Henry Vs Spencer

[treebeard]

Question for LongWalker and any others who may have shot original rimfire Henry’s is there any reason the Henry could not be shot single after the magazine was emptied?

[Drydock]

No reason at all.  But it's a slower, more finicky process than it is to thumb a cartridge into the Spencer breach.

[LongWalker]

Single-loading a Henry is a pain in the posterior.  Single-loading a Henry in a hurry is an invitation to a smashed fingertip (I still think my finger was clear!).  I can single-load a Spencer about as fast as loading a Sharp's carbine. 

I actually won a match once doing that: I shot a converted Spencer carbine borrowed from a friend in a 20 round timed match.  After shooting the magazine empty, I single-loaded the remaining shots.  I finished the day with high score and the fastest time.*  The old Spencers are the only old-school lever guns I shoot well, I wish I could afford one.   




*(There were a couple of guys I think could have beat me, but I shot in the breezy morning while they shot in the calm afternoon.  By the time their magazines were empty, I don't think they could even see the backstop!