Uberti Henry Rifle (.45 Colt) - Susannah

A gift to myself at the end of a hard guiding season in 2016. I had coveted a Henry rifle since my budding interest in firearms, citing it as the most beautiful gun ever made. But after many years of the somber acceptance that I would never own one for myself, it finally happened when I found a Uberti online for a great price. Immediately at seeing the weapon unveiled in the shop I was in love. One of the most indulgent purchases I've ever made. No regrets.

What it looked like when new

 

The model I bought had less than 50 rounds through it. An excellent shooter right out of the box, the early-style Winchester toggle actions have short throws and smooth operation. Plus with how heavy it is (did I mention it's heavy? It's heavy) recoil is basically non-existent.

I'm not sure when exactly this model was produced, but I think it's probably from the mid-2000's. Uberti makes some of the most beautifully crafted guns I've seen. Too nice. I was always afraid to take it on trips in the saddle, so it's mostly stayed close to home for pest control and the like. A fun shooter, but mostly I just enjoy looking at it.

Although an extremely unusual couple, due to sharing a cartridge, this gun gets paired a lot with my New Service. Don't think two guns could be further apart on the spectrum, but when you share a bullet, you share a bullet...

This is the gun that I have done the least modifications to, leaving it more or less how it came. However there are some things-

I stripped the varnish off the wood, heat gunned it to get any finger oils out, then restarted with a bright red stain and BLO. I added some subtle nicks and dings to the wood with screwdriver handles, then blackwashed the entire thing with black paint, rubbing it down with 0000 steel wool.

Axle grease on reassembly!

I then added some more Indian upholstery tacks, but I kept the design subtle to reflect the simplicity of the gun itself. 

 

The brass receiver was polished with dish soap and balsamic vinegar in an attempt to remove any lacquer and get it to tarnish without disassembling. Not actually sure if that ever worked, but I was afraid to do anything more aggressive. Either way, using the weapon hard for a couple years seemed to darken the metal a bit. Or maybe I’m imagining it.

Immediately after rubbing with soap and vinegar. I think it made a difference.

I’ve always been tempted to knock down the bluing on the barrel a bit with some steel wool, but I can never bring myself to do it. This is a gun I like taking care of.