Bavarian contract Henry Rifle|Page 2|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

Gentlemen,

I am currently working with a gentleman in Germany, Mr. Christian Borchers, WACA #69016 who has a keen interest in these rifles.  So far, he has been a good friend and resource.  We have been in contact with several European firearms museums, including one in Liège, Belgium.  Although nothing is conclusive yet, we are tending to think that contrary to popular beliefs, these guns are not connected with Bavaria.  To better explain where we are at, here’s my email to the Belgium museum:

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We are currently conducting research into a European-made copy of the Henry rifle. These firearms are commonly referred to by collectors as “Bavarian Contract Henrys.” However, based upon research conducted over many decades by both American and German collectors and historians, we believe this designation may be incorrect. At present, there is no definitive evidence that these rifles were manufactured in Bavaria or elsewhere in Germany, nor that they were produced under contract for either the Bavarian or Prussian military.

Based on the serial numbers of known surviving examples (see attached), including serial number 134, which we understand is in the collection of your Liège Arms Museum, we estimate that approximately 500 rifles were manufactured, likely sometime between 1860 and 1875. While their exact origin remains unknown, current evidence increasingly points toward the possibility that they were produced in Liège.

As you know, the Liège arms industry was well known during the nineteenth century for manufacturing copies of Winchester firearms. It therefore seems plausible that these Henry copies may have been produced in Liège for a specialized military unit, a foreign government contract in Latin America, or possibly for use in Africa or Asia.

I personally own serial number 471 and have attached photographs for your review. Of particular interest are several inspector’s marks that we have thus far been unable to identify with any degree of certainty. We are hopeful that these markings may provide clues regarding the rifles’ place of manufacture or intended destination.

I have also enclosed a relatively recent article published in a German firearms journal discussing these rifles and the continuing mystery surrounding their origin, manufacture, and service history.

Because no documentary evidence has yet been found linking these rifles to Bavaria, and because further research in Germany has yielded limited results, our investigation has increasingly focused on Belgium and specifically on Liège. We would therefore be most grateful for any information, observations, archival references, or insights that you might be able to provide, especially regarding the crown over gothic “L” mark.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Any assistance you can offer would be sincerely appreciated and would contribute significantly to our ongoing research.

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We will be keeping you posted as to our progress.  I will also be posting a “Information Wanted” notice in our magazine so see if we can identify any serials beyond the 17 guns we have found: 31, 47, 65, 71, 134, 170, 181, 197, 212, 217, 300, 325, 331, 379, 456, 471, 491

Please let us know if you know of any other serial numbers that are out there.  In the meantime, please welcome my good friend and WACA member Christian Borchers to our forum community.