1860 Henry rifle

M

mandolinboy7

Inactive
I have this old 1860 Henry with ser. no. 31xx, but it's missing the stock. Could someone please lead me where to get one, also approx. value of this gun and what year. any info would be greatly appreciated.

thanks, Kirk
 
Try http://www.gunpartscorp.com They may have one. If not, it may be possible to fit a modern Uberti repro stock to it. It may just better to buy a Henry buttplate and then have a smith fit it.

BTW, if you can trace the gun to a particular soldier, it may be worth a lot more. Try writing Winchester or some Winchester club and see if they've got serial #s to those Henrys. It is likely that yours was used during the American Civil War as Henrys were started up during the war and the majority were purchased privately by Union soldiers.

We've a local Henry that I traced to a soldier but he was a Lt. in the 2nd California so there's no great Civil War battle that it could have been involved in.

Congratulations on acquiring your "Damn Yankee rifle that you load on Sunday and shoot all week."
 
A complete and functional first model (below SN 3500) Henry is worth thousands of dollars even in what the Blue Book calls "below average" condition. Is the missing stock its only fault? If so I would think it worth professional restoration, not just slapping on an Italian butt.
 
I did see some going in the "thousands" range when I went to Nashville last year for the big Civil War show. I was looking more at books than guns since the guns were all beyond my meagre budget. An engraved Henry with provenance will go for about $20k.

Dunno about this one. Missing stock to me isn't a big deal as it can be replaced even if it means buying a walnut blank and having it fitted (easier than you think). It should be American Walnut and not European (yes, there's a difference in grain) for authenticity. The buttplate is the tricky part.
 
Thanks for all the good info. It's very interesting. The rifle seems to be all there except for the stock and of course butt plate. Sure wish I could complete it. Anyone know approx. what it would cost and who I could trust to do the work? Is there any salvage parts for these guns? I think that each part like the stock, receiver, and barrel had matching ser. no., at least I was told that once. It seems to be the case, because the barrel and receiver both have the same no.


Kirk
 
This is a response for the group. First, what city are you nearby? We'll need to know so we can start providing names.

Second, a decent blackpowder gunbuilder can build a stock. However, (s)he'll need plans or dimensions so (s)he can duplicate the factory stock. It isn't hard or tedious but it does take skill & practice.
 
OK, I'm 55 miles east of Tallahassee, fl., 112mi. west of Jackonsville, fl., and 260 mi. south of Atlanta, ga., 220 mi. North of Orlando, Fl. If you know of anybody, please let me know. Thanks, Kirk
 
Jack Bligh is a classmate of mine (blackpowder gunbuilding) and was once the BP champion of Florida. Now I have to see if I can find his phone # and address so I can put him in contact with you. I don't know if he'll make a modern stock, but he certainly has the skill and is an accomplished engraver to boot.
 
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