Very Early Prototyp or Pre-Production Henry Rifle w/o SN

[Henry4440]

EXTREMELY RARE AND UNUSUAL VERY EARLY PROTOTYPE OR PRE-PRODUCTION HENRY RIFLE. SN None. Cal. 44 RF Henry. Most unusual Henry rifle with 24-1/4" oct bbl, integral magazine tube, German silver front sight, no provision for a rear sight and a second type 900 yard Henry ladder rear sight mounted atop the receiver in a second dovetail at the rear edge. The front dovetail is filled with a brass slot blank. The bore is rifled in what appears to be Metford style with smooth lands and grooves. The bbl marking on the top flat is located about 2" forward of the receiver in the usual position and is of the small letter early style. The lever is first Henry type without latch and the hammer is very slightly thicker. It is mounted with very nicely figured flame grain uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and first type Henry brass buttplate with round heel and trapdoor which is substantially thicker than normal Henry trapdoors and the large round recess as is found in very early Henrys. The receiver and buttplate tang are very nicely engraved in Volcanic style consisting of foliate arabesque patterns with feather patterns along the top side flats. Disassembly disclosed no markings whatsoever except that previously mentioned as found on the top flat of the bbl. This rifle, while undoubtedly a Henry, has several dissimilar attributes. Measuring the prominent features of the rifle disclosed the following as compared to another early Henry rifle, SN 3677: receiver thickness over the side plates is .022" thicker, over the front flats is .029" thicker, receiver height just in front of the lever is .035" taller, the receiver length from the front edge to back edge of the hump in front of the hammer is .19" shorter, the top tang is .516" longer, .012" wider and .045" thinner, the bottom tang is 1.440" shorter, the buttplate is about .090" taller and about .017" wider, the bbl across the flats at the receiver is .002" thicker, the length of the oct section of the sleeve is .004" longer, the sight collar is .007" shorter, the diameters of the round sections of the bbls under the sleeves are identical at .688", the diameter of the magazine tube is .017" thinner and the sideplate is .015" thicker. The lever screws and through-bolt tang screws are completely compatible and interchangeable. The trigger on the subject rifle appear to be slightly thicker but about the same length and slightly less curved. The contour of the receiver is substantially different with a taller radius at the top rear edge and much taller and deeper scallops at the front lower edges. The length of the carriers are identical while the subject carrier is about .011" narrower. These measurements, while close in most areas, are somewhat dissimilar in others, leaving open to speculation the actual parentage of this rifle. It is the contention of this cataloger that this rifle is an extremely early transitional piece from the Volcanic to the Henry which was somewhat refined before production began.