Henry Rifle Rear Sights

Although the Henry Rifle was produced for a limited period of time (1862-1866) by the New Haven Arms gepany in essentially one configuration (rifle with a 24" barrell), it is well known that various geponents changed over its production life (buttplates, front sights, frames - iron vs. brass). This guide will be limited to two versions of the rear sight.
In John Parsons seminal work ,The First Winchester, several chapters are devoted to predecessor arms to the Model 1866,particularly the Henry. In the Chapter entitled "Characteristics of the Henry" , Parsons discusses the graduated rear sight, specifically with respect to its location in early model Henrys in a slot cut "on the rear of the barrel, on top of the receiver near the hammer, and sometimes on the frame forward of the carrier". There is no discussionof variations in the graduated rear sights throughout production. Similarly, George Madis, in The Winchester Book,makes no distinction between variations in the graduated rear sight installed on the Henry at the factory (although he identifies a fixed rear sight as a rarely seen variation). At page 123 Madis does identify three types of leaf sights found on the Model 1866 and describes one as "the sporting leaf rear with a coilspring and plunger located inside the base of the leaf, which retains the leaf in the raised position. This is the sight with rounded top of leaf often found with the Henry Rifle and provided with early 1866 rifles and muskets".
Nick Stroebel catalogues a multitude of sights in his guide, Old Gunsights, A Collector's Guide, 1850-1965, including, at page 285,the Sporting Leaf Sight mentioned by Madis, but makes no reference to an alternateto the rear leaf sightcontained on that page. Finally, Wiley Sword, in The Historic Henry Rifle, makes reference to an early and later style of front sight on the Henry, but makes no mention of variations in the types of rear leaf sights found on the Henry.
Well there were definitely at least two variations which are difficult to link to production dates i.e. by rifle serial number. The first is the sporting leaf rear sight pictured below ontop, as identified in the books listed above. The second is similar to the first, but it lacks the adjustment screw located at the top of the sight when it raised to the elevated position, pictured below the sporting leaf rear sight. It would seem that the second sight would be an earlier production version since it definitely was mounted on first model production rifles (rounded butt plate). Take a look at Henry No. 2075 pictured on a website devoted to rare Winchesters. Henry No 3594 recently listed on an antique gun auction also sports a rear leaf sight without adjustment screw, whileHenry No 3286 also recently up for auction on an antique gun auction has a rear leaf sight with the adjustment screw and is by serial number of earlier production than Henry No 3594. Henry No 7119 also recently offered at auction has a rear leaf sight with adjustment screw. Finally based on Madis research noted above the rear leaf sight with adjustment screw carried over to the Model 1866 Winchester.




Conclusion? It appears that there wasdefinitely more than one production run orvendor of rear leaf sights during the entire period of Henryproduction and thatsome previously undiscovered earlier sights may have been located later in production and placed on later Henrys. It is well known that outside vendors made various parts for the Henry (see: Madis,The Winchester Book, page 35: barrel steel, swivels, lever blanks, furnished spring steel stock, and patterns and castings). It may also be that both leaf sights were produced for some period at the same time and were just mixed into a gemon inventory and randomly selected. In any event at some point it was recognized that an adjustment screw might be useful when the leaf sight was used in its horizontal position employing the "v" notch for sighting and the sporting leaf rear sight was born.

timbuk2002


P.S. I'm sure I'm not the first to ponder this variation so if I missed a previous discussion in a book or article unlisted above consider this guide a humble echo of an earlier discussion.
P.P.S. Les Quick's new book (2008)on the Henry Rifle, The Story of Benjamin Tyler Henry and His Famed Repeating Rifle, catalogues five rear sight variations at page 122. Two have the adjustment screw and three do not. His exhaustive research did not identify any particular sequence in the appearance of the variations.