Utilizing the King patents and other innovations, Winchester placed a spring load gate on the right side plate of the Henry. Winchester began modifying the basic Henry rifle to produce a new arm which retained the firepower capabilities of the Henry, but eliminated some of its problems. With the magazine charged, the housing was rotated into battery and the follower let down by hand on the loaded cartridges. The lip of the magazine captured the follower and compressed spring during loading. When the follower cleared the magazine the spring housing was rotated until the magazine was open to receive fresh cartridges which were loaded rim first into the tube. To load the Henry, the shooter had to run the follower up the magazine until the spiral spring was fully compressed against the housing mounted under the barrel in front of the magazine tube. The open magazine tube was vulnerable to debris and precluded a wooden forearm. 44 Henry rim fire, the Henry had two major disadvantages-a slit magazine tube (to accommodate the knob on the magazine follower) and a rather complicated loading mechanism. Winchester concentrated on the sporting market.īeside the relatively weak. Tight military budgets and the adoption of conversion of the Springfield system to a single breech loading rifle for a more powerful centerfire cartridge, the 50-70, precluded any success for a military market for the lever action repeater. The greater magazine capacity of the Henry compensated for its weaker cartridge.Ĭapitalizing on the military success of the Henry, Winchester attempted to entice the military in several prototypes using systems after the end of the Civil War.

Its rival, the Spencer shot a more powerful cartridge and could be cycled at the shoulder, but the hammer had to be cocked each time before firing. With its lever operated repeating mechanism the Henry could be fired, the empty ejected, and a fresh round chambered without taking the rifle from the shoulder.

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