Curious Relics #143: Iron and Brass – The 1860 Henry Rifle Part II

By Sam.S • Published October 14, 2026

Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! In the last article, I covered the history of the 1860 Henry, from the Volcanic all the way up to Oliver Winchester taking the company out from under Benjamin Tyler Henry. This time I am getting into the variations, and I will warn you up front that the Henry did not change a whole lot in its six or so years of production. What it does have is a handful of running changes that matter quite a bit if you are trying to figure out what you are looking at. Let’s dive right into the Henry!

Recent Curious Relics Coverage:

Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!

Variations: The 1860 Henry Rifle

Before diving in, I want to make it clear that this is not a definitive guide on Henry variations. This is my personal list of what I feel are the major hitters if you are looking at one. Most of the changes on these rifles were small and happened gradually as old parts got used up and new ones came in, so you will run into Henrys with a mix of early and late features. Do not panic if yours does not fit neatly into one box. Sources also disagree on where a few of the lines get drawn (go figure), and I will point those out as I go.

Iron Frame Henry: The very first Henrys off the line had blued iron frames instead of the brass everyone pictures. They fall somewhere in the serial number 1 to 400 range, and from what I have read collectors have identified 89 of them so far, alongside 77 brass frame rifles in that very same number range. Better yet, 16 serial numbers in there show up on both an iron and a brass rifle. Yep, duplicates. Estimates for how many iron frames were actually built run somewhere around 200 to 300, mostly in the first few months of production in 1862. I could find no helpful information on why New Haven Arms dropped iron for brass. There are theories floating around on forums but nothing I would put my name behind. These are very scarce, and they get overclaimed a lot…so if somebody tells you they have one, be a little skeptical until you see it in hand.

1860 Henry — Iron Frame Henry – Photo Credit: Rock Island Auction

First Model Henry: This is the brass-framed Henry most folks have in their heads, and I think it is one of the best-looking rifles ever made. The giveaway is a rounded heel on the brass buttplate. Most of the running changes happened during this stretch, and I am only going to hit the big ones. The earliest rifles had no lever latch to keep the lever snugged up, and the very first ones did not even have a half-cock notch (the factory would add both to older rifles later, which muddies the water). Early guns also had an extra rear sight dovetail cut into the frame that went away around serial 3,000. The magazine follower was smaller until somewhere around serial 1,900, and the front sight started out as a little half-moon-shaped blade. The barrel legend started out small too, then switched to a larger, all-serif style around serial 4,000. And on the earliest guns, even the buttplate and tang screws were serial numbered to the rifle.

Note: Sling swivels were an extra-cost special order until about mid-1863. When you do find them they are normally on the left side of the stock with a loop on the barrel. A Henry with factory swivels on the right side is a rare bird. Factory engraving and silver or gold plating could also be had for extra money, but those are dressed-up First and Second Models rather than their own variation.

1860 henry

Second Model Henry: The later rifles got a sharply pointed heel on the buttplate. This is about as close to a “model change” as the Henry ever got, and I have to admit I could not pin down exactly when it happened. The Winchester Arms Collectors Association puts it around serial 5,300, while Rock Island Auction’s write-ups put it closer to 4,000. So somewhere in that window. Second Model rifles are all brass framed, they carry the larger barrel legend, and the lever latch had long since become standard by then. These make up the bulk of the Henrys out there today.

1860 henry

Martial Henrys: As I covered in Part I, the government only bought 1,731 Henrys, and Vincent Rausch’s research breaks those down into a few groups. The first 300 or so for the 1st D.C. Cavalry were bought straight off the shelf with no inspection at all, so there is no way to pick one out without paperwork tying it to the regiment. The 800 rifles from the big December 1863 order were inspected by Charles G. Chapman and are stamped “C.G.C.” on the right side of the barrel near the frame, with a cartouche on the stock that is almost always worn off by now. Those all fall between serial 3,000 and 4,000. Then the 627 rifles bought for the 3rd U.S. Veteran Volunteer Infantry in 1865 are Second Models with very small “JT” or “AWM” inspector stamps on the left side of the stock wrist, roughly in the serial 6,800 to 9,800 range.

Speaking of stamps, do not mistake the little “H” on the lower tang of a lot of Henrys for a government mark. That one is a factory inspection mark, believed to be Benjamin Tyler Henry’s own, and from what I have read, it shows up mostly on rifles under serial 6,000.

Honorable Variation Mentions: The 1860 Henry Rifle

Carbines: Short-barreled Henrys are out there, but they were never a regular production item. A few were special ordered and a lot more were cut down later, sometimes at the factory and sometimes by whoever owned the thing. If you come across a short Henry it needs a hard look before anybody calls it a factory carbine.

Bayonet Lug Henrys: Very few Henrys are known with a bayonet lug and they were never made in any real quantity. A bayonet did not become a proper factory option until the Winchester 1866 musket came along.

Bavarian Contract Henrys: This is one where the experts do not agree. Herbert Houze wrote that 500 Henrys were made for the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1864. Some collectors point out that the known examples (one of them sits in the Cody Firearms Museum) do not have the Henry barrel address at all and may be period European copies. I am not going to settle that one here, folks.

English Patent Henrys: Oliver Winchester patented the Henry in England in 1863, and according to Andrew Bresnan the English version had a sliding cover over the loading opening, a round magazine tube with no turning sleeve, and a ramrod on the left side. I only found that in the one place, so take it for what it is worth.

Modern Reproductions: The 1860 Henry Rifle

An original Henry is a piece of history that belongs on a wall and not at the range, but there are a couple of good ways to get your hands on one today. The Uberti 1860 Henry is the one I am working with for this series. Uberti has been building theirs for years and offers it with either the brass frame like mine or a steel frame for anybody after that early iron frame look. That is the rifle you will see shooting in Part IV.

1860 Henry

Henry Repeating Arms builds their own as well, the New Original Henry, and it is made here in the States. The company was started in 1996 by Louis and Anthony Imperato and takes its name in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry, and their Original line is about as close a tribute to his rifle as you will find. The line covers the standard brass framed rifle in .44-40 or .45 Colt, an iron framed version with a color case hardened steel frame (a nod to those first few hundred rifles), and a shorter 20.5 inch Rare Carbine. Serial numbers on the Originals start with BTH for Benjamin Tyler Henry himself, which I think is a classy touch.

1860 Henry

End of Part II: The 1860 Henry Rifle

That wraps up the variations, and honestly it is a shorter list than most of the guns I cover here. The Henry was only made for about six years by one company, so there just was not a whole lot of time for it to change. At the end of the day it comes down to iron or brass, a rounded heel or a pointed one, and a pile of little details that matter a great deal to collectors. Next time in Part III we are getting into dating (and yes, that serial number argument from Part I is coming back), the specifications on both the original and the Uberti, and what the parts situation looks like. See you folks then!

Another big thank you to the folks at Uberti for sending out the 1860 Henry. Having one on my bench to look over while sorting through all of these little changes helped a ton, and I appreciate it.

1860 Henry

In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. If you have a question or you are sitting on information that could sharpen up an article like this one, you can find me through my Linktree. Until next time!

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