Whitney-Kennedy Rifle
Whitney Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1880
Also known as: Kennedy Rifle, Whitneyville Kennedy, Whitney Kennedy
Overview
The Whitney-Kennedy Rifle is an American lever-action repeating rifle produced by the Whitney Arms Company of Whitneyville, Connecticut, from 1880 to 1886. Built on a small frame and most commonly chambered in .44-40 Winchester, it was a direct sporting-market competitor to the Winchester and Marlin lever-actions of the period. Its Burgess-derived action, refined by Samuel V. Kennedy and Frank W. Tiesing, used a distinctive one-piece lever that incorporated the locking lug and firing pin, differing fundamentally from Winchester's toggle-link system. The 24-inch .44-40 model held thirteen rounds in its tubular magazine.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1080 mm (42.52") |
| Barrel Length | 610 mm (24.02") |
| Action Type | Lever Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 13 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 935 J (690 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .44-40 Winchester · primary — also known as .44-40 WCF, .44 WCF
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Tubular Magazine, Exposed Hammer, Serpentine Lever, Round Or Octagon Barrel, One Piece Lever Action
Variants
- Whitney-Kennedy Large Frame — Large Frame
- Whitney-Kennedy Carbine — Carbine
- Whitney-Kennedy Musket — Musket
Service history
Operators
- American civilian sport shooters and hunters · adopted 1880
Production
Estimated total produced: 23,500 · Production years: 1880-1886
Estimates range from roughly 23,500 to 26,500 rifles across all frames and calibers; production ended when Winchester bought and closed the Whitney Arms Company in 1886.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Samuel V. Kennedy and Frank W. Tiesing
Discontinued: 1886
Notes
Offered in small-frame (.32-20, .38-40, .44-40) and large-frame (.40-60, .45-60, .45-75, .50-95 Express) configurations, with round or octagon barrels of 20, 24, 26, or 28 inches. Early rifles used a graceful serpentine lever; later production adopted the finger-ring lever seen on Winchester and Marlin rifles. Specifications listed are for the 24-inch .44-40 small-frame sporting rifle.
Background
The Whitney-Kennedy was developed from Andrew Burgess's patents, modified by Samuel V. Kennedy and Frank W. Tiesing, and first shipped in March 1880. Winchester acquired the Whitney Arms Company in 1886, the year after Eli Whitney III died, and shut it down specifically to remove a capable rival from the lever-action market.