Improved Henry Rifle of Luther Kelly

[Henry4440]

Here is an improved Henry Rifle, owned by Luther Sage  'Yellowstone' Kelly, Serial no. 150839.
On left side panel inscribed in script: Luther S. "Yellowstone" Kelly/Cooper's Armory/Bozeman, Mt. 1879".
Winchester factory letter stating the following: "Received in the warehouse as a carbine on December 4,1878; changed on March 17, 1879 to a rifle with octagonal barrel; shipped from the warehouse on May 7, 1879 with 69 other arms to order number 15455."

[Buck Stinson]

In the photo of the left sideplate with inscription, you can see that this rifle was made up using a carbine reciever.  If you look closely, you can see the plugged saddle ring staple holes.  It's interesting that this gun sat in the warehouse for such a long time as an unsellable item while it had the round barrel.  But, when it was refitted with the octagon barrel, it wasn't long before it was ordered and shipped from the warehouse.  Proving once again that even though an octagon barrel was slightly more expensive, they were by far the most popular and much easier to sell.  It would also be interesting to know where those 70 guns were shipped.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I wish at least one had been shipped to my Great Grandpa Bailey!  (of course, my Uncle Jim's boys would have it, probably not me ... like Pop Bailey's Quackenbush Youth Rifle - that "disappeared" after it was in their care.  Probably to acquire some of those "left-handed" cigarettes they were so fond of back then!)