S&W "Henry" rifle

[Dusty Morningwood]

I was at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center yesterday and took a stroll through the Cody Fireaems Museum.  I have been before, so I focused on the leverguns and rolling blocks.  In a case along with the Henrys was a beefy rifle made in the same design by S&W, but it fired a .52 RF cartridge!  Never heard of such a thing.  Also a neat Henry built for the Bavarian military with several interesting modifications that had been requested.

[Henry4440]

In a case along with the Henrys was a beefy rifle made in the same design by S&W, but it fired a .52 RF cartridge!  Never heard of such a thing.  Also a neat Henry built for the Bavarian military with several interesting modifications that had been requested.

Pics, we need pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Bavarian Henry? 
Man, don't forget your camera the next time you visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

[Dusty Morningwood]

Yeah, I did not have my digital camera with me and I am not sure of their photo policy (I know flash photography is out).  I did, however, take the opportunity to introduce myself to Dave Kennedy, the Curator of the firearms collection.  Didn't chat long, but I got his card.  Maybe he or one of his staff might be able to provide pics?  I will inquire. 

[Major 2]

here is link to the description

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=19201.msg244818

[Driftwood Johnson]

Interesting

Historically, there have been two completely separate Smith and Wesson companies, although both were founded by the same two men. I'm a little bit hazy on the dates, but the first S&W company was the company that eventually became known as the Volcanic Repeating Arms company, then morphed into the New Haven Arms Company, then finally became the Winchester Repeating Arms company. Messrs Smith & Wesson's involvement with this company was quite brief, they founded it around 1854 IIRC, working with designs created by Jennings and Hunt to come up with a repeating firearm that was christened the Volcanic by an article in Scientific American at the time. Smith & Wesson left this enterprise around 1855 or so when they were bought out by Oliver Winchester and his slate of investors. This was several years before the rimfire Henry rifle was perfected, in fact Smith and Wesson never showed much interest in improving on the Volcanic's 'rocketball' ammunition, that was pretty much Winchester's big idea around 1860 or so. So I find it a little bit hard to belive that a .52 rimfire rifle was developed by this company while S&W were still at the helm.

The company we know as S&W today was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson in 1857, but their early production was pretty much entirely revolvers. I'm not aware of any heavy caliber rimfire rifles they were producing in the early years, but I have enough books that I can look it up.

Far be it for me to question a prestigous institution like the Buffalo Bill Center, but I wonder if maybe that rifle is mislabelled.

[St. George]

If you'd like to read more about them - I'll refer you to Jinks' - 'History of Smith & Wesson'.

Read Chapter II - 'The Beginning of Partnership, 1852-1855', and you'll see photos of the lever gun.

As to mis-labelling an artifact - no doubt.

Most museum 'curators' have degrees in European Art History - and an awful lot of 'stuff' gets a new, clean version of what's always been associated with it, as they change displays to reflect a 'newness' of educational intent.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!