doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Alex Herny 450 Takedown Single Shot Rifle w/ Tools

Hello Brent,

Many thanks Mi Amego, but just this morning one of the gun book dealers in the U/K took a small number of them into stock, the postage is less than US $9.00, so I purchased a copy on line, I should have it by Thursday. I much appreciate your very kind offer though.

Sorry about the bit of Spanish, corresponding with our mutual friend in San Diego has led me into some bad habits. Lol.

Regards,

Harry

I almost dropped to my knees with an outpouring of reverence. Without knowing it you managed to acquire something others have spent entire lifetimes trying to score.

First off, Alex Henry is, to put it lightly, a quality maker. I've got a double rifle in the same calibre and absolutely love it.

Besides getting such a beautiful rifle you've got all the attendant goodies that elevate this acquisition to the halls of Valhalla.

Take the time to study everything to do with this rifle. Learn it frontwards and back. This includes all the tools that came with it. Go at your own pace, but continue the pursuit regardless of interuptions. Learn it, educate yourself. It is a subject most worthy of arduous study.

At the risk of appearing craven, if you ever end up at the point where you just don't feel a kinship with or need for this rifle and you'd rather have money for other uses PLEASE send me a private message here.

No matter how your feelings end up, do enjoy the ride.

Best Regards - Marc

You know, a deer shot with that rifle would taste far better than one shot with an old bolt action rifle. And an elk.... not even describable.

Hello Krakow Kid,

Thanks so very much for all the kind words. I have spent hundreds of hours scouring the net for info and have no less than 4 books coming. Many people here have PM'd me and I've talked with several that have really helped me with general information and loading cartridges. Thanks to all of you!

I do believe I fell into this one. Sometimes one is better off not knowing too much, and just going, "I had a hunch", so I traded.

Now that I have 20 cartridges ready for Saturday morning. I've turned my attention to trying to preserve what is left of the outside of the leather case. It has aged poorly over these many years. I will repair the handle which has the leather broken clean away at each end. (it only looks in place in the photo) I will repair the hinge which is totally split. The only thing keeping the top attached is the green felt liner. And I plan on getting brass corners to limit any further damage and hide the damage that has been done. However, I really want to preserve the paper label on the one end, if anyone has suggestions I'd sure like to hear them. I think the paper label shows this was gun number "33" of who knows how many. The trace writing peeking out at the right looks Far Eastern. I sure wish I could find out to who and where this was shipped back in 1885. Maybe some Big Time Maharajah.

Hello all,

Well this is a great morning indeed. I set my alarm and called John Dixon & Son, in Edinburgh, Scotland, at 4:30 am. I talked with Gary MacPherson and he was extremely polite and eagerly helpful. I waited patiently while he "fetched" the Ledger. In less than 4 minutes I had the following information about my gun as hand recorded in the original Alex Henry Ledgers.

John Dixon & Son, no longer sends you a photo copy of the ledger, but instead they send a photograph of the ledger pages via email.

I have blocked out the name of the buyer at their request, because they do not want people contacting the descendants. Apparently this has caused problems in the past, and I respect their wishes.

A few questions have been answered regarding my rifle. The biggest being; "was the scope original to the gun?" Well yes it was, and it is so recorded in "pen & ink" in the original workbook of Alex Henry.

Most interest is that the buyer was not a Wealthy Maharajah from India, rather, he was British, and he was listed with the title "Esq" identifying him as a "Lawyer." Apparently he was not a very successful Lawyer because he couldn't afford a "First Quality" gun. As a matter of fact, based on the remarkable "un-used" condition of this rifle, he must have been a pretty bad Lawyer because he didn't earn enough money to take this rifle Hunting. Its been protected in its leather trunk and kept safe from harm for nearly 128 years. Good for me!





Here is how the information was described to me over the phone.

Alexander Henry
Serial Number 5828
Single Barrel Express Rifle.
Second Quality
450 Gauge
28" Detachable Barrel
Rib 10" long at Breech
Block Action - Safety Right Front Bolt
P.H. 1 5/8, 2 3/32, 14 3/8 taken from rib at breast
Lever Forend
Patent number 2216
Standing 2-leaf sight to 300 yds
Telescope with screw elevation to 300 yds
Completed Jan 31, 1885
7 pounds 15 ounces
Solid Taper Case.
British Customer - E. xxxxxxx, Esq.

Buckstix:

I think it unlikely that the original owner of your rifle was a lawyer. In the United Kingdom, esquire is a title of respect previously accorded to men of higher social rank, but which has since come to be used as a general courtesy title for any man in a formal context, usually appended to the name as in "John Smith, Esq.", with no precise significance.

Only in the U.S. has the term come to signify a license to practice law.

Rem

Buckstix,
How does the takedown feature work? It doesn't appear to be an interrupted thread so does it screw in all the way and then have a lever or crosspin that holds it? Your second picture down on this page shows some sort of system that has a screw for a stop. Does that piece hanging out on the front rotate about 180 degrees to lock the barrel in place?

Hello Rem,

Yes, I know that. But that doesn't make for a very interesting story, does it?

Hello Bob,

Below are pictures that show step-by-step, how the rifle is assembled from the take-down state as stored in the case. The barrel is tapered at the breech and it fits into a matching "cone" at the front of the action. The pivot lug on the barrel is also tapered, and it fits into the matching tapered well of the action under-lug. A lever on the under-lug secures it, and locks it in place. A very simple and very positive locking mechanism. Both bevels are pressed into place with no "wiggle" to be felt. The rifle's zero has never changed since I started test firing it.

It takes longer to read the procedure here, than it takes to actually do the assembly.

Disassembly is simply in reverse order.

Since I'm an R&D Design Engineer, I can only marvel at the Brilliance of Alex Henry and his designs. I've been around guns my whole life and its the best take-down rifle mechanism I've ever seen, and I wish I would have invented it.

Thanks Buckstix,
Everytime I look at something like that, I marvel at the hand fitting that is involved. I've never seen anything like that.
Great pictures by the way.