Picked up a Henry rifle yesterday.....

[Mus408]

My first Henry lever rifle...the steel Big Boy .44 Carbine makes a nice combo with my SBH .44 Mag.
Got it out today for the first shots before our big first snow moves in tomorrow and looks to be a great shooter right out the box!
Front sight needs to be moved over just a touch but best of all it likes the Missouri Bullets 240 gr.
coated bullets giving a clean bore just like my SBH.
Fit and finish was great and the action and trigger pull really sweet!

First shots...

 

[GunnyGene]

Looks just like my .41 mag - except for that ribbon. Mine didn't have that option. :lol:

 

[Mus408]

Looks just like my .41 mag - except for that ribbon. Mine didn't have that option. :lol:

Yeah it is my Christmas present and couldn't wait to get out and shoot it!
After reading about rifles have a slightly larger bore than standard .429 for revolvers I was
concerned about how my lead bullets would perform.
From today's test it likes all of my revolver bullets I currently load.
The target was after shooting the Matt's Bullets 230 gr. SWC/GC with 9.5 of Unique from 30 yds.

Later I was plinking the steel easily from 50 and 80 yds. The front sight is nice also.

 

[Fox Mike]

Why move the front sight? The rear is adjustable isn't it?

 

[Mus408]

Why move the front sight? The rear is adjustable isn't it?

Thanks for that! I see the tiny screw on the rear sight...loosen and tap over.

 

[GunnyGene]

Looks just like my .41 mag - except for that ribbon. Mine didn't have that option. :lol:

Yeah it is my Christmas present and couldn't wait to get out and shoot it!
After reading about rifles have a slightly larger bore than standard .429 for revolvers I was
concerned about how my lead bullets would perform.
From today's test it likes all of my revolver bullets I currently load.
The target was after shooting the Matt's Bullets 230 gr. SWC/GC with 9.5 of Unique from 30 yds.

Later I was plinking the steel easily from 50 and 80 yds. The front sight is nice also.

Quite a few of the older guys (like me) who have Henry's have eye problems with the factory sights. Skinner peep sights are popular and various red dots and scopes. The Henry forum is a decent site for info but you'll have to join up (free) to see some of the sub-forums. http://henryrifleforums.com/index.php

 

[Mus408]

Well I'm still a "young" 64 but my eyes too are having some issues with the ol' buckhorn sights!
Thanks for the forum link!

 

[mlazarus5388]

I'll second the Skinner sight option. A great addition to the lever guns.

 

[phonejack]

I also have that very rifle.congrats ! I couldn't be happier with mine.

 

[Cholo]

Nice combo, Mus408! It's great to see their lever actions doing so well. My boy has one of their .22's in my safe right now. It has gorgeous wood, much better than my '72 Winchester 9422.

 

[Mus408]

Now I can load up the rest of those great Missouri Bullets coated 240gr. SWC bullets!

To Rugers credit... while I was shooting my 50 yd. targets there was a 1/2 gallon water filled jug I had trouble hitting with the Henry. Pulled up my SBH and nailed it first shot!
Man I love that ol' Super Blackhawk!! Serial Number indicates a 1993 issue.

 

[powder smoke]

Good ole lever guns I love em, congrats enjoy. ps

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is a great looking Henry, we like the .357 we have here a lot!

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Must admit I'm not a Henry Rifle kind of guy. Having said that, it's a very nice looking rifle. Henry is in the market at a fortuitous time for them.

 

[Mus408]

Must admit I'm not a Henry Rifle kind of guy. Having said that, it's a very nice looking rifle. Henry is in the market at a fortuitous time for them.

A turn off for some is the lack of a side loading gate and yes while shooting I might miss just popping a few more in.
However the quality and the slickness of the lever action is REALLY great!
Best of all it likes the same ammo I load for my SBH.

 

[GunnyGene]

Must admit I'm not a Henry Rifle kind of guy. Having said that, it's a very nice looking rifle. Henry is in the market at a fortuitous time for them.

A turn off for some is the lack of a side loading gate and yes while shooting I might miss just popping a few more in.
However the quality and the slickness of the lever action is REALLY great!
Best of all it likes the same ammo I load for my SBH.

In this age of mag fed full semiauto everything, lever guns and SA revolvers are not on the top of everyone's list of must haves. That's ok. The older designs still serve many of us well, and teach us to make every shot count whether it's hunting or home defense. I've never felt under gunned with them, and when the spray & pray guns are outlawed, I'll still have my old reliables.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I like lever guns. Mine are Marlins. I like pistol calibers as well. I have a 357 mag and a 44 mag. Just haven't warmed up to Henrys. I think they are coming along though for sure. I can see how people do like them.

 

[GunnyGene]

I like lever guns. Mine are Marlins. I like pistol calibers as well. I have a 357 mag and a 44 mag. Just haven't warmed up to Henrys. I think they are coming along though for sure. I can see how people do like them.

One of the very few things that people complain about with the Henry is that the mag tube tends to hang up on certain cartridge designs when loading, specifically the Hornady LeveRevolution ammo. It seems the pointy Hornady tilts slightly as the tube is pushed down resulting in the tube catching on the rim of the cartridges a bit as it nears full insertion due to spring pressure causing the ammo tilt. This isn't a design flaw of the Henry but is mildly irritating, and isn't an issue with more common ammo such as JHP or round/flat nose. I've found that rotating the tube as it's inserted overcomes the issue with the Hornady ammo. It has no effect on feeding.

 

[Mus408]

I looked at the new Winchesters but didn't care for all the trigger/hammer safety additions added since Japan started making them. Even the recent 1873 has some wild inertia monkey linkage in the firing pin design.
I have a Marlin "Remlin" in .45-70 and it is a fine shooter but not as smooth in the action as the Henry.

I decided to give ol' Henry a try and so far it is great. My first Henry product was the pump action .22 rifle and that impressed me too!

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I looked at the new Winchesters but didn't care for all the trigger/hammer safety additions added since Japan started making them. Even the recent 1873 has some wild inertia monkey linkage in the firing pin design.
I have a Marlin "Remlin" in .45-70 and it is a fine shooter but not as smooth in the action as the Henry.

I decided to give ol' Henry a try and so far it is great. My first Henry product was the pump action .22 rifle and that impressed me too!

If you look at the picture that I posted you will see two 1895,45-70 Marlins. http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=274404 One is Cowboy and the other is the "Century Limited". I have used both in Cowboy Action Events.
Both have very smooth, like in ONE finger smooth, action as my other Marlins also have. If you do a little research on CAS Sites you will find ways to slick up a Marlin. All it takes is changing out some springs and doing a little polishing. But the 95s will never be as smooth as the 94s due to the longer throw. IMHO
I bought two of the Henry 22s ( Youth and Golden Boy)for my Grandson and they are VERY smooth and are great rifles. I have cycled some of the big bore Henrys and my Marlins are much smoother than they are.
Also they're are ways to make the Old Style Henrys and Winchester 73s and 66s butter smooth. :wink: