Author Topic: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower  (Read 3670 times)

Offline rbertalotto

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1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« on: November 29, 2015, 06:08:26 PM »
It has been discussed many times on this forum and other about the possibility of the spring loaded magazine follower being released accidentally and the follower slamming into the cartridges in the magazine, setting them off with bullets against primers. There are reported cases of this happening at loading tables and during a stage when the magazine follower gets hung up on a prop and suddenly released with impending doom following.

The second issue with the 1860 Henry when used in Cowboy Action Shooting is the possibility of the magazine follower hitting the shooters hand and impeding the loading of the last three or four rounds depending on where the off hand is holding the barrel.

CAS folks will cut a piece of 3/8" dowel about 4.5" long and insert it after the ten rounds are loaded, thereby creating room for the off hand and allowing unimpeded loading of the final three or four rounds.

I decided to "Kill Two Birds With One Stone" and build an extended magazine follower that limits the possibility of #1 and serves the same purpose as #2



I've detailed the fabrication on my web site for those with access to a lathe that might want to make one or have a machinist friend who owes them a favor whip one up.

http://www.rvbprecision.com

Now some folks (not on this forum, but on others) will start to take this thread in another direction by claiming it isn't needed.  "They have loaded thousands of rounds in an 1860 Henry with no issues". "We are being overly cautious".  "If you can't load a Henry properly you shouldn't own one". Etc.Etc.Etc.

I suggest we let the owners of the 1860 Henry decide for themselves if this is a modification they might like to pursue.

Thanks!
Roy B
South of Boston
www.rvbprecision.com
SASS #93544

Offline Coffinmaker

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2015, 09:13:46 PM »
Now THAT is just plain KOOL!!  Super outstanding!!  Superkalafragilistic even.
Several (quite a few) years ago I came up with and Idea for a "Stick" (solid) to insert on top of the cartridge stack to prevent the follower from impacting the stack in the event the shooter (me) lost control of it.  It also allowed me to grip the barrel infant of the receiver for a better controlling grip and not foul the thumb button. 
I modified it with a 45 Schofield case on one end and stop pin (like yours) to keep the "stick" out of the action after the last round was fired.  "Stick, Mark 1."  Then I added a second case (I love epoxy) to the other end with a stop "Stick, Mark 1, A1."  I even sent one to Driftwood Johnson.  Works a treat.
Then I modified my Henrys to run Cowboy 45 Special cases.  Stick, Mark 1, A1 got even longer.  Grip the barrel WAY out there.  Wonderful.
I really like yours with the spring though.  Do something dumb like hook the thumb button on a prop with the mag nearly empty and your still "safe."  Way KOOL!!

Coffinmaker
Who shoots Henrys as his Main Match rifles.

Offline Abilene

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2015, 09:40:57 PM »
Some years back Uberti started putting that little disk of orange rubber on the end of the follower.  It might have prevented some magazine detonations but obviously isn't foolproof since we have heard a number of stories of it happening.  Your device looks awesome!  Hopefully it wouldn't give somebody false security that they can just let the follower slam down every time.  But then, the gene pool is probably better off without them anyway  :)

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #3 on: Today at 06:43:25 AM »

Offline Daniel Dodge

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2015, 07:10:01 AM »
I was thinking of shooting my Henry a bit next year. (44-40) Anyone going to sell these things to us unskilled non-lathe owners? Maybe I''ll try the stick Mk1 solution in the mean time.

Offline rbertalotto

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2015, 07:23:31 AM »
Hi Dan,

If I get some time I'm planning on making a few. But I need to design a way to vary the length as it will depend on your OAL cartridge.

Some type of threaded extension should work.

Stay tuned!

Roy B
South of Boston
www.rvbprecision.com
SASS #93544

Offline PJ Hardtack

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2015, 11:32:01 AM »
Sounds like a better mouse trap.

I've been present on two occasions when dropping the follower of a Henry resulted in the detonation of three rds, and I know of one more.

In the first, I had just supervised a shooter loading 10 rds into the rifle. He slapped the nose cap shut as he was putting the rifle on the table when it happened. He incurred fragments in in his left wrist and the rifle's mag tube suffered as well.

In the second instance, the shooter was kneeling and dropped in 5 rds before slapping the nose cap shut. Again, 3 rds detonated, but the blast was down range. The rifle suffered accordingly.

In both instances, bullets were RNFP's and no high primers were suspected. I don't recall the make of the primers.

I have read that this was not unknown in the era with RF cartridges. The fulminate of mercury priming mix was super sensitive to percussion.
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to others and I require the same from them."  John Wayne

Offline Daniel Dodge

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2015, 12:09:33 PM »
I've always let the follower down easy on top of any cartridges I've loaded. I'd slap it and let fly if they were rimfires, but not with centerfire. I like my hand and my Henry too much to risk it.

Offline The Pathfinder

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Re: 1860 Henry Spring Loaded Magazine Follower
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2015, 11:39:36 AM »
So since Coffinmaker's version is the Mk I or Mk Ia, does that make rbertalotto's version the Mk II? ???

 

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