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LOT 1008
Early Production New Haven Arms Co. Henry
Lever Action Rifle - Serial no. 2588, 44 Henry
cal., 24 1/4 inch octagon bbl., blue/brass finish,
walnut stock. This example of the iconic Henry
lever action rifle was manufactured c. July 1863.
With this rifle being manufactured in the middle of
the war, it most likely was purchased by a Union soldier and used
during the war. It falls within the serial number range of rifles used by
Birge’s Western Sharpshooters such as rifle 2582 used by L.P. Tallman of Company A. Other
Union soldiers also sought out the Henry rifle as it was arguably the most advanced rifle available
during the war and was especially valuable for close-in fighting where its ability to fire fifteen times before
reloading proved particularly effective against Confederates armed with single shot muzzleloading muskets
and rifle-muskets. Many Henry rifles also saw use in the American West after the Civil War as settlements pushed
into Native American lands leading to violent conflicts. Warriors from various tribes on the Great Plains used
the Henry, including famously at the Battle of the Little Bighorn were Custer and his men were overwhelmed
and annihilated by a superior force of allied warriors from the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho. Some
historians have noted that the repeating Henry rifle and Winchester Model 1866 were superior to the Springfield
trapdoor rifles.
The rifle features a squareback German silver blade front sight, dovetailed notch rear sight, brass filler block in
the alternate rear sight dovetail on the frame, first style legend “HENRY’S PATENT OCT.16. 1860/MANUFACT’D BY
THE NEWHAVEN ARMS.CO. NEWHAVEN. CT.” marked in two lines with the “NEWHAVEN. CT.” marked in non-serifed
letters, the serial number marked on top at the breech, later style larger follower and frame with the milled flats
to accept the follower, lever thumb screw latch, rounded heel buttplate with trapdoor (compartment empty),
smooth walnut buttstock with a sling swivel on the left side as well as the tell-tale “Henry bump,” and a sling loop
on the left side of the barrel.
The accompanying letter from LeRoy Merz states “This gun, I believe, in
my opinion, is 100% correct having all the correct features for an early
First Model Henry such as the rounded heel on the buttplate, an extra
sight slot in the receiver (which has a brass insert installed in it now),
earlier style barrel address and all the correct serial numbers throughout
including the barrel, on the inleading inside the buttstock on the
buttplate as well as the lower tang underneath the stock.
Also, unique to the First Models, all the screws in the two
tangs and the buttplate are all matching and complete
with serial numbers on them.” He also writes that while
the notch rear sight is “untypical” and he once believed
these to be period replacements, he now believes they were
an option since he has “just seen too many of them over the
years...” Similar dovetailed notch rear sights had been in use since
the colonial era and were still commonly found on muzzleloading
sporting rifles throughout the 19th century and had been used on the
Volcanic repeaters, including those made by the New Haven Arms Company prior to the Henry.
CONDITION: Good with dark brown patina and some oxidation on the iron, deep aged patina on the
frame and buttplate, lighter patina on the follower, and mild overall wear. The stock is also good aside from
a chip/sliver absent from the lower right edge of the wrist on the right and some small chips at the toe and has
mild scratches and dings. Mechanically fine. Overall, a very attractive example of a Henry lever action rifle that
was manufactured in the middle of 1863 as the Union was turning the tide of the war.
Provenance: The David L. DeLullo Jr. Collection.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
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