Henry Mare's Leg .22 LR

Henry Repeating Arms · Pistol · In Production

Also known as: H001ML, Mare's Leg, Mare's Laig

Overview

The Henry Mare's Leg in .22 LR (model H001ML) is a cut-down lever-action pistol modeled on the iconic 'Mare's Leg' carried by Steve McQueen's bounty hunter character Josh Randall in the 1958-1961 TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive. Built on the H001 Classic Lever Action platform with a shortened barrel, abbreviated buttstock that forms a pistol grip, and an American walnut stock cut to the exact specification of the gun used on the television series. The .22 LR version holds 10 rounds of .22 Long Rifle (16 rounds of Shorts) in its tubular magazine and weighs only 4.45 pounds.

Specifications

Weight (empty)2018 g (71.2 oz)
Overall Length635 mm (25.00")
Barrel Length327 mm (12.87")
Action TypeLever Action
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity10 rounds
Magazine TypeTube
Muzzle Velocity320 m/s (1050 fps)
Muzzle Energy130 J (96 ft·lbf)
Effective Range50 m (55 yd)
Maximum Range1500 m (1640 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Rifling Twist406 mm (15.98")
Number of Grooves6
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Variants

Base model

Henry-H001-Classic-Lever

Production

Production years: 2008-present

Henry's modern Mare's Leg pistol family was introduced in the late 2000s after the success of the Coen Brothers' 2010 film True Grit (which featured the Mare's Leg) drove renewed interest

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Notes

Federally classified as a pistol because it has a barrel under 16 inches and a non-shoulder-fired stock - the configuration was never originally manufactured as a rifle, so it is not legally a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR). Purely a novelty/range piece, but enormously popular with cowboy-TV-era fans.

Background

The original Mare's Leg was a custom-cut Winchester Model 1892 carried by Steve McQueen's bounty hunter Josh Randall in 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' (1958-1961). Three were built for the show by Hollywood gunsmith Von Dutch and Kenny Von Dutch Howard. McQueen wore the rig low on his hip in a custom 'Buscadero'-style holster, and the show's cult status turned a TV prop into one of the most recognizable firearms in American pop culture - later carried again by Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross in the 2010 True Grit and by Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series.