Henry Rifle Forums

Most people like unblemished firearms but I am an exception. What I can do to a Henry H001 rifle/pistol I can not do to many other firearms without damaging or butchering them. I would never do anything like this to a Winchester 9422 or a Marling 39A. The look of simulated 1870's metallurgy is what I try to produce. Granted a person that knows old firearms would say they didn't look anything like this but I don't care.

This Small Game Carbine is a good example of what I have come up with. I first strip the paint off with a soft wire wheel being careful not to round any edges. I use a combination of aluminum black and cold bluing to produce the antique finish. The receiver covers are pitted a lot under all the paint and I like the rough texture it gives. A custom large loop really gives it character. The Steven's 3-hole peep is quite functional and can be used in bright and low light situations. The 24" Frontier with a tang sight makes a sight radius of 29.5 inches. This combination is about as accurate as a 4x scope at 50 yards. The overall look of this rifle is different than of most of my Henrys. It is one of the few that is built mostly for looks. But yes it does shoot good. Most of my triggers are set to about 2.5 pounds and this rifle is no exception. The Malcolm scope sits a tad high but I can still get a thumb/cheek weld. This .22WMR Mares Leg with an octagon barrel is the only one I've ever heard of and I used a donor Frontier barrel. Removing the barrels was a lot easier than I expected and I didn't have any problems. The real problem would be headspace had Henry's tolerances not been perfect. I risked ruining both the Mare's Leg and the donor Frontier. I sent the Frontier back to Henry to be rebuilt. They were not very happy with me.

A couple more rimfires.

This is my first Henry and I bought in around 2001. It has north of 50,000 rounds put downrange. Over the years I've done a lot of different things to my Henrys. I'm not afraid to take them apart and mix up stocks (adult and youth, checkered and plain) and receiver covers. Here is a combination of an H001 rifle with an H001M stock and an H001TLP receiver cover. The checks were warn down so I painted them with black metallic fingernail polish.

I have several custom loops. Here is a Rio Bravo loop next to a EOM large loop. And a Rifleman large loop next to the Rio Bravo loop.

I have identified three types of H001 receivers. Here are two. I couldn't remember which ones had different receivers and I got tired of taking them apart to photograph so the third type is missing. There are two different receiver covers. One with and one without notches. If you put the wrong receiver cover on the wrong receiver it will not slide all the way forward. There are also two types of bolts. Although the receivers are the same the .22LR and .22WMR use different bolts. The .22LR uses an extractor and requires a rectangular firing pin that extends to the side of the bolt. The .22WMR does not use an extractor and the bolt has a round firing pin that fits in a long hole in the bolt.

Nice work and collection!

very interesting .... I can't help but admire your skill ...

How did you get away with cutting the barrel off to make the Mares Leg? I thought that was against the Federal Firearms Act = cut down rifle???

Travlin wrote:How did you get away with cutting the barrel off to make the Mares Leg? I thought that was against the Federal Firearms Act = cut down rifle???

The receiver is a Mare's Leg and sold as a pistol. At no time in the process was the short barrel on the rifle receiver.

Thanks, when I saw "barrel cut off" I incorrectly assumed it was once a rifle.

Travlin wrote:Thanks, when I saw "barrel cut off" I incorrectly assumed it was once a rifle.

It would have been much easier to just cut a barrel off. Stupid laws.

Reminds me a little of Cimarron's "Original" finish...looks like a time worn cowboy gun....

Gene, have to say that you really do deserve the Sir Henry title. Henrys are to you as Contenders are to me.

For those of you who are wondering what Sir Henry's antique treatment looks like, in person, I had the pleasure of seeing one of his rifles when he visited us, this winter. It looks great. It truly does. I think Henry would sell a ton of rifles if it could come up with a factory version of this antique finish.

Thanks Joanie, that means a lot coming from you.

RanchRoper wrote:Reminds me a little of Cimarron's "Original" finish...looks like a time worn cowboy gun....

I have a Cimarron six-shooter and it is kind of where I got the idea.

The old percussion revolvers look cool that way.

I've added a few more pictures in the blank posts and will be adding more later.

Thanks for the trip back down memory lane. I always love following your projects. The war mare’s leg was my favorite.