Henry U.S. survival .22 opinions

[JUSTIficatioN]

Anybody own one? I like how it all breaks down and fits in the stock and the price is decent, but some opinions would be nice before I go out and buy one.
Thanks for any help

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[Ravenous]

I didn't know what this was, but after looking it up... I want one!

 

[matt_w]

I have one...love it!

I should probably also add that they've changed the design/manufacturers several times over the years. Get the one that's currently made by Henry Repeating Arms, preferably the latest model. They slightly improve it every once in awhile.

 

[chemist]

There are reasons for every gun design, and that's why I have the 2 lb. Henry, a 4 lb. Marlin Papoose that also breaks down, and of course a 10/22, the "little black dress" of the rimfire world.

My AR-7 feels like it's a piece of cheap plastic , but then it would have to in order to come in at 2 lb., wouldn't it? They say the limiting feature to it is in the aluminum-clad barrel, which flexes enough to make it inaccurate, but I never noticed it. Then again, I tend to shoot right around 50 yds., and it's always been dead-nuts predictable for me.

The real complaint most people have stems from its unusually steep feed-ramp angle, which can make it FTF hollow points. But I read the AR-7 forums, and some people suggested polishing the top edge of the receiver lip just a touch with some emery paper, no Dremel tool required. Sure enough, that completely fixed any FTF problems that I had, except for one magazine, which I ditched.

I shoot mostly Federal and Remington, but it also takes Velocitors no problem, and I never had a CB cap get stuck in the barrel either.

You can buy a target (bull) barrel for it, but I recently had a negative experience when I tried to do so. The website advertises it as 16 1/4" long, but it came in at exactly 16", which makes it useless for an NFA toy. The "target crown" is recessed about 60 mils, so if that barrel were threaded to 1/2-28 it would end up at 15.94", which would require its own tax stamp and lengthy wait.

<broken link removed>

So the seller says, "No problem, just return it," and I say "My FFL needs a prepaid shipping label, please," and that's where we're hung up now. I'll be french-fried in Perdition before I pay shipping to correct his mistake/fraud/idiocy, or whatever it is. :angry:

So if you wanted to really get serious with your AR-7, you'd have to be satisfied with a 16" target barrel that you can't thread or otherwise monkey with. But I'm not disappointed with my lightweight barrel - Heck, it's a fun pack gun, and at under $169, what the heck! I'd definitely buy it again - but I'm getting the Papoose threaded, and leaving the Henry alone.

 

[JUSTIficatioN]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I would deffinetly buy the latest version of it as I've read some pretty negative things about the older ones (the charter arms especially). The first thing I would want to do is get rid of the plastic coated barrel if I can. Sorry to hear about your ordeal chemist, I hope it gets resolved soon. keep the experiences comin

 

[Partsproduction]

I bought one, used. In my opinion it is a sorry excuse for a rifle, the only thing going for it is it's light weight. I've had it all apart and it's a textbook for fast cheap manufacture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-7
I'm wanting the little Springfield survival rifle instead, now made, or last made, in Czechoslovakia I think. It has a .410 and .22 magnum I think. http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html

 

[OcelotZ3]

No, the M6 is .410 & 22lr or 22 hornet. Mine is in 22lr.

I have the original, an H&R M4 survival rifle... NFA item w/14" barrel in .22 hornet. Really accurate.

 

[waltermitty]

the alum bbl with steel sleeve on my AR-7 is 16.125", threaded. bbl is too
thin to thread to 1/2x28 so thread shallow and use a step up adaptor.

 

[chemist]

the alum bbl with steel sleeve on my AR-7 is 16.125", threaded. bbl is too
thin to thread to 1/2x28 so thread shallow and use a step up adaptor.

Right, but if the clad barrel is already a flawed design due to its flexibility, do I want to mess with it for NFA? It's a backpacking gun, nothing more, fun to plink with and effortless to carry.

 

[Trlsmn]

Anybody own one? I like how it all breaks down and fits in the stock and the price is decent, but some opinions would be nice before I go out and buy one.
Thanks for any help

I have two of them I bought for my boys and I have to say they are not what the used to be, the barrels are now plastic with a metal sleeve and the sights are plastic. If I had it to do over I wouldn't have bought them.

If you're determined to buy one Walmart is the cheapest price you'll find.

 

[dario541]

Bi-Mart sells them for around $220. I don't have any experience with them but the idea is a good one.

 

[deadeye]

Am I missing something????? These were originally designed as a survival rifle for pilots that went down, This is the reason for light weight and floatability.
The only reason these were designed for was to kill small animals for food and kill an enemy soldier to get his rifle.

I would buy one and have an early version as well as a Papoose but these are not everyday use rifles and were not purchased for that. If I wanted a reliable cheap .22 I would buy a 10/22 and accesserize as needed rather than swap out a plastic barrell on a gun meant to be light and compact.

I understand the cheap aspect as well as the oddball factor in the survival guns but take them for what they are "survival guns".

 

[batcat6]

I bought mine quite a while ago. It is the Armalite AR-7. Never dropped it in water though. Even found a 25 round mag for it at the gun show. Love it.

 

[darkminstrel]

I picked one up used about a year ago, right off this board as a matter of fact. Cleaned the **** out of it, got a bunch of mags, polished a feed ramp into it and it's never FTF since. I can get reasonable (12"x12") accuracy at 100yd.

 

[waltermitty]

Originally Posted by waltermitty

the alum bbl with steel sleeve on my AR-7 is 16.125", threaded. bbl
is too thin to thread to 1/2x28 so thread shallow and use a step up adaptor.​

Right, but if the clad barrel is already a flawed design due to its flexibility, do I want to mess with it for NFA? It's a backpacking gun, nothing more, fun to plink with and effortless to carry.

my aging memory flawed. it works well, with good accuracy the way i
described, with/out suppressor, because i have an all steel barrel.

 

[das_napeth]

My father had one, he fired it twice himself and it was used and he traded it for a papoose. He said the accuracy wasn't up to par. The papoose case is designed to float and the rifle routinely hits the spinning groundhog targets at 65yds with irons.

 

[lkdr1989]

Papoose, if you can find one!!! Fun little rifle and pretty lightweight.

 

[chemist]

If anybody's interested, today I finally got my resolution to the little "problem" described above, how the AR-7 bull barrel sold by http://www.ar-7.com/ didn't quite come in at 16.25" as promised.

It's too short to thread, the vendor wouldn't acknowledge my emails or voicemails, and even the Visa people at my credit union were reluctant to help. But I persisted, and today my gal called the vendor and said words along the lines of "customer complaint," "not as advertised," "and "I'm recording this conversation, okay?" The gentleman on the other end folded like a cheap umbrella, and has now sent a prepaid UPS shipper so that he can reclaim his POS barrel at his own expense.

So I won one! Doesn't often happen. Why do I keep having to relearn these unpleasant lessons about dealing with knuckleheads like TGSCOM? Let's add the AR-7.com site to the "Never again!" list.

But I still love my Henry AR-7 above all other options when backpacking. It just won't be wearing a suppressor any time soon.