

Category - Antique Rifles - Cartridge - Antique Rifles - Single Shot

Category
Antique Rifles - Cartridge
Antique Rifles - Single Shot

Rare GRANVILLE HENRY Rifle .32 RIMFIRE Octagonal Barrel Crescent Buttplate c1880s Single Shot Swivel Breech

Description:
Rare GRANVILLE HENRY Rifle .32 RIMFIRE  Octagonal Barrel Crescent Buttplate

c1880s Single Shot Swivel Breech

Here we present an antique Swivel Breech Single Shot Rifle in .32 Rimfire by Granville Henry, made circa the 1880s in Boulton, Pennsylvania. The Henry family were multigenerational gunmakers who produced guns in flintlock, then percussion, then in metallic cartridge. Per Robert A. Sadler, “It certainly appears that Henry was one of the major arms contractors for the U.S. government, at least until the period of production of the 1816 musket. The breadth of their efforts include Revolutionary War involvement, U.S. government contracts, U.S. Naval contracts, arms for the Indian trade, fur trade, the Civil War, foreign arms sales, privateer arms sales and general public arms sales as well as manufacturing parts for all of the above.” One of their major partnerships was with Tryon of Philadelphia, a major arms dealer throughout the 19th Century. Of Scottish descent, William Henry I was born in 1729 and seems to be the first one to enter the trade, apprenticing to Matthew Roesser in Lancaster County, PA. His history alone is incredibly fascinating and he was himself an officer during the French & Indian War, rubbed shoulders with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, a gunmaker during the Revolution, an inventor, was a delegate at the Continental Congress in 1784 and 1785, and held many local offices and positions is Lancaster during his life. His progeny were no slouches themselves and left their mark on the United States as well.

Granville Henry was the 5th generation of gunmakers in this family. He was born in 1834. He enlisted to fight in the American Civil War but fell ill and returned home. He was a partner with his father James in the J. Henry & Son company and was President of the nearby Nazareth Hall Academy where he had been educated. Though his ancestors had worked with flintlocks and percussion muskets, long rifles, and shotguns, he was putting the new metallic cartridge technology to use. This swivel breech rifle is just one example. This one is chambered in the .32 Rimfire, and like the Winchester & Colt in the same chambering made a complementary set of arms, so this would have paired well with a Smith & Wesson No. 2 Old Army. The line of Henry gunmakers seems to end here, being outclassed in the production of arms by the likes of Winchester simply by virtue of their ability to scale their lines. Production continued in Boulton until about 1907 and Granville passed in 1912.

This is a rare rifle. Not many at all were made, some estimates are fewer than 1,000. The top latch is reminiscent of the Triplett & Scott Patent Carbine/Rifle made by Meriden Mfg. during the war, though it is single shot rather than a repeater. It also utilized the .32 Rimfire which even at the time this rifle was built was becoming obsolete (that is if the estimated manufacture date is correct and not earlier). One can see the resemblance between the long rifles made by this family of old with its octagonal barrel, fixed rear sight, and crescent butt plate.

The overall condition is very good. Some original blue and case colors remain though mostly patinated throughout. You can see some of the casting flaws from production on some of the parts. The action is excellent. The bore is clean, reflective, and sharply rifled. The stock is solid. This is a really neat gun by a really interesting family. Go find and read Mr. Sadler’s article!

Barrel is 24 ½”.

Caliber: .32 Rimfire

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$2450

#227756

 

SOLD

Antique: Yes