Source for Henry rifle blanks

[Milliron]

I am considering getting one of these, and would like to avoid using 5 in 1's if possible. Does anyone know a vendor who produces crimped brass blanks in 44-40 for this rifle?

Thanks for any help.

[BrandonEnglish]

For WWII 30-06 I use Joe Swanson. He is the blank guy to buy from. His blanks are hot and always work without fail. He does all sorts of calibers he may have henry blanks, I believe he does but they aren't cheap. My old man has a henry and the blanks seem to go up in price every 6 months. At least for 30-06 blanks he is at about $.52 a shot which is 35 bucks per 100 plus $17 for shipping. Hope that helps.

http://www.joeswansonsmotionpictureblanks.com/

[TheRegularsDrummerCo.H]

Bob,

I am not sure when they carry them but one of my friends says he buys his blanks from Dixie Gun Works.
He says they have them from time to time.

[BrandonEnglish]

Bob,

I am not sure when they carry them but one of my friends says he buys his blanks from Dixie Gun Works.
He says they have them from time to time.

Adam,

Dixie Gun Works sells the 5 in 1's. The thing with Henry's is that you cannot use just a regular blank, it has to be the full length and almost shape of the bullet otherwise it will not cycle the next round when you pull down the lever. I have used the 5 in 1's and they do jam when you try to fire to quickly.

[TheRegularsDrummerCo.H]

Brandon,

Oh. I didnt know which one's they sold. I agree 100% about the 5 in 1's though. Sorry for the Confusion.

[KevinBarnes]

Give Joe Swanson a call. I got 2oo .44-40 blanks from him for my Henry. They are full length, cycle like a champ, and are plenty loud. Much louder than the 5-in-1 blanks. Be sure to tell him you want black powder though or you might get the smokeless flavor. They weren't cheap though. Can't remember exactly but $35 or so for 100 I think.

[Tim Prince]

I used to have a Henry chambered in 45 Colt that I used for CAS in SASS matches. I reloaded like crazy back then, so I did a lot of business with Starline brass. I know that they used to offer 45 Colt blank brass so you could make your own. If I remember right, they were set up for really large primers (shotgun sized) so you had the option of doing a primer only blank, or a power filled one. I think the brass was aimed at the CMS (Cowboy Mounted Shooting) guys who shoot blanks at balloons while riding rodeo style. At any rate, check out the Starline site and see what they offer. The advantage to using 45 Colt is the straight walled case that allows you to use carbide sizing dies and avoid having to lube cases when re-sizing.

You are right that the Henry action is very sensitive to overall case length. So it is essential that round be the right length. Short rounds will jam a Henry up in a heartbeat because a second round will try to feed onto the lifter.

If you don't want to mess with making the blanks, try S&S Firearms. They used to offer a 5 in 1 that was brass colored (still plastic though....) that had a reputation for good feeding and being relatively inexpensive (around .25 per round).

Also, ask around on the NSSA or a SASS message board, those guys should have some good suggestions.

I hope I was of some assistance.

[Fahlem]

Since we are on the topic of the Henry Rifle, does anyone know if they can be defarbed...I am almost certain they cannot as this would violate several AFT laws...if they can't...to those who own one, how offensive are the modern markings?

Michael Fahle

[BrandonEnglish]

Since we are on the topic of the Henry Rifle, does anyone know if they can be defarbed...I am almost certain they cannot as this would violate several AFT laws...if they can't...to those who own one, how offensive are the modern markings?

They are just like any other Italian import pretty much. They don't say black powder only but do have the maker name on them and the butt has that nice shiny coating on it. It isn't really horrible.

[KevinBarnes]

Since we are on the topic of the Henry Rifle, does anyone know if they can be defarbed...I am almost certain they cannot as this would violate several AFT laws...if they can't...to those who own one, how offensive are the modern markings?

Michael Fahle


Not much you can do with the barrel markings, but the butt stock will need to be refinished. I bought mine in 1997 and it had polyurethane on the stock. Fortunately, there's not as much wood to mess with as there is with a musket.

[Fahlem]

Thank you Gents...I figured that the wood, just like any other import would need some work...but I just hate the idea of modern markings on the steel. However since they are a cartridge gun and thus subject to AFT Laws, I fear there is no way to remove them with out violatiing law. Plus...there is really no place to hide them if they are smiply moved....Thanks again...

Michael Fahle

[Rebelkid01]

I believe that it has already been suggested but I would try Dixie Gun Works.

[rick35ovi]

I want to refer you to this article, http://www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com/henry_article.html
Our unit has converted all of our Henrys in this method, It works flawlessly and is a much cheaper alternative.
this man knows his stuff when it comes to to Henry's and he will be glad to help you, his contact information is in the article also. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY YOUR HENRY!!

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

"Since we are on the topic of the Henry Rifle, does anyone know if they can be defarbed...I am almost certain they cannot as this would violate several AFT laws...if they can't...to those who own one, how offensive are the modern markings?'

Short answer... no they cannot.

It is hard to convert the .44 WCF (.44-40) or the .45 Long Colt centerfire actions to the original's .44 Henry Rimfire.
And no one makes copper cartridges or copper rimfire cartridges anymore.

;) :)

(And, without restarting THAT discussion here... there is also the pesky varying federal, state, and local laws that pertain, or do not pertain, to these arms- they being "modern firearms.")

Others' mileage, and humor, will vary...

Curt
Most all Spectators don't know plastic cartridges or modern .410 shotgun shell brass aren't "Civl War" Mess

[Wyatt Burleson]

I want to refer you to this article, http://www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com/henry_article.html
Our unit has converted all of our Henrys in this method, It works flawlessly and is a much cheaper alternative.
this man knows his stuff when it comes to to Henry's and he will be glad to help you, his contact information is in the article also. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY YOUR HENRY!!
I just want to second this guy and his site. A pard and I have ordered two Henry's from here and they have performed perfectly. The rounds are not hard to make, and we figured it is around .30-.35 cents a shot, give or take. We both have the altered and unaltered elevator blocks so we can shoot live as well, and it is not hard to change out. He was a very helpful guy to boot.

[Lt5thGaCav]

Off subject a little, When I have used henry's I have found that the steel frame sims to work alot better. Is there a reason for this?
The brass frame after firing 75 rounds or so starts hanging up and the action gets tighter, where as the steel frame I can fire 200 and never have a problem.

How common if at all were the steel frames over thew brass?

Thanks
Greg Geisel Jr.
7th Ga / 12th Ind

[weed]

Try these two places.

http://www.joeswansonsmotionpictureblanks.com/

http://gunblanks.com

Both make great black powder blanks for Henrys (44.40 cal and 45 cal.) and Spencers (56.50 cal.)

John Wedeward:)

[Spencer Guy]

Bob
Instead of a Henry you might want to try using a Spencer. There were only 1200 Henrys purchased by the US government and a total of only about 10,000 made in the 1860’s. But there were over 110,000 Spencers produced. If you were able to go back in time and look for a trooper with a repeater you would be much more likely to find one with a Spencer than one with a Henry. Here is an article about using a Spencer for reenacting. It was written by the same person that wrote the article about the Henry.
http://www.9thnycavalry.webeditor.com/spencer_article.html