What is the first lever action ever made caliber and year?

Answer 1

The original design which became the Winchester lever action started as the Hunt's Patent in 1848. The "Rocket Ball" ammunition (caliber unknown but likely around .45) was a hollow lead bullet with powder inside and an external primer. The design was improved by Lewis Jennings from 1849 to 1852 and manufactured until 1852 when production ceased and the investors lost their money. The cartridge was still a hollow lead projectile with powder inside. Horace Smith & Daniel B. Wesson worked on the design starting 1854 and produced the lever action "Volcanic" pistol. In 1855, the company was reformed as the Volcanic Repeating Arms company. In 1856, Smith & Wesson left the company and Oliver Winchester became a major stock holder. By 1857, the company was insolvent and Winchester bought out all company assets and renamed the company the New Haven Arms Company. The factory foreman, B. Tyler Henry, improved the design as a rifle and perfected a .44 cal self contained rim fire catridge. The rifle was christened the "Henry" and manufactured from 1860 through 1866. In that year, the company was renamed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.