GUN SPRING 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
VERY RARE HENRY MODEL 1860 IRON FRAME LEVER ACTION RIFLE.HENRY186010144RFCal 44 RF Henry. Usual configuration with 24-1/4" oct bbl that has integral magazine, early style round nickel silver front sight, plugged rear sight dovetail in top flat of bbl with a replacement rear sight in a dovetail at the rear edge of top flat of receiver. There is a 2nd dovetail in top flat of receiver with a sight base installed. Frame, sideplates & buttplate are all made of steel. Magazine follower is a replacement later large type with a added cut-out in bottom front of the frame to accommodate the follower. Serial number was observed in the usual place on top flat of bbl at the receiver, left side of lower tang under the wood, in top tang channel of buttstock and inside buttplate tang. All 5 of the stock & buttplate screws are also matching numbered. Buttplate is early type with rounded heel and large opening to accommodate a 4-pc hickory & iron cleaning rod (rod not present). The cleaning rod opening in the wood has a bevel cut-out at the bottom. This bevel is only found on iron frame Henrys with no known reason for it to be there. Round section of the bbl is marked with the assembly number "86" with matching number on rear face of loading sleeve. The 2-line Henry address utilizes the early small font style as do the serial numbers. There is considerable controversy regarding the production of iron frame Henry rifles as to whether they were produced at the Henry factory simultaneously with the brass frame guns or manufactured under separate contract. According to THE HENRY RIFLE, Quick, there were fewer than 400 iron frame Henrys manufactured with the highest known SN being "355" at the time of printing. The serial listing of the first 400 guns on pages 54-55 of reference publication lists SN 101 as an iron frame and was known at the time of publication in 2008. This same serial listing shows only 90 iron frame Henry rifles known at the time of printing. Regardless iron frame Henry rifles are exceedingly rare and very desirable collector's items. CONDITION: Very good, all matching. Bbl & magazine retain an artificially aged dark brown patina with several areas of what appears to be blood pitting and a series of small dings at the breech end of the bbl & magazine. Receiver & sideplates are a cleaned gray metal patina with scattered fine pitting. Hammer is matching patina with a few spots of pitting and the lever is a matching patina as is the buttplate. There is a repaired chip in the top right of the wrist otherwise stock is sound with light nicks & scratches showing a hand worn patina with about 25-30% orig finish showing. Mechanics are fine, strong sharp bore with moderate pitting. 51682-1 JRL (85,000-125,000)