Whitney-Kennedy Lever Action Rifles

[Bob Riebe]

Eli Whitney Jr., son of the inventor of the famous “cotton gin”, ran the Whitneyville Armory for many years, producing a wide variety of firearms until nearly the end of the 1800s. Among other gun produced was the Whitney-Kennedy lever action rifle, based on an action designed by Andrew Burgess. From 1880 until 1886, about 23,500 of these rifles and carbines were manufactured. Their most distinctive visual feature is the unique serpentine operating lever, although this was replaced with a more traditional looking lever towards the end of production.