The Henry rifle was a giant step forward in rifle technology, eventually becoming the iconic Winchester 94, which is still produced today. Some historians, like Philip Leigh, are of the opinion that its widespread adoption might have shortened the war as much as a year.
Ian at Forgotten Weapons takes a very in-depth look at the Henry and what makes it tick. If you’ve ever wondered what’s inside one, check it out.
Ian follows up with a look at the 1866 Winchester, which was a marked improvement of the Henry. He also tells why the name changed from Henry to Winchester.
At the same time that these improvements were being made, company politics were taking shape to end Benjamin T. Henry’s involvement with the company. Henry attempted to take over ownership of the company because he felt he was not profiting as much as he should, but he had assigned his patent rights to Oliver Winchester in exchange for his contract to manufacture the guns. As a result, Winchester was able to create a new company (the Winchester Repeating Arms Company) with full rights to the design patents and sideline Henry.
The 1866 got an upgrade a few years later, becoming the famous Winchester 73, “The Gun That Won The West.”
If for some reason this won’t play for you it’s also posted on Youtube.
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