Blog

Welcome to as we speak’s Picture of the Day! The Whitney-Kennedy was a lever-action rifle produced from 1879-1886 by the Whitneyville Armory, run by Eli Whitney Jr., son of the cotton gin inventor. Round 23,500 have been made. It was designed by Andrew Burgess and manufactured by Whitneyville, with enhancements to the feeding system by Kennedy. The Whitney-Kennedy’s most distinctive characteristic was its curved, serpentine lever, changed by a conventional lever in 1883. It was a recent competitor to Winchester lever-actions, produced in calibers like .44-40. As a top-eject rifle with a tube journal, the Whitney-Kennedy operated equally to a Winchester however used a special locking system to keep away from patent infringement. Although the Whitney-Kennedy was commercially profitable, Winchester bought and shut down Whitneyville in 1888 to remove the competitors. The revolutionary Whitney-Kennedy finally survived for lower than a decade, however its distinctive lever and position as a Winchester rival have made it a captivating collectors’ piece as we speak.

“Produced circa 1879 – 1886 with a complete manufacturing of roughly 15,000. This explicit rifle is a small or mild body variation. The highest barrel flat forward of the rear sight is marked “WHITNEYVILLE ARMORY CT, U.S.A.” adopted by “KENNEDY” and “44 CAL. C.F.” on the breech. The 2 line patent marking is on the higher tang and the serial quantity is marked on the decrease tang. German silver blade entrance and adjustable buckhorn rear sights. Full size journal, “S” fashion lever and mounted with a clean walnut forearm with iron finish cap and straight grip inventory with crescent buttplate with compartment (cleansing rod not included).”

Lot 9: Whitney-Kennedy Lever Motion Sporting Rifle. (n.d.-a). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/52/9/whitneykennedy-lever-action-sporting-rifle.