simply amazed

[Major 2]

I'm watching the History Channel " Sherman's Total War Tactics"

The segment shows the great advantage the Henry had is speed and rate of fire over the Musket.
Here an Army Master Sgt. is showing Steve Thomas (the Host) how to load the Henry.

Thomas even admits he is a novice ... So he is shown how to INCORRECTLY load the Henry
dropping each round vertically down the magazine 

In the test the Henry & the Muzzle loaded are loaded on the 1 minute clock...
Thomas loads incorrectly and fires the Henry 15 times to the expert with muzzle loader's 2 shots....in the era a solider need to load and fire 3 rounds in 1 min. ( but that another issue)
My concern is the expert teaches the incorrect method of loading a Henry and even at one point hands a loaded 
Henry to Thomas with the barrel pointing at the cameraman 


The Henry was Uberti 45 LC and the Musket a Armi Sport Enfield.

[Wolfgang]

Amazing for sure, . . .  .  Just lucky he didn't chain fire the magazine. . .

[Dusty Morningwood]

My concern is the expert teaches the incorrect method of loading a Henry and even at one point hands a loaded 
Henry to Thomas with the barrel pointing at the cameraman 

YIKES!!!

[Coffinmaker]

FREEKING STUNNED

I wasn't just amazed,  I was stunned!!!  The clown playing the part of the "expert" was an IDIOT!!  Not only did they just drop the rounds down a nearly vertical magazine, then they just slapped the barrel shroud shut, dropping the follower!!!
An X is a has been and a spurt is just a drip under pressure!!  This guy didn't know squat!!!  Besides, an Uberti Henry won't hold 15 rounds of full length .45 nor .44-40 and the rounds appeared to be .45.

You could load rim fire that way, but not center fire!!  I was holding my breath the whole time they were loading the rifle.

Send in the CLOWNS!!!  Not the guy's fault from the History Channel as he was a novice.  But the so called expert could have gotten them all hurt

Coffinmaker

[Fox Creek Kid]

Did you notice how he lowered the Henry to his knee every time to cycle?    Anyway, I enjoyed the show as it concentrated a great deal on engineering and not totally the usual bood & guts stuff. After all, if it weren't for the engineers those soldiers would still be there! 

[Major 2]

The host was Steve Thomas of the old "This Old House" after Bob Vila left....
The guy came off as a newbie on the show too... but he knows his stuff about Sailing .
No blame there....
I did notice he dropped it to cock... like one did as a kid to cock a bb gun remember ?

I could not believe he (the X-spurt) slapped follower shut ... I forgot to mention it in my amazed/stunned state...I thinking you idiot.
If they loaded 15 as they said they shot , that means one was in the chamber  remember he handed it to Thomas loaded
a one point ... and swept the cameraman and assuming any crew standing behind camera.. I.E. Sound-man , lighting techs
Grips , director etc....

[Arcey]

I am NOT bashing the military.  Especially this week end.  Just making a point.

The local fish-wrap did an article not too long ago on National Guardsmen being activated for deployment to Iraq.  The accompanying photo showed a Guardsman, rifle sitting on the floor, butt down, and vertical.  He has his hands, one on top of the other, on the muzzle and he's resting his chin on his hands.  In this fashion, had the piece discharged it would have blown the top of his head off.  The image caused my skin to crawl.

My background is law enforcement.  My chosen hobby is shooting.  In my experience, many of those handling firearms as a 'professional' have a much more casual attitude towards safety than those who use them as a form of recreation.  Perhaps that's the answer to the improper handling of the Henry.

[Major 2]

There is a condition "obsessive-compulsive disorder"  I'm OCD when it come to guns any gun. I
always check as to it loaded state even if I'm shown it's unloaded.

I check them several times... I check them when they come out of my safe (knowing full well only I
have access and I KNOW they were un-loaded going in....
I'm OCD having handed many a Blank loaded firearm to an actor, "anal-retentive"  if you like , But a blank could kill
and they have.

I know what you are saying Arcey, and I've seen what you describe..
My fear here though is someone new to this hobby who saw the show and learned
the WRONG way from that so called EXPERT.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Gentle, we must remember...

It is incorrect for MODERN Henry rifles with centerfire.  Dropping them straight down would have been OK in 1864 with the issue rimfire.

However.... the History channel once referred to the troops passing through the Panama Canal in 1898 to go fight in the Phllipines during the Spanish American War.  That's pretty good considering it was ten years before it was built!

[Major 2]

I have seen first hand the result of a Uberti Henry magazine follower slam fire..
It happened to my good friend, he was a loading table observer, the owner accidentally allowed the the follower to slip.
Part of the culprit, was the fact that the Stage only called for 5 Rifle rounds ...
Both the owner and and my friend were injured .. the Henry owner a cut and burned fingers, minor compared to Richard (My friend)
who went to the emergency room with a piece of Shrapnel about 1/2 " into his abdomen.
The Henry actually fared better, the magazine was blown ,But with a barrel replacement it was back in service..
and is still used today ( though with renewed appreciation and a diligent owner,  No it was not me )

Having seen the History channel show, I felt like I needed to comment of the fact someone may get hurt.
perhaps they should add the disclaimer  " The methods shown here in are by experts  do not try this at home 

[Flint]

I have seen many errors on the History Channel, and I figure it is either the lack of real knowledge and research by the writers, or a deliberate attempt to rewrite history.

[Major 2]

It was said once and I don't recall who....
Hollywood never let History get in the way of a good story !
"When the legend becomes fact" ... "print the legend"  said the newspaper man in  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

It is for us .. the diligent students of history to pass the Facts on....

[Will Ketchum]

Major, I was screaming at the TV.  NO NO NO!!. My wife thought I had gone over the edge.  I was concerned about the non CAS shooters who buy a Henry because they are neat and load the way they saw on The History Channel.

Arcey, I have seen some frightening handling  of firearms by LEOs.  Once when in college, I was working as a night time security guard at a Mall  I found a jewelry store open and call the Police.  One of the responding officers jumped out of his squad with a 870 and promptly jacked a round into the chamber with the muzzle pointed at my head.  I nearly choked him to death.  His Sergeant, who knew me, told him he was lucky I wasn't armed

Will Ketchum

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Yes, with centerfire Henrys (Henries?) we have to be more careful.

However I read a report someplace that even with the rimfire ammo there were some problems with cartridges firing in the magazine when the follower slammed down on the ammo. No, I do not know the exact mechanism that caused such an incident, but I did read about it someplace.

[Arcey]

Arcey, I have seen some frightening handling  of firearms by LEOs. 

Will, mi amigo.  Thirty two years luggin' a badge.  Could tell ya stories that'd curl yer hair..............

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Twenty years behind the badge, 5 years in the military, I could also tell tales.....  I spent about 12 years total as a rangemaster and firearms instructor.  There were times the shooters absolutely scared me to death! (like being swept by a loaded, off safety suppressed,  MP5SD1 submachine gun with the shooter's finger on the trigger!  I had to unexpectedcted struggle to control my bowels!

[Arcey]

Getting off topic.  Maybe someone should start a 'Stupid Cop Tricks' in our BOLD Chambers.

I could tell the one about the Forensics Tech, an 'empty' shotgun and a wall.........