newbie with a few questions on a Henry

[Meramac Kid]

jsut started in CAS shooting and trying to get my guns together.....i have found a guy that has a Henry Yellowboy that i can pretty much get for a song but im a little lost on it.......i have done some looking on here and have learned some things but im still a little lost...the guy said this is a yellowboy.....which to me would be a 66 if im correct but im prob not  ......but he is telling me that the gun has a 17" barrel.......he is supposed to be sending my pictures of the gun so ill know a little more then but was jsut mainly wanting to get some info if i could......im assuming that it is a Trapper model but the ones i have seen online all have a 18-1/2" barrel so im a little lost and looking  for info if possible

[Major 2]

as are we (confused that is)
If it's a Henry Trapper he could have measured the barrel in front of the reciever hence he might read 17"
however if it's correctly measured from the chamber the measurement is the OEM 18 1/2"

If it's a Yellowboy model 1866 or so called improved Henry,  I think the shortest is the SRC

[Meramac Kid]

and if it is a Trapper model and not a 66 yellowboy its a 9 round capacity in 45 colt correct?
if thats so how do you all go about doing a reload on the clock?........this will be a stupid question but ill ask anyways......when doing a reload.....say for a 10 round rifle stage do you have to load it from the loading gate and cycle it or can you drop the round in the chamber and it still load ok?.......like i said prob a stupid question but i dont know......daddy said the only stupid question was the one that wasnt asked

[Major 2]

I believe 9 rounds is correct either 45 or 44/40...

With a Henry, speed is NOT the first issue safety is ... you have to be careful of the follower slaming down and a Magazine disharge.
If it is a Trapper, there are some options,
1. see if it will feed 45 Schofield... It should ( you then load 10 ) you might have to mod the follower just a little though.
2. if you use 45 LC load the first on the clock with the bolt back, but the carrier still down, You have to staged it with the lever open anyway, just stage partly open as I suggest.
3. You could sent it to The Smith Shop and have Happy Trails do his King's Conversion ( Loading gate) It's costly but kinda cool
and you can load as you would a 66... If you got the Henry for song then this $$$ option might not hurt.

[Meramac Kid]

Major.......could you tell me a little more about this #3 option you said something about

[Major 2]

here is the website, it will answer better than I can 

http://thesmithshop.com/conversionhenry.html

[Meramac Kid]

and in doing this it will make it where it will hold 10 45LC?

[Pettifogger]

If you just starting CAS shooting and just trying to get your guns together don't start with something that might wind up being an expensive project.  Don't buy a gun you know only holds nine rounds and make sure you know what you are buying.  Generally, no one calls a "Henry" a Henry Yellowboy.  There is a Henry reproduction (which can be brass or steel framed) and there is a Yellowboy, which is a replica of a Winchester 66.  Then there is the Henry Big Boy.  It is a replica of nothing although they like to advertise that they are somehow associated with the original "Henry."  They aren't and the Henry Big Boy is nothing like a "Henry" rifle.  If you are just starting out, buy something you know you can use and you'll be money and time ahead.

[Abilene]

Just FYI, the 1866 and 1873 trapper models sold by Cimarron have 16" barrels and hold 10 in the tube.

[Major 2]

Pettifogger gives good advice....and Abilene has the pulse on Cimarron...
so both are steering you in the right direction.

What they may not know and I have read on the SASS Wire is you are working an even trade...and that is what the other guy called it a "Henry Yellowboy" I still don't know if it's a Uberti  Henry a Uberti 66 Yellowboy or a  BIG BOY by Henry Arms.
The guy offered photos did he send them ?

I shoot 2 1860 Henry's,
Are they the best choice for SASS or CAS probably not , that might be the 66 or 73 , But for me, they are, and I love mine.

as to whether The Kings conversion on a Henry Trapper would make it where it will hold 10 45LC?
that is a question for Happy Trails , it might.
It would be unique but pricey option.

[Meramac Kid]

i know what you mean as to not spend over mylimit so to speak doing this and doing that but with it being a straight across swap would be very good for me....if it dosent hold 10 rounds...well i guess ill have to do a reload.....honestly its not like im the fastest by any streach of the imagination at all
dont get me wrong i would love to have a 66 or a 73 but the extra cash jsut isnt there right now and im gettin addicted to this sport really quick and i hate to have to borrow someone elses guns.....its not that the guy minds at all but i dont like it.....to many bad things can go wrong and i would feel horrible if something bad did happen and it was someone elses stuff........as far as if he has sent me pictures yet.....no he hasnt but said he has pictures and im jsut waiting to hear back from him.......now with that said if it is a 1860 Henry will be a big plus jsut for the neat factor and if its a 66 Yellow boy and only holds 9 rounds ill make do with that.

[litl rooster]

jsut started in CAS shooting and trying to get my guns together.....i have found a guy that has a Henry Yellowboy that i can pretty much get for a song but im a little lost on it.......i have done some looking on here and have learned some things but im still a little lost...the guy said this is a yellowboy.....which to me would be a 66 if im correct but im prob not  ......but he is telling me that the gun has a 17" barrel.......he is supposed to be sending my pictures of the gun so ill know a little more then but was jsut mainly wanting to get some info if i could......im assuming that it is a Trapper model but the ones i have seen online all have a 18-1/2" barrel so im a little lost and looking  for info if possible

       I think you may not be looking at one of the Uberti, Winchester clones.  The Henry Firearms company also calls one of their models a Yellowboy

[Major 2]

trading is alway good..sometimes better for one than the other...

The Henry is a Style point getter ,truth is though, aside from only  the feel good aspect   it won't add any score.
You won't and should not get into reloading hurry from the front.

Option 3... The Kings improvement is as you have perhaps viewed the Smith Shop site is $450 (like I said Cool but costly)

if it is a Henry Trapper and 9 shot, the trick then is to use 45 Schofield 200 Grain rounds, they are shorter than 45 LC and will allow you your tenth round needed on the clock...

if it is 66 it will hold 10 as Abilene pointed out....

I like Henry's they fit into my persona and with my conversions ... others will perfer different flavor's  

[Major 2]

Rooster

You post a point to ponder , but I don't think it is a Henry Repeating Arms Product. Course I'm still in the dark as to a photo 

HRPA makes a Goldenboy it's a 22 cal. and they have the BIG Boy http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifles.cfm
But I see no so called Yellowboy in their lineup.
Also the 17-18 1/2 ' Barrel (Trapper) is in question I don't think HRPA offers one that short....

The gent offering it for trade said Henry Yellowboy  17" barrel ..

[litl rooster]

   You maybe right...  The barrel lenght made me think of it.  I also see many of them listed on lines advertized to make you think about it.   I believe 'Frenchie" has one of the short barrel Henry's but not sure how short?

A picture would help

Loading one on the clock is slow however I have found it can be done and someone more coorinated than me should be able to do it quickly.   I take 10 seconds to get the 5 second bonus, If I miss then I'm 15 seconds in the hole.>another rant<   Then I shot my Henry's  so much I forgot how to load one in a 92

[Abilene]

Just to add to the possible confusion on model names, Winchester originally named the model 1866 "The Improved Henry".   

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Let's get some definitions straight. A picture is worth 1000 words. Below is a replica of the Model 1860 Henry rifle. At present, they are only manufactured in Italy by Uberti, although they are imported by several different companies, including Cimarron, Taylors, Dixie Gun Works, and a few others. Notice there is no loading gate on the side of the frame. This rifle is loaded by swivelling open the front of the magazine at the muzzle, and sliding ammo into the front of the magazine. Notice also underneath the frame, at the very front of the frame you can just barely see a little piece of brass poking down. That is the follower, more on that later. Notice also, there is no wooden fore stock. Notice this Henry has a brass frame. Most Henrys had a brass frame, although a few had iron frames. Today you can buy a Henry with a steel frame, mine has a steel frame. However, dispite the fact that the Henry rifle had a yellow brass frame (actually it was really bronze), the Henry was never known as a 'yellowboy'. That name is incorrect. If it is a Yellowboy, it ain't a Henry.



This is a Uberti made replica of the Model 1866 Winchester. Until recently, Uberti was the only manufacturer of the 1866, but recently another player, Chaparral, has started making their own replica of the 1866. This is the rifle that was often known as the 'Yellowboy', because of the brass frame. Not the brass framed Henry, only the 1866 was known as the Yellowboy. Notice the prominent loading gate on the side of the rifle. The 1866 was the first lever gun to incorporate a side loading gate, just like on most other leverguns produced ever since. You load it just like any other lever gun, through the side loading gate. Notice too that there is a wooden forestock on the 1866, just like on most other lever guns.



Below is the Henry Repeating Arms Company's Big Boy rifle. Unfortunately, HRAC has created untold amounts of confusion among new shooters by appropriating the Henry name. This rifle bears little resemblence to either the original Henry design, or the later Winchester 1866 design. HRAC in fact fosters the confusion with their deceptive advertising. The big slot at the top of the frame is the ejection port. Another way to tell the HRAC Big Boy from either of the other two. There is no ejection port per se on the other two, they both eject their empties straight out the top of the frame.



So first of all, you need to identify just exactly which rifle you are thinking about buying. Ask the seller who actually made it, that should get to the bottom of everything.

Here is the thing about the 1860 Model Henry (top photo). They really are not for beginners. Because of the method of loading down the front of the magazine, great care needs to be taken when loading. That little bit of brass that I called the followere rides in a slot on the underside of the magazine. In order to load the rifle you have to first slide the follower all the way to the front, compressing the magazine spring. Then you can open up the magazine for loading. GREAT CARE MUST BE TAKEN WHEN LOADING THE HENRY NOT TO ALLOW THE FOLLOWER TO SLIP OUT OF YOUR HAND. Cartridges can and have been fired in the magazine when the follower slammed into the stack of cartridges. This is a real danger. Secondly, GREAT CARE MUST BE TAKEN NEVER TO DROP LOADED ROUNDS STRAIGHT DOWN THE MAGAZINE. This too can set off a round in the magazine. Instead, the rifle should be tilted slightly from horizontal and rounds gently slid down the magazine, not dropped straight down. After the required amount of rounds have been loaded, the follower MUST BE CAREFULLY LOWERED ONTO THE COLUMN OF AMMO. Do not let it fly!

The reason there is no wooden forestock on the Henry is because of that follower riding in the slot on the underside of the magazine. There has to be clearance for the tab of the follower, so there never was a wooden forestock. Not until the 1866 Winchester came along, and the followere became internal, could a wooden forestock be applied under the barrel. So when firing a Henry you are holding onto bare metal. In some conditions the barrel can get very hot. Also, you must be careful not to impede the progress of the follower as the magazine empties. If the follower jams against your hand, the rifle stops feeding.

All of these problems were solved with the Model 1866 Winchester, which was the next rifle in the natural progression of things. All because of the side loading gate. Another thing about the 1860 Henry is they are very heavy. The barrel and magazine are all machined from one large bar of steel. Starting with the 1866 Winchester, the magazine was a separately applied tube slung under the barrel. This dropped about a pound from the weight.

As far as the HRAC Big Boy is concerned, I have taken an oath not to say anything negative about it.

Happy Trails does a conversion to add a side loading gate to a conventional 1860 Henry. It ain't cheap. You have to supply the rifle. Adding a loading gate does not increase the magazine capacity, that is governed by the length of the magazine.

If this is your first CAS rifle, you need to first identify exactly what this guy is trying to sell you.

If it is an 1860 Henry, I really don't recommend it for the CAS beginner.

[Major 2]

DJ speaks the gospal ... In my poor way I tried to say the same..Xcept for the beginner part...

I also will not say anything negative about the HRAC...The maker the late Lou Imperato was a friend to Colt Collectors , he was instrumental in the Second Generation Black Powder Series Colts....

Just as an aside not to confuse the issue... Chaparral did make a brass colored frame but it was a color plating over the same
frame as their 73...I beleive is has been discontenued..I know Charter Arms the first importer washed their hands of them...

I asked the fellow to send me a photo ( just to identfy it) I have no dog in the fight

[Meramac Kid]

Just so  everyone is not still courious......this gentelman did send me pictures... and the gun is a Big Boy.....has not loading gate on the reciver and is fed from the tube magazine.....so im not touching it

[Peddler Parsons]

Driftwood
The Henry in 1865 was the first to have the side KINGS PORT loading gate thow there was only about 600 or so made, the front loading end was still there but locked down and the follower was cut off. Then is 1866 the solid forearm was added when Winchester tolk over.