The New Original Henry Rifle

[otterpilot]

Wondering if any of you have had a (Good / Bad) experience with this rifle?
I hear the Henry company is solid and works well with the retail customer.
Thanks

Read More

 

[Mark W.]

Not that model but my son owns a Henry Frontier .22 and he really likes it. And he knows firearms being a shooter since he was 5 and and is 34 now.

 

[L84Cabo]

I've only heard good things about the newer Henrys. And it really bugs me because the lack of a side loading gate is a deal breaker for me.

They sure look nice though.

 

[Stomper]

I'd like them better if they had a matching wood forearm under the barrel.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

This rifle follows the design of Tyler Henry circa 1860 ...Sorry no loading gates or wood forearms on the Original Henry lever action rifle...you will have to wait until the 1866 "Henry rifle" is introduced for those items.
Andy

 

[fredball]

I own three Golden boys 38/357mag // 44special/44mag //and the 30-30 all are octagon barrels with brass receivers fantistic wood stocks they all function like they should and are beautiful while doing it .
Here are the 357&44



@Stomper @etrain16

 

[etrain16]

I really like the look of them, as @Stomper said, it would be nice if they had a matching wood hand guard up front. I owned one of these for a little while but two things caused me to sell it - the lack of the side loading gate, which I was fully aware of before I bought it, and the finish on the receiver seemed to be very easily marred/scratched. That said, the build quality was very nice. But for a lever gun, I really don't like the idea of a front-loading tube mag, just doesn't work for me.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The rifle in the OP...is a "New" rifle for the "new" Henry rifle company...
The rifle in the OP is a replica / reproduction of the Original Henry rifle of the 1860's....Which did not have a loading gate or forearm.

The design is vastly different than the other rifles currently bearing the Henry name.
The new Henry firearm company , just has the same name...and of course this new rifle in common with the original Henry rifles.

The "new" Henry rimfire rifles have far more in common with the Erma / Ithaca model 72 series of rifles , than anything made by the original Henry Arms company.

Edit to add :
The currently made Henry rifles are a good rifle...lack of loading gate and other uses aside...they come at a nice price point , made in the USA and have excellent customer service...I just wish they had a different name.
Andy

 

[acdodd]

I have bought 4 Henry rifles.
All .22.
I had a problem with one so I emailed them.
I got a reply the next morning from Anthony Imperato, the President of Henry.
He sent me a new magazine feed rod at no charge.
I got it in 3 days and it fixed the problem.
That's why I bought 3 more.

 

[Hop Sing]

I bought my Henry in .44 specifically because it did not have a loading gate - I hated trying to stuff stubby shells into the Marlin that I owned earlier. Great rifle.

 

[Boboclown]

Not that model but I like the Henry in .45-70 that I have. Lack of a sidegate is
no problem for me.

 

[Roundball58]

Wondering if any of you have had a (Good / Bad) experience with this rifle?
I hear the Henry company is solid and works well with the retail customer.View attachment 533646
Thanks

As others have noted, as a company Henry has a pretty decent reputation in their builds and customer service.

Also, as has been noted this particular rifle is a reproduction of an 1860 Henry rifle. While I don't own an 1860 reproduction from this company, I have used a Uberti 1860 reproduction for CAS and there are some idiosyncrasies inherent in a 150 year old design.

The first one you're likely to run into is the "Henry Hop". The follower has a tab that protrudes thru a slot in the bottom of the magazine. If anything (like your hand) blocks that tab from moving rearward as the rifle is cycled the rounds stop feeding. Hence the need to allow your leading hand to "hop" over the tab at some point.

The rotating lever retainer also takes some getting used to. It's there to keep the lever closed when the gun is being carried, but can be a bit disconcerting when you forget to release it prior to attempting to cycle the action.

Another issue is disassembly of the rifle with its dovetailed side plates. Driving them out of the frame without marring them can be a bit tricky. Getting the side plates, lever screw, toggles, lifter, elevator, etc to line up while reassembling the rifle takes three hands and bit of juggling. Also the edges of the side plates were sharp as hell on my Uberti, might not be an issue on the Henry.

If contemplating using BP go with the 44-40 as you will get less fouling back into the action than with the .45 Colt. Made that mistake with mine.

If reloading for it, you need to stick pretty closely to standard OAL. The round on the elevator acts as the cartridge stop for the next round in the magazine. Get too far away from standard and the elevator will bind up.

Generally a fun rifle and with a taste of history.

 

[otterpilot]

Wow, lots of good information to digest.
Great to hear they have a good reputation, that's getting hard to come by these days.
(present company excluded)
Thanks so much.

 

[asbtg]

Wow, lots of good information to digest.
Great to hear they have a good reputation, that's getting hard to come by these days.
(present company excluded)
Thanks so much.

Have the 45 Colt Big Boy and OAL is important, as is cycling the action in no uncertain terms. Rack it like it owes you money and it's flawless. Fun fun!!!

 

[CountryGent]

Agreed with what @Stomper and @AndyinEverson said.

No idea on the modern Henry's, though, by happenstance, I saw at least two offerings from this company whilst up in the city today with my beloved sidekick, and the yellow rifles looked quite neat-o. There is just something about the lever-action. However, I will stick with the Winchester 94, Savage 99, and Rossi 92, at the present. Still, having studied the history of these repeaters, it is most interesting they are offering such a reproduction. Good luck with your research and, should you acquire one, I am sure a range report would be interesting to the readers here. Cheers.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

.22 and .357 owner. Fantastic rifles. I have a few hundred through each of mine. I desperately want them to make one in 454 casull. May have to get a 45-70 and a 17hmr.

 

[RVTECH]

Dang boring video BUT a good review of HRA's rendition of the 1860 Henry - and compared to the Uberti replica.

 

[RVTECH]

A re-post of mine from 2015:

I recently sold a Winchester Trapper in .357 to buy a Henry in .357. I never really liked the Winchester as the length of pull was too short and it was always finicky with ammo even after may years of use and several polishings and smoothing of the internals was I finally able to get it to cycle satisfactorily.

Regardless I am glad I did it. The Henry fits me much better and while heavier it balances well. The fit and finish is as good (or better) than some 'higher end' guns out there and the action out of the box was as smooth as glass. The trigger is excellent, breaks clean at about 5 lbs with no takeup. It feels more like a good revolver trigger that had a trigger job done on it.

The first few magfulls of ammo had a little 'hitch in the giddiup' but it cleared quickly and cycled anything equally - HP, RN or FP bullets. I recently found a few .38s and they ran as smoothly as the longer .357s. I attribute the initial hangups due to not cleaning it prior to shooting other than a shot of Rem-Oil and a wipedown.

Accuracy seems like it seems like it is going to be excellent BUT I only have the crappy stock buckhorns on it right now and am planning on ordering a Williams receiver sight for it soon. The Williams is a fantastic sight and they live on all my lever guns. I say crappy stock buckhorns because they (like most barrel mounted 'typical' 'U' groove elevator type sights) do NOT give a very good sight picture. I took the blade out and drilled a 3/32" hole in the center to create a 'Poor man's Peep Sight' but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. It certainly improved the sight picture but it's not a replacement for a good receiver sight.

Last but not least - the mag tube loading system. I have no problem with it - no more finger pinch with the Trapper. Typical tube mag - unlock, slide out, drop rounds in, slide tube down and turn to lock. Some say Henry went 'cheap' doing it this way and others say better as it makes for a smooth sided and stronger receiver - you decide.

Oh, one more 'last' - the positive lever detent when closed. When you close the Henry lever you KNOW is closed. Winchester levers are 'closed' when the lever bottoms out on the lower tang assembly and if they are not properly fitted can leave a gap between the lever and tang and doesn't 'feel' right. The Henry lever clicks into the detent and feels secure.

Bottom line - Henry is a great choice for a LEVER gun. It's not a reproduction of anything that used to be but more like a modern Renaissance and improvement of a classic design.

 

[Member 5605]

I'd like one but not in what they chamber it in now. Maybe something like .357/.38 or .44/special/mag etc.

@RVTECH is spot on with his analysis. I have an identical in .357 and it's slowly getting a nice patina on the brass parts. Looking kinda cool. I don't want to wipe it off.

 

[808hondacrguy]

I'm a Henry fan, have 3 of the .22s and a Long Ranger in 223. All of them have exceptional quality fit and finish, the smoothest lever actions I have ever felt, and have shot anything I feed them without any problems. I do want a .38/ 357 next.