A cased target rifle complete with original accessories.
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Obituary: Alexander Henry (1818-1894)
In the death of Mr Alexander Henry, a well known Edinburgh volunteer and gunmaker has been removed. About the year 1859 Mr Henry took steps, along with other Edinburgh citizens, to bring the formation of volunteer corps in Edinburgh. Although the gun barrel which made Mr Henry’s name known was invented in 1859, it was not till 1871 when it had stood the test of exhaustive trials that it was adopted by the Government, when it superseded the Snider breechloader.
Henry: Rifle No. 3383 – Henry-Fraser Patent Match Rifle
Alexander Henry Two Grip Percussion Target Rifle .451 caliber percussion rifle by Alexander Henry in an unusual two grip target configuration.
Lost
Some readers will no doubt have left something behind at a rifle range on occasion. Following are lists of items found at Wimbledon and Bisley during the National Rifle Association annual rifle meetings. The list are from 1867, 1875, 1887 and 1895.
Silver’s Anti-Recoil Heel-Plate
In 1874 H.A. Silver was granted a firearms related patent for an India-rubber cushion applied to the butt end of a stock. Notification which appeared in ‘The Engineer’ (18 March 1875) states: “This consists in the adaptation of a suitable elastic material or spring to the butt end of the stock, by means of which the shock of the recoil when the weapon is fired off is much diminished and effects greatly neutralised.”
The Henry Rifle
At the latter end of 1860, a short paragraph “went the round of the papers,” to the effect that a new rifle had been patented by an Edinburgh gunmaker. It was further stated that the inventor had, in a recent trial of his rifle, scored as many as eight points out of six shots at 1100 yards, the first shot being a miss, and the remaining five being made, up of three centres and two outers. To say that this statement took the whole rifle world – makers and marksmen, by surprise, would give but a faint idea of the effect produced.
The Henry Rifle
Alexander Henry’s Patent for barrels is number 2802, dated 15 November 1860. In brief the patent abridgement reads: “The rifled bore is of polygonal cross-section, and is provided, in addition, with curved, square, or angular spiral projections or grooves, so as to increase the bearing points of the projectile.”
Alexander Henry, Edinburgh, Scotland
INDEX. Alexander Henry (1818-1894) was an Edinburgh gunmaker of muzzle and breech loading rifles including the Henry Fraser two position rifle. Henry’s rifling was famously used on the Martini-Henry rifle, adopted by the British Army.
Creedmoor and the International Rifle Matches
To trace the origins of the Creedmoor rifle range one needs to go back to the immediate post Civil War years in America. Understandably, at the time there was little interest in marksmanship or military matters from the general public, and although the US National Guard received plenty of drill and marching instruction there was scant, if any, marksmanship training. The impetus for the development of marksmanship skills within America’s National Guard units came from the pages of the Army and Navy Journal. The editor was William Church, and a kindred spirit was George Wingate, whose “Manual for Rifle Practice” appeared in six instalments in the Journal in late 1870 and early 1871. Reprinted in book form in a number of editions the manual became the standard work upon which rifle practice was developed in America.
Territorial Regiments
In 1881 the British Army was reorganised into territorial regiments with regular, militia and volunteer battalions.
19thC Muzzle Loader Range Box
For the long range rifleman shooting black powder in muzzle loading rifles, one of the critical factors for accuracy is consistent weight of powder charges. William Metford wrote about this in his notes on the management of the muzzle loading match rifle. Correspondence on this matter will also be found in contemporary newspapers; Horatio Ross referred to it in ‘Hints for Long Range Riflemen’. So how did the enthusiastic rifleman get his carefully weighed charges to the range?
Whitworth: Rifle No. C529
Whitworth rifle no. C529 is an example of the rare Confederate telescope mounted sharpshooter rifles. The brass tube Davidson telescope was adjusted for elevation by turning the knurled knob on the right side of the forearm.