Henry rifles with a bracket (Lever Action in English) have gained incredible popularity, only in the overall circulation they are slightly behind the well-known Kalashnikov. It is noteworthy that, despite its popularity, barrels of this type were never officially in service anywhere, although they survived many military stories. This happened, probably, because for that time the concept of a pistol cartridge in a weapon with a long barrel was too innovative, as, indeed, the rifle mechanism.
A similar story is with the Mauser S-96, the legendary pistol that has been used from the Boer War almost right up to the present day, and was also not officially in service anywhere, although it was recommended to officers for independent acquisition in Russia and Germany.
Wild West Rifles
The history of the conquest of the Wild West would not fit in a thin brochure. This is a multi-page book, but its ink was the real “iron” - different models of weapons that were in the hands of the soldiers. In this article, we will learn to distinguish the "main characters" of those events by the example of the description of the Henry rifle.
How it all started
Among the first pistols that put a bullet in the history of the Wild West was the Volcano. This type of gun is very interesting in itself - this is the first rifle with a lever-bracket and an under-barrel tubular magazine. Recharging was carried out using a lever similar to Henry's bracket, but designed for one finger. Today in weapons stores you can stumble upon replicas (copies) of "Volcanic" under a unitary cartridge. They deservedly enjoy popularity among fans of weapons of the Wild West.
History and Characteristics of the 1860 Henry Rifle
"Winchester 70" is one of the first lever rifles, which received a baptism of fire on June 25, 1876 during the battle of the Indians with the American army. This clash took place in Montana near Little Big Horn.
It was an attempt by soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel J. Custer, to clean up the Sioux tribe. However, enterprising Aborigines expected such a turn of events and managed to prepare well. They gathered all their strength, bought Henry Winchester’s rifles, new at that time, and a fair amount of cartridges for them. If we recall the fact that the Indians mostly sold only weapons, which lost their relevance - capsule or flint, then this time the sellers' thirst for profit overcame all common sense, and people from the Sioux tribe received completely new multiply charged 38 and 44 caliber rifles. Unheard-of carelessness of gun shop owners! After all, this weapon was distinguished at that time at an inconceivable rate of 50-60 rounds per minute and a magazine for 10-12 rounds depending on the length of the barrel and the caliber of the rifle.
The army was armed with solid and reliable "Springfield" and "Spencers" 45 caliber, accurate, powerful, but with one charge. The rate of fire in them greatly depended more on the location of the bandoleer than on the hinged shutter. It was high when mounted on a rifle, but gradually decreased when the shooter switched to a belt bandolier, falling completely while removing cartridges from pockets and other secluded storages. Only one drawback was the Henry rifle - a rather weak revolving cartridge. But this could be compensated for by a sharp reduction in the distance to the enemy, which was used in practice.
Lever rifle debut
J. Custer conducted reconnaissance and found that there were more Indians than expected, however, he arrogantly decided to launch an attack. Without waiting for reinforcements, he divided the detachment in half and attacked the Sioux settlement from two sides. The first part was ambushed (if we recall that the Indians in close combat had three, or even fourfold superiority in the rate of fire, everything falls into place), suffered losses and retreated, but the Indians, not allowing them to break the distance, overtook and completely defeated the detachment. The second detachment, which did not expect such a powerful resistance, immediately dispersed. Another detachment that came to their aid altogether changed its trajectory when he heard the cannonade standing above the camp.
It was a delightful debut of the Henry rifles in the person of Winchester 70. Of course, he did little to help the Sioux settlement in historical terms, but clearly made people think about using multiple-charge weapons.
Further, one can observe how gloriously the Henry rifles fought in the First World War in the hands of soldiers of the Russian army. In the United States, an order was placed for several tens of thousands of such rifles chambered for 7.62x54. But, as it turned out, the contract was not fully implemented, their number was insufficient, so later they turned into a genuine antique firearm that adorned any collection.
Kings of the hunt
However, no one cancels the fact that the main niche of the Henry rifles is hunting. Leverage on the American continent was an indispensable attribute of travelers and hunters. He was even called the “cowboy weapon” in the Wild West. Since there are no protruding parts on the rifle (shutter handles, magazine, etc.), it quickly and easily retracts into an elongated cover that resembles a knife sheath and is placed in a car mounted on a horse attached to a backpack. This weapon is lightweight and constantly ready to fire. Charging it is very simple: if the cartridge is in the chamber, it is enough to cock the trigger, if not, just one movement of the bracket is ready!
The first rifles earned their popularity due to the successful selection of a cartridge. For hunting any game in North America, the revolving analogue was just right, with it you could safely go even to a bison. Moreover, it turned out to be incredibly convenient - to have a rifle and a revolver under a unitary cartridge. The long and happy life of a lever rifle - the brainchild of American designer Benjamin Henry, is explained by its simple and reliable mechanism, tolerance of poor conditions and unpretentiousness.
Having talked about the history of rifles, we can proceed to a more detailed acquaintance with the weapon with a Henry bracket.
WINCHESTER-1886
This is the original "Winchester", which was produced by the company between 1886 and 1892. It has a powerful faceted barrel designed for use with non-shell lead bullets and black powder. The model is quite old, so it is not surprising that the inscription WINCHESTER, once embossed on metal, can be overwritten by long use. Despite the fact that this model is more than 120 years old, all the mechanisms work properly, and the cartridge’s layout is thrown out and sent out without any delay! Fans of antique weapons beat their heads over the clue of the 44-caliber WCF stigma.
It is clear that the first letter is the name of the manufacturer (Winchester), but the next two raise doubts about the interpretation. There is an assumption that CF is a center fire, that is, a central fire. During the creation of the rifle, the active transition from ring-shaped cartridges to cartridges with a capsule in the center of the sleeve bottom was only just beginning. They were called center fire. A little later, these letters disappeared, and the cartridge that fits this rifle was called 44-40. Indirectly, the letters WCF say that it is better to shoot cartridges with only black powder. The carabiner box is open on top, for charging on the right there is a window that is closed by a spring-loaded door. The box itself is solid and rather massive, made of a single piece of metal.
Other characteristics
Interesting device store. It does not have any cartridge interceptors; they are held by a feeder tray. This is a very reliable and simple design, the only feature of which is the fact that the cartridge must clearly correspond to a certain length so that the feed mechanism does not jam. The shutter of the “cowboy’s weapon” is classic - reliable and durable locking on two wedges in the rear. The wedges are controlled by the reload lever, they slide down and unlock during shutter reloading. Further, it is pushed back due to the movement of the bracket forward through a system of levers. Then the cock is cocked, while the sleeve is extracted and the feed tray with the cartridge is lifted. When the reload lever moves back, the cartridge from the tray is sent to the barrel. Then, when lifting, the wedges lock the shutter, the tray lowers, the store opens, and in turn the cartridge from it enters the tray.
Shutter mirror
It is also original. Its entire lower part is moved forward and spring-loaded. It carries two functions. The first is a reflector. The constantly spring-loaded sleeve during the backward movement of the shutter is wedged between the chamber and the lower part of the larva. When the cartridge case leaves the chamber, the reflector, after being released, throws the cartridge case out of the box. The advantages are obvious: despite the slow opening of the shutter, extraction will always be reliable. The second function is to prevent a shot with the shutter open. The striker will simply not be able to reach the capsule until part of the shutter is pushed forward. The thoughtfulness and simplicity of the design are simply amazing, it is worth noting that it is the result of tremendous work in milling and fitting parts that are difficult to configure. Attention to them can be traced in the next stroke: the sighting line is blocked by a lowered trigger, signaling that you are going to shoot, however, the gun is not ready to fire.
MARLIN MOD-1895
This is a very powerful and solid rifle in caliber 45-70. Its dimensions are not much larger than the previous model, but it is quite heavy. The cartridge is powerful, accelerates a 21-gram bullet to 500 m / s. You can safely recommend it for hunting in Russian forests.
Up to a distance of 150 m, it has a flat trajectory, and during shooting at 100 m, amendments from 0 to 150 m can be neglected. The box at Marlin is closed, it has two windows on the right side. The bottom is for charging, there is a door. The top is used to extract the liner. The reflector is in it, and when reloading it is better to energetically remove the shutter to ensure a reliable ejection of the sleeve. To lock the shutter there is one wedge that enters from below. During closing, he props up the part, which transfers the blow from the trigger to the striker, which makes it impossible to shoot with the shutter open. The gun itself is solid, maneuverable and powerful, as experts say. It is considered an excellent option for driven hunting for large and medium animals.
ROSSI-92
It is a pretty good copy of Winchester-92, which was released by the Brazilian company Puma. To meet modern standards, a flag fuse was installed on the shutter, it also locks the firing pin. A full blocking of the striker takes place, although at the same time there remains the possibility of reloading, cocking the trigger and even descent, while the shot does not happen. The second improvement is the key that locks the trigger. He just turns, and that's it - the rifle is completely locked, it is impossible to cock the trigger or to open the bolt.
This feature is considered very convenient. And another useful innovation is the twisted mainspring instead of the original plate spring. It is much more durable and simpler.
HENRY GB
This rifle is from the company that gave the name to the entire line. Many fans of such weapons with sadness say that they deliver only 22-caliber weapons to Russia. Those who have purchased a good quality model note its appearance: a yellow box, an expensive solid tree, an octagonal heavy trunk. The rifle has a classic look and box shape, reminiscent of the "Winchester 70". Collectors note the smooth operation of the mechanisms. The shutter movement is so smooth and soft that it feels like it is rolling on rollers.
The box of the rifle is closed, on the left there is one window for the extraction of cartridges. There is a special hole in the store for charging. It is necessary to turn the washer and pull the spring-loaded tube out of the magazine case, then insert the tube with the spring back all the way. Everything, the weapon is loaded - you can shoot. This type of charging is very convenient for those who prefer entertaining shooting.
conclusions
A common drawback of such rifles is disassembly. To carry out this operation, you must have a whole set of slotted screwdrivers. The Rossi rifle passport generally says that if disassembly is necessary, you should contact the gunsmith. This cannot but amaze our people who are ready to discover anything without an additional tool. In general, such a weapon is an excellent historical rarity; such rifles can also serve as companion rifles, for example, at a shooting range. Nevertheless, it is antiques and a pleasant thing to look at, and not a means of murder.
For hunting Lever Action is not very suitable, hunters prefer it rather a semiautomatic device or a “boltovik”. But the Henry rifle would go on a trip with joy. But who decides to take such a rare object with him to a risky enterprise is another matter.