.44 Henry
| .44 Henry | |
|---|---|
| general information | |
| caliber | .44 Henry (11 × 23mm R) |
| Sleeve shape | Rim cartridge |
| Dimensions | |
| Floor ⌀ | .446 inch, 11.0 mm |
| Cartridge bottom ⌀ | 13.2 mm |
| Sleeve length | short sleeve 20.86 mm, long sleeve 22.9 mm |
| Cartridge length | 34.2 mm |
| Weights | |
| Bullet weight | 200 grains , 13 g |
| Powder weight | 26-28 grains, 1.7-1.8 g |
| Technical specifications | |
| Speed v 0 | 343 m / s |
| Bullet energy E 0 | 770 y |
| Lists on the subject | |
The .44 Henry cartridge , also known as the .44 Long Rimfire and 11 × 23 mm R (11 × 23 mm rimfire ) was specially developed for the Henry rifle model 1860 and is considered to be one of the first large-caliber cartridges for small arms (rifles and revolver).
history
The cartridge was named after the American gunsmith Benjamin Tyler Henry , who was technical director at the Oliver Winchester owned New Haven Arms Company from 1857 . In this capacity he developed the Henry rifle from the Volcanic pistol and the rifles of the same system, for which he received a patent on October 16, 1860. In 1858 he began developing the .44 Henry cartridge, making his first attempts with an Ogival bullet weighing 216 grains and a powder charge of 26 grains. As a lubricant for the bullets, he used a high-melting sebum mixture to prevent the penetration of grease into the powder. The first cartridges manufactured by the New Haven Arms Co. (from 1866 Winchester Repeating Arms Co.) had flattened bullets weighing 200 grains and were named No. 44-100 sold in boxes of 50 pieces. Like all of the company's other rimfire cartridges, they were marked with an H in the bottom. Other manufacturers were added later in Europe. Production of the .44 Henry cartridge ceased between 1930 and 1940.
technology
As a rimfire cartridge, it had a copper case, in the swaged rim of which the ignition charge was cast. In order to ensure ignition, the copper of the sleeve had to be soft, and it had to have thin walls. In order to avoid case tears, the black powder charge of 26 to 28 grains was low compared to the charge common in the muzzle-loaders of the time, which led to inadequate ballistic properties. The first Henry cartridges were called "Henry Flat" because of their 200 grains heavy projectiles, later Ogival projectiles were used.
If the sleeves were initially made of copper , it later became possible to make them from the cheaper brass . The American inventor George R. Stetson improved the original Henry cartridge by developing an improved cartridge , erroneously called the .42 Stetson cartridge , in which the bullet was no longer cast, but pressed in the die and therefore more dimensionally stable. After the bullet had been inserted, a groove was pressed into it, which slightly increased the diameter in the case. This fixed the bullet and improved the seal, so there was no need for a felt plug between the powder and the bullet. The groove also served as a fat depot. (US Patent 120,403, to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, October 31, 1871).
Use in the military
During the American Civil War , the Henry cartridge was used by various units of the Union; Henry rifles were purchased from the US Government in 1731, plus a large number of these weapons that had been acquired by unit commanders for their troops, but also by individual private individuals. Such captured weapons were only used sporadically by the Confederate troops due to a lack of ammunition; the southern states had no production facilities for this ammunition.
The .44 Henry cartridge was also used in the Franco-German War 1870/71 and in the Turkish-Russian War (1877–1878) , as the armies of France and the Ottoman Empire modeled a large number of Winchester muskets and carbines Owned in 1866.
Civil use
After the Civil War, the .44 Henry cartridge was used in the numerous Winchester Mod 66 rifles and carbines in the American West and later in Mexico and South America . Due to its size and caliber, it was also suitable for revolvers, early Smith & Wesson No 3 revolvers, Colt Model 1860 Army "Long Cylinder" conversions and the Colt Open Top as well as the 1873 Colt Single Action Army .44 Rimfire produced between 1875 and 1880 used this cartridge.
literature
- Wiley Sword: The Historic Henry Rifle . Andrew Mowbray Publishers, PO Box 460, Lincoln, RI 2002, ISBN 1-931464-01-4 .
- George Madis: The Winchester Book . Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, TX 1971, ISBN 0-910156-03-4 .
- R. Bruce McDowell: A Study of Colt Conversions and other Percussion Revolvers . Krause Publications, Iola, WI 1997, ISBN 0-87341-446-2 .
