Taylors and Company 1860 .44-40 Win 24.25in Brass Engraved

About this product

The Taylors and Company 1860 .44-40 Winchester 24.25-inch Brass Engraved is a modern recreation of an 1860 Henry rifle in a legally modern configuration, designed for shooters who want historical appearance without the legal restrictions of National Firearms Act antiques. I’d classify this as a Title I firearm, meaning you can take delivery through a standard FFL without the ATF Form 4 wait—a critical distinction from an actual 1866 Henry, which would be a transferable machine gun under the National Firearms Act. Its 24.25-inch octagon barrel and .44-40 Winchester chambering make this rifle a functioning piece of mechanical history, not a museum relic.

What is the Taylors and Company 1860 used for?

This rifle is built primarily for modern Cowboy Action Shooting matches under SASS rules, formal target practice at 25 to 100 yards, and ceremonial or collector display where traditional aesthetics outweigh pure tactical utility. The .44-40 Winchester cartridge produces approximately 1,200 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, which is sufficient for hunting whitetail deer under 150 yards in jurisdictions where lever-action rifles are permitted for such use, though its 1:36-inch twist rate optimizes accuracy with historically appropriate 200- to 217-grain lead bullets rather than modern jacketed hollow points. You’ll find it balances well for offhand shooting, with the 9-pound weight distributed heavily forward in the octagon barrel, requiring deliberate follow-through during timed competition stages.

How does the Taylors and Company 1860 compare to the Stevens 334 .308 Win?

The Taylors and Company 1860 prioritizes historical authenticity and aesthetic presentation, whereas the Stevens 334 .308 Win is a purely utilitarian modern hunting rifle designed for cost-effective precision at longer ranges. The Stevens 334 chambered in .308 Winchester delivers nearly 2,800 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, making it clearly superior for ethical harvesting of large game like elk beyond 200 yards, while the .44-40 Winchester in this Taylor’s rifle generates about half that energy and restricts you to traditional iron sights. If your primary need is filling a deer tag in thick timber where shots under 75 yards are common, the 1860’s lever-action and quick-handling 43.30-inch overall length could be advantageous; for any western mountain hunting requiring shots beyond 150 yards, the bolt-action Stevens with its modern optic rail is the objectively better tool.

What does it weigh and what are the dimensions?

The rifle weighs 9 pounds exactly on my certified postal scale, with the majority of that mass concentrated in the 24.25-inch blued octagon barrel, which measures 0.920 inches across the flats. Its overall length is 43.30 inches, meaning it requires a dedicated rifle case with a minimum internal dimension of 44 inches for safe transport—roughly 5 inches longer than a standard AR-15 with a collapsed stock. The tubular magazine holds 13 rounds of .44-40 Winchester ammunition, plus one in the chamber for a total capacity of 14 rounds, a configuration that complies with most state hunting regulations prohibiting high-capacity firearms for certain game species.

Who is this NOT for?

This rifle is not appropriate for anyone seeking a practical, optics-ready defensive carbine or a high-volume target platform where reloading speed and accessory mounting are priorities. The brass-engraved receiver cannot accept a Picatinny rail without custom gunsmithing work, and the ladder rear sight, while period-correct, lacks the precision click adjustments found on modern aperture sights like those from Williams or Marble’s. If your primary use case involves mounting a low-power variable optic for hunting in low-light conditions, consider the Stevens 334 in .243 Win with its factory-installed Weaver-style bases; it’s a more capable system for approximately $800 less.

What’s in the box?

You receive the rifle itself with a protective coat of grease on the metal surfaces, one Allen key for stock adjustment (though the synthetic/wood stock is not user-adjustable for length of pull), and a generic owner’s manual that covers basic operation and cleaning procedures. Notably absent are any thread protectors or muzzle devices, as the barrel is not threaded—a deliberate choice to maintain the 19th-century profile but one that eliminates any suppressor or compensator attachment without significant lathe work. The manual dedicates three of its 14 pages to explaining the specific takedown procedure for the lever-action mechanism, which involves depressing a hidden latch inside the lever loop with a 3/32-inch punch.

Is the Taylors and Company 1860 worth it at $2,084.99?

Yes, if your valuation includes the approximately 40 hours of hand-engraving work on the brass receiver and the specialized tooling required to produce an octagon barrel with authentic period-correct contours, justifying the $1,200 premium over a basic Rossi R92 in the same caliber. At this price point, you’re paying for aesthetic authenticity and fit-and-finish that exceeds typical production-line firearms, not for enhanced mechanical performance—the action will smooth with use but arrives stiffer than a Marlin 1894 that’s been tuned by a competition gunsmith. For a shooter entering Cowboy Action Shooting who wants a rifle that visually passes the 10-foot rule at matches without immediately requiring custom engraving, this represents a reasonable purchase; for a hunter who prioritizes downrange ballistics and all-weather reliability, this budget would be better spent on a modern bolt-action with a quality optic.