Guns International #: 101246431
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Guns International #: 101246431
Category - Winchester Rifles - Antique Lever
- Henry Rifles - Antique
Seller's Information
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Seller: Brent Wilburn
Company: Antique Arms, Inc. Member Since: 11/19/15
First Name: Brent
Last Name: Wilburn
State:
Georgia
Zip: 30052
Country: United States
Phone: (678) 471-1432
Phone2: (678) 471-1432
Premium Seller
Active Listings: 36
Total Listings: 580
Seller Type:Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns and accessories.
Payment Methods:
Money Order, Certified Check
Untouched Henry Rifle, 38XX Range,
Martially Marked with Original Hickory Cleaning Rods
Description: This is one of the most perfectly worn and untouched examples of a Civil War Henry Rifle I've ever seen. It was used and then put away 150 years to mellow. All of the original surfaces are there and uncleaned, unpolished, and just left alone. It just looks like mother nature turned this one into a piece of art. I think it could go on the cover of a book. If you ever wanted to own a 16 shooter; or as the Confederates like to call it; "that damned Yankee rifle you could wind up on Sunday and shoot all week", this is it. These were issued to the 1st DC Cavalry in 1864 and then again to the elite US Volunteer Regiments right at the end of the War in 1865. These rifles were originally used to guard Washington DC but as the war progressed, they saw plenty of action in Northern Virginia; some even being captured by Confederate Cavalry units. This rifle wasn't discovered until 2009 and was a previously undocumented Martially marked Henry. It came from a family that had owned it for many years and I purchased it indirectly from the dealer who got it from them. Unfortunately, there is no other history on it. I will never forget driving several hundred miles to see it when my friend found it. When I first put my eyes on it, it was resting on a conference table in his office. Even from 10 feet away, you could tell it was untouched. That light orange walnut with its original 150 year old varnish that had spider-webbed like the finish on a vintage stratocaster guitar was something I had only seen in books; never in person. It just had "the look". That said, I made the difficult decision to part with my first Henry, an equally untouched rifle from 1865 that was about 50 numbers from Oliver Winchester's personal rifle. I had spent years looking for that one but side by side, this martial marked rifle was clearly better in every respect and I could only afford to keep one. So that's a bit of the story behind it. I took it to the Franklin, Tenn Civil War show in Dec. 2018...the first show it had ever been to and it received a lot of positive comments from some very advanced collectors and dealers. While there, some ASAC members I know have an ongoing study of martial Henry's and they told me this was a serial number that had never been recorded before in all the decades they have been accumulated. They even pointed out that this rifle's original 4 piece hickory cleaning rods (which are original to this gun and must stay with this rifle btw) are in fact unique to the military Henry's as they have an iron ferrule for a tool or wiper attachment. The ferrule even has a gov't inspector inicial "C". See photos. This Henry is well within the first major purchase of the Henry rifle during the Civil War which comprised most of the rifles in the 3,000-4,000 block; this one being in the 3800 range. It has US Martial inspector Charles G. Chapman's inspector initials on the frame, barrel, buttplate and his cartouche on the right side of the buttstock. When I first got this rifle, I carefully removed the stock ONE TIME to verify the numbers were matching on the inside of the frame, stock, buttplate, buttplate screws and they all do 100%. In hindsight, it would have been smart of me to have photographed them then but knowing me, I would have misplaced the files over the next 10 years. I will guarantee they match but I don't want to disturb the wood again for pictures. After a while, these Henry's get handled to the point where they begin to loose their tight fit and undisturbed look and that is basically 95% of the ones that are out there. They've been handled and loved to death. This is one of the few that hasn't. Overall, the brass frame has turned to a very deep hazy mustard patina...the kind of look that takes many years to develop without being cleaning. The edges of the brass are still crisp and sharp. Even the screws have well over 100 years of dried grease and dirt in them. The barrel looks like the original blue has turned over to a plum patina more than it was ever worn. The barrel address is crisp as is the serial number and rear sight graduations. There are some minor rust spots on the barrel towards the front half that could be cleaned up but I have chosen not to. There are still some traces of original blue in protected areas. There is also a bit of original blue on the back of the firing pin that becomes visible when the lever is engaged. The stock has a great cartouche, one of the best I've ever seen on a martial Henry as most are worn and barely visible. The wood is still light and really shows the cartouche well...you can see it from several feet away instead of having to pull out a magnifying glass to look for it. The left side of the stock still has the Henry bump which I'm pointing towards in one of the photos. These bumps have always been a mystery...many henry's have them, some don't, and some have been removed over the years as unsightly. This one still has it which is always a good thing to a collector. There are a few specks of old paint on the varnish from being stored in a closet for many decades. Again, I chose not to disturb anything. You can also see where the bottom toe of the stock is a little under the edge of the buttplate which is a combination of wear but mostly natural shrinkage that is common on Henry's. As time went on, Oliver Winchester's workmen learned to compensate for shrinkage by leaving the wood a little bit proud over the metal tangs and buttplate, but not until well into the late 1870's when they got to see what some of their products looked like after a few years out in service. The wood to metal fit is tight and as even as you'll ever find on a Henry. It has never been sanded down or cleaned. This rifle is all original with the exception of 2 parts; the magazine tube spring and the brass cartidge follower, which were both missing from the tube when this rifle was discovered. I would say that over half of the Henry's I've found over the years were missing their spring and follower while most of the ones I've found with them, were replacements. So this seems to come as common with old Henry's as the tubes are exposed by a slit that allowed the springs to corrode and eventually break. From there, a loose sliding brass follower with no tension probably got annoying and set aside. Also, the little slide on the rear sight is gone which is also common as early Henry rear sights did not have set screws to keep them on the ladder. However, one of the most startling discoveries with this particular Henry was finding the original hickory cleaning rods in the buttstock. These are worth several thousand dollars alone on the current market and have usually been removed over the years by dealers and collectors looking to make some money. This rifle needs to be the one exception to that rule. I've seen a lot of this type of thing go on in 35 years of collecting, but this rifle is historically important so whoever buys this needs to be in the same mindset as the caretaker of a piece of history to be passed on to future generations. SOLD Antique: Yes Manufacturer: New Haven Arms Company ( Pre-Winchester) Model: 1860 Henry Repeating Rifle Caliber Info: .44 Rimfire Manufacture Date: 1864 |
Guns International #: 101246431
Guns International #: 101246431