[JCT]

It looks like Beretta will be sending me a refund this week for my Gold Rush rifle. I sent it to them in December and it was defective. The said they'd send me a new one when they came in.....4 months later, no sign of new ones coming in, they suggested a refund. Kinda weird that they can't get the rifle they make!
Anyway, I'd prefer the Henry 1860 now. I'm looking at the standard blued with brass receiver in .45lc., but not sure whether to get the sling swivels or not. I like them both ways, but how were the originals? I will most likely hike, hunt and camp with it, so the sling could be a good idea.
Also, how does the brass frame hold up? I don't see that there's me much strain on it anyway, so it should be ok. I prefer the brass to the steel on the Henry.
I'll either order through Taylor's or try to find on I can see first ( I like to try for figured stocks instead of straight grain ). Where else might I check?

[scrat]

Get it and dont look back. i was shooting at the range on friday. There was this older fella he was shooting a pietta 1851 36 cal. along side me. we were shooting for a few hours. then he pulled out his Henry. beautiful rifle. That 45 long colt through a henry was not bad. mild recoil. i would not be conserned at all with the brass reciever. The ammo to shoot is Black hills Cowboy. That or get some 45 long colt. Shoot them up then load your own. i would either use bp or trailboss. Trailboss would make a good load for you. Mild recoil so it would be easy on the brass. Very accurate though and dosent smoke that much so you field of vision will be ok. Great for shooting at steel.

[JCT]

Sounds good. I do reload .45lc anyway for my SAA. I use 6.5gr American select and sometimes 8 grains Unique. I also load them with my BP, fill the case and seat the bullet to compress the load. These have some power!
I know someone with an Uberti Henry, but he hardly uses it, so I was unsure about it's durability. He is a great shot with it though, I can't think of a time when he missed anything he aimed at. It must be a very accurate rifle.
As long as Beretta comes through, I'll order one this week and post pics here when it comes in. I'll probably go for the sling swivel model and try to find one of the leather straps that is stamped with "Henry" on it.

[scrat]

wow now im getting jealous. too many guns so little time.

[JCT]

well, I bought that Beretta Goldrush last October! Nice fit and finish, worked flawlessly for about 300 rounds, then occasionally the hammer would not go back far enough during a cycle and it would follow the bolt forward, firing a round! Beretta tried to fix it but couldn't, it had a defect, I'm assuming to the frame. I'll miss it, I wish it worked better, but a Henry will be a nice alternative. I probably like the henry better anyway due to it's history and common use in movies ( Dance with Wolves, Lonesome Dove...etc ).

[Peter M. Eick]

Funny you should mention this. I am about to buy a Steel Framed Henry on monday. I am going to order it in since it is not a common gun. I went for the steel frame because I handled an "iron" framed one years ago and was promised it when the current owner decided it was time. He died before it was time and it parted company with the family by the time I heard about his death. Regardless he was a great guy and taught me a lot. Thus a 45colt steel Henry is the next toy I will buy.

[sharps59]

go w/ the 44-40 they seem to be more accurate. I have 2 in brass frame. they look nice but keeping the brass looking nice is more work than the steel frame.
for more opinions on the henrys go to the N-SSA board. I think most of the guys there will tell you the same.:banghead:
sometimes you can even find one for sale there.

[JCT]

I'm going with .45lc because I'm already set up for reloading and have about 1000 rounds loaded at any given time.
I think some Flitz should keep that brass clean and it's quick to clean too with Flitz.
I just hope I get that refund before any new price hikes on Uberti products. MSRP's already went up a few weeks ago. Knowing Taylor's the prices on the website are wrong and it'll cost more.

[Pulp]

JCT, listen closely. .44WCF. It's worth the extra expense of more reloading equipment. The thinner brass and slight bottleneck seal the chamber and keep blowback out of the action.
I've got videos from Cowboy Action matches where you can see blowback from .45 Colt coming out the vent hole on the bolt. You can't see that on .44WCF. BP or that newfangled smokeyless stuff. If I have time I'll put the video on my youtube account and come back and give y'all the link.

Here's the link for .45Colt BP loads, '73 Winchester. You'll see a little puff of smoke above the action after he shoots and before he levers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkaKXSEz1AU

And here is me shooting BP through my .44-40. No blowback through the vent hole.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g_ACgHmDwQ

[Ontos]

I've had an iron frame henry for years now and it's my favorite rifle to fire. It's chambered for .44WCF and it hit the 300 yrd steel gong at my range right off the bat. I really like that rear ladder sight.
Pulp, if that why they make the neck brass so thin? The first time I noticed I brought an empty to my ammo guy because you could bend it with your fingers. He said it was normal for .44WCF but couldn't say why. Makes sense though.

[JCT]

Pulp, I see that too, with cowboy loads. People load such weak loads for plinking, 4 grains of clays or Unique...It's not enough pressure to make the brass seal in the chamber like it should.
When I shoot my BP .45lc rounds, they seal up pretty good and I've never had a problem with blowback or over fouling.
I'll probably stick with .45lc because I'm all set up for it, I have 3000 LP primers, plenty of bullets and brass. Plus it's so convenient to have one caliber for my rifle and revolver and at least two friends use my .45lc reloads too.

[sundance44s]

I bought a brass frame Uberti Henry 45lc last year ..I shouldn`t even post about it yet ..Man I love that rifle .I`m still takeing it out of the safe just to fondle it ..Two words describe it ...Sooooooo Sweet !

[Peter M. Eick]

I went and looked at that NSSA site and yeah, the general consensus is 45 colt is harder to get accurate and 44 wcf is the way to go.

I did not get mine ordered but now I am having second thoughts.

I was thinking 45 colt because of easier reloading and cheaper brass and bullets.

I know I will never fire BP out of it, and will tend to stay up as a normal smokeless load as I am not trying to compete with it.

With this said, is the difference between the 44 wcf and the 45 colt that significant?

[JCT]

I'll stick stick with .45lc. I've seen first hand dead on accuracy and tight groups from a Henry and my Lightning pump in .45lc. With weak loads, the case won't expand to seal the chamber, you'll get more of a mess and smoke in your face. Maybe 44wcf is more accurate, but .45lc is good enough for my purposes.

[Peter M. Eick]

Having just spent the last hour reviewing my saved pages and information this 45 colt and 44wcf issue seems to hinge around the brass thickness, blackpowder and bullet chosen.

My "take" on what I have read is the following:
1) 45 colt get blowback if light bullets are used or bp is used.
2) 44 wcf probably is more accurate
3) 44 wcf handles black powder better then 45 colt
4) 45 colts may have a poor twist rate from uberti (16" 45colt vs. 36" 44wcf)
5) bullet choice is more important in the 45 colt, hard lead is better
6) 45 colt is easier to load, more forgiving and is crimpable
7) 44 wcf is fussy to reload, hard to really crimp and not forgiving.
8) 45 colt is cheaper to obtain reloading supplies and more options exist for casters.
9) 44 wcf is somehow more historically correct because it is a 44.
10) 45 colt thinnest brass is Winchester.
11) Brass thinness determines the blowback level and maintaining high pressures (relatively speaking for a toggle link).

So at the end of the day what to do?

I am not sure. The reloader in me says go 45 colt and figure if I can crank it out on my progressive I will figure out a good load eventually. The shooter in me says go with the 44 wcf because it is more historic and blowback through the action is not good for the eyesight or my shooting.

Right now I am have switched back from 44wcf to 45 colt because I figure I can overcome the blowback and accuracy with time and effort since I will not be shooting smokeless.

[Pulp]

"44 wcf is fussy to reload, hard to really crimp and not forgiving."

I reckon I'm hijacking JCT's thread now, but the above is not really true. I started CAS with .44-40 and very little reloading experience. Yeah, I crumpled a hull or two in the learning curve, but once I purchased a Lee Factory Crimp die, crimping problems went away.
I highly recommend the LFC die for all calibers.

One advantage the .45Colt has over the .44WCF is the heavier choice in bullets. For hunting, that extra 50 grains could make a difference. On the other hand, with current lead prices, it will make a difference, hunting or not.

[sundance44s]

My 45lc Henry shoots one ragged hole out to 35 yards from a bench ..
I do reload so price isn`t a problem , I wanted mine in 45lc because I was already reloading for my 45lc pistols .
Kind of nice to have the rifle in the same caliber as your pistol ...of course you can get some pistols in 44/40 to .

[JCT]

Saw a used Uberti Henry 1860 , chracoal blue barrel, brass frame, 44/40 WCF . At Kittery trading for $950 I might go for it, not sure yet though... It'll cost me the money I'll save to change calibers with my Dillon press.

[Peter M. Eick]

I called my local dealers today to get the lowdown from the salesman I trust. He actually has on hand 4 Henry 1860 steel frames to pick from. Now this is where it gets interesting.

He has a new 45 LC, a new 44-40 (same price) and then two used 44-40's. I asked him what he recommended and he said for the shooter who does not reload, 45 colt since commercial ammo is cheaper. He said for me, a reloader who will not shoot BP, then the 45 colt is easier to reload on a progressive and the 44-40 while not impossible does take more finesse to do right. It is also more expensive to get components.

I then asked about the 2 44-40's they had used and both were taken back in by folks who bought them but did not like the 44-40. The general trend of the conversation was that the folks did not like the expense of 44-40 commercial or the hassles or reloaded ammo.

So yesterday I was thinking I would tough out 44-40 and make it work because the potential better accuracy and more historic approach. Today I am back to 45 colt because I will have less likelihood of reloading headaches.

Dang I wish I could find a nice simple solution to this problem.

By the way, I could go used 44-40's for about 150$ less. That would buy a lot of brass and bullets to figure out how to make 44-40's work. Or I have two choices of new at a difference of $25. A taylor's sight unseen or a cimarron I can handle new off the rack.

[JCT]

I'll have a better idea when I get prices on new ones from Taylor's. I'm already set up to reload .45 colt and have tons of components already. Plus, I want to be able to take the rifle and my SAA on trips and only need one caliber.
That used one I saw had a nice figured stock and charcoal blue, great looking, but I bet the char blue is easily worn out.

[JCT]

Does anyone know where to get the leather slings that are stamped with "Henry's Patent Oct 15 1860 " I saw one on a Henry listing once.
I'm ordering one with the sling swivels, so I'd like some sort of nice leather sling if anyone has some links.

[BigG]

I would get the 44 WCF - I love a good challenge! YMMV

[JCT]

Just ordered mine through Taylor's. They were good to deal with when I bought my Walker and they're even picking out a Henry with figured wood like I wanted. I'll have in late next week hopefully. I'll post pictures then.
Model 198A, .45lc 24 1/4" barrel, sling swivels. Brass frame with blued barrel. Should be a nice one, Taylor's seems to have consistent quality.

[Peter M. Eick]

I am going to go 44-40 and pick one up tomorrow as my dealer has 3 on the shelf to pick from. I figure picking off the shelf is better then pot luck out of the box.

[JCT]

Yeah, I wish I could do that, but noone around here carries any 1860's. That way I could have picked one with the figure in the wood I like.
Maybe I'll luck out again though.

[Peter M. Eick]

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/eickpm/henry_barrel.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/eickpm/henry_032908.jpg
One mag full at 50 yrds sitting. I definitely need to adjust the sights but all in all I had a blast.

This was about as much fun as shooting my Registered Magnum the first time. I brought back a lot of memories of handling the Rifle and a lot of fun actually shooting one. It sure draws a crowd at the range.

I went for new myself since it was only 50$ more then used. Why not go for the Cimarron guarantee over Navy arms used. By the way, I got this for the same price as a Taylor shipped.

Now I just need to build up a reloading order so I can do it again!

[Urbana John]

Peter----------Man I could have saved you a little $$$

I've got an 1860 Uberti in 45LC, but it has the brass receiver and the "polished" steel barrel.

I only shoot my reloads in her----11grs of Unique behind a 200gr GDHP with a tapered crimp.

At 50yds off a bench, on one of my "good" days, I can cut the same hole.

Also have another one Winchester 73 in .357mag

Both rifles are very "sweet" shooters for sure!!

UJ

[Rebel Dave]

Ubannajohn

Sent you a P.M.

Rebel Dave (still unrecinstructed)

[JCT]

Wow, nice looking rifle. I like the Iron frame too, but could only afford one....for now.... I should be picking mine up Thursday or Friday this week if it's in by then.
11 grains of Unique? That's a heavy load! I haven't used Unique in a while, but was loading 8 grains. I'm now using American Select at 6.5 grains, much cleaner than Unique.

[Peter M. Eick]

Urbana John,

I had to have a steel frame. Could not be brass. I have a history with the old Iron Framed Henry and in honor of my history I could not buy a brass one. I know the steel case hardened is not technically correct, but then neither is 44-40. If I wanted brass I could have saved a few hundred dollars on new.

Yeah I need to work on the shooting. I know the gun would do better and I freely admit that the scatter shown was me.

JCT,

I am planning on 8 grns of Unique in mine with a 200 grn slug. I just got off midways sight (yikes they are expensive) and ordered everything I need to get started.

[sharps59]

I see you have a box of mag tech. If you plan to reload stay away from the mag-tec brass. I had a lot of trouble w/ it. Called them told them the problem. they asked my how much brass and what i payed for it and refuned my money. They knew of the problem from other compants.and were working on it w/ there mfg in brazil.

[JCT]

Picked up my Taylor's 1860 .45 Henry this morning, overall, nice fit and finish. I had to polish up some parts and there was some brass flakes where the barrel meets the receiver, I removed them with a knife tip. Stock could be better fit, but it's not at all bad, just a bit over the brass.
The wood has nice figure on one side ( Dark grain patterns ), straighter grain and lighter color on the other. I like the character of it.
The one thing I'm semi worried about is that there's a hairline split at the top tang where the screw goes through. It's through the brass, from screw hole to outermost edge. Probably won't be an issue, but I may solder the under side if possible, just to ensure it stays strong. Also, when cleaning, I removed the stock and wanted to back out the mainspring screw.... wouldn't budge, but I got chewed up already!! I hate that!! It'll stay in for now. Ended up being much easier to clean than I thought it would, it's such a simple and effective design. My serial number is lower that my friends Henry he bought 2 years ago, I guess mine has been sitting around awhile. I haven't found the stamp yet to date it, I'll have to look.
Shot over 100 rounds already, just at clays and cans in the snow so far. Super accurate, hit's where it's aimed, but gets heavy after a few shots, time to lift weights I guess. The Henry's design and function are simple and flawless, very smooth action out of the box and easy to load.
I'll post pictures in a few....

[JCT]

Here's some pics. Brass looks dark in these although I just took some flitz to it. It'll take more polish to smooth out the light brushes from being in the box.
I like the wood, I prefer the flamed Walnut, but that's hard to come by, this is a nice grain and color.
Any advice on the tang split? It's most likely not going to ever be a problem, but should I solder the underside of the top tang? You can barely see the crack in the photo of the tang screw. Nothing worth sending it back over, I'll keep it and try to figure something out, solder should do it as long as the heat won't hurt the brass.
Took it apart once again, finally removed that mainspring screw, deepened it's notch and reblued it so it looks new again. Those screws are too soft on Ubertis!

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0017-1.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0018-2.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0019.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0023.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0016-1.jpg

[JCT]

I can't get over how accurate this is!! I've never had such an easy time hitting target. I still have to get more used to the weight and trigger pull ( shooting a touch to the right ), but so far, I see amazing potential for tight groups and long range accuracy.
It's raining, so I didn't get much in, but here's 9 shots standing at about 35-40 yards. 250g rnfp, with 27 grains of homemade powder. What a boom and cloud of smoke, so authentic this way! The receiver stays fairly clean too!
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0009.jpg

Can anyone explain how to break down the receiver on the Henry? Not that I need to, it cleans easy, but I wonder if it's easy enough to remove the side plates.

[scrat]

Wow that is a beautiful rifle. Congrats JCT great choice. WOW


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q77/scratm3/feedaddictlever101.jpg

[Coyote3855]

Sweet rifles. I have the Kings Improvement also known as the 1866 and love it. I don't spend much time on the black powder forum, so all you Henry guys probably already know about this.

I was shooting a SASS match a few years ago when a guy in the next berm blew up a Henry by dropping the follower on a full magazine. The originals were of course rimfire, so no issues. Center fire ammo requires extra caution, like letting the rounds slide gently down the mag tube rather than dropping them in with the rifle vertical. And definitely letting the follower down gently.

Probably preaching to the Choir.

Coyote 3855

[Tommygunn]

Can anyone explain how to break down the receiver on the Henry? Not that I need to, it cleans easy, but I wonder if it's easy enough to remove the side plates.
Not as easy as the 1873. IIRC the screw that the lever pivots on must be removed and the plates come off rear end first. Make sure the toggles don't fall off on the one that's on the bottom as you hold the rifle. They probably won't but it depends on the fit.
If you remve the toggle, and with the lever-screw off, the lever should pull through, and the cartridge elevator arm can be removed, and the elevator block pulled down. Make sure the bolt is either all the way back or forward.
I believe there's a metal bar that keeps the center joint of the toggles engaged with the lever-arm; this is held in by the parts. Don't lose it!

Oooops, forgot; I believe there two spring-metal parts on either side of the elevator arm to keep the lever up, and then open. If so there are two screws on the bottom of the receiver just behind the elevator block. These must be removed if you want to take the elevator arm out.

[sundance44s]

They are good shooters ..mine shot a little low out of the box , so I filed the front sight down to get POA.. she doesn`t shoot groups at all though ...Just one ragged hole from the bench ..LOL
I have to put up a new target every time I load her , so I can see the bullets cutting paper .

[JCT]

Getting better, one full magazine ( 13 rounds ) 40 yds off hand with 250g RNFP 6.5 grains American Select. Better group than yesterdays BP rounds.
Lowered the tension on the main spring and a little less tension on the 2 springs for the lever and elevator. Makes cycling smooth and easy now. This thing feeds perfectly and reliably.
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii163/jarrodtaylor5/PICT0011.jpg

[Peter M. Eick]

Nice shooting. I got my reloading gear in yesterday and have yet to open the box up yet. 44-40's are coming soon!

[JCT]

I finally took the side plates off, it's pretty easy. Just relieve tension on the elevator and lever springs by loosening the two screws by the elevator. Then remove the large screw in the lever. The plates with then slide off.
I got to clean up all that red grease and fouling in the action. I ground the two springs a little to make a lighter, smoother action too. I'll be testing it out later, but I can already feel an improvement.
The little split at the end of the top tang is a minor defect and is no big deal, but the shop where I bought this rifle said they'd weld the under side with brass and grind and repolish it. This way It won't break or get worse.

[Cincinnati Slim]

Good show !

That is a thing of beauty. Don't you just love handling a fine rifle like that ?

And she shoots good to !:cool:

I just bought a Uberti 1866 just last month. It has some really pretty wood. Paid too much for it but I don't care. I like to use .45 Colt hand loads full of Triple Seven BP sub. Let's me use cheap "crayon" lubed gun show RNFP slugs.

I noticed Factory "Cowboy" loads don't blow back but do leave smoky cases. If you stay away from pip-squeak "gamer" loads Winchester .45 Colt brass expands well with no blow back. It's only when you try to use really light charges or stubby featherweight bullets that you'll run into a problem with lack of case expansion. The .45 Colt was designed to be a powerful cartridge; use a decent charge, a big enough bullet and a good heavy crimp, all will be well.

I'm dropping about 28 Grains (by volume) of Triple Seven, 0.060 card wad and 250 Gr soft lead RNFP slugs. Full charge density but no real compression (not needed with 777). Works great for me. I run a wet patch down the bore after every 20-25 rounds and I can keep shooting until the barrel gets too hot to touch. Or the smoke gets too thick to see the target !;)

Enjoy !

Slim

[scrat]

Very very nice rifles.

Lever guns kick buttt

[scrat]

Here is my now 9 but back then 7 year old sun shooting. Winchester 30-30. of course only 6 grains of trailboss, behind a cast 150 grain bullet

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q77/scratm3/alex.jpg