Weather protection of Henry Model X

[Munja1]

Bought a Henry Model X in 45-70 for bear defense in Alaska. Maybe I'll hunt elk with it now and then in Oregon.

I always buy stainless wherever possible as I am in the PNW... But I got tired of looking for a reasonably priced and avaliable rifle of this lever caliber in stainless.

Anyone tested the blueing quality on Henry? Will this thing hold up to day after day use in the weather? I'll provide what care I can, but it's unreasonable for full dissassembly every evening. Think the blueing holds up well? Anyone who actually knows?

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[MrNeutron]

I wish I had a 45-70 Henry. Seems like ammo is slowly becoming more avalable.

On my 3 blued Henrys, the finish has held up well, but the worst weather I've hit with my .30-30 has been one day of snow, and it took all that okay. I do tend to spend a large portion of my hunts in the timber and out of the weather, though......

One possible option that might work out is to have it CeraKoted. I had my son's Savage 110 Cerakoted by Bigfoot coatings in Sandy, OR, and it's held up very well. Cost was $240 for his whole rifle; I paid $40 to have my slide on my Ruger LCP Max CeraKoted there, and it's holding up mucho better than the Ruger bluing did. That pistol is very small and is my daily carry gun, and gets dry draw practiced with a lot. The Ruger finish showed holster wear from my kydex holster within 2-3 months, and this new coating is holding up really well for me. I'd think it would work out for some protection for a rifle.

 

[Nosferatu]

I have 3 Henrys that I've used in a variety of wet weather. All have held up well.

Get a microfiber cloth, dampen it in RemOil or your favorite protectant and keep it in a ziploc bag. Dry the gun off each night and wipe it down with your soaked towel.

 

[Koda]

Bought a Henry Model X in 45-70 for bear defense in Alaska. Maybe I'll hunt elk with it now and then in Oregon.

I always buy stainless wherever possible as I am in the PNW... But I got tired of looking for a reasonably priced and avaliable rifle of this lever caliber in stainless.

Anyone tested the blueing quality on Henry? Will this thing hold up to day after day use in the weather? I'll provide what care I can, but it's unreasonable for full dissassembly every evening. Think the blueing holds up well? Anyone who actually knows?

yes it will hold up well.

Stainless is great but bluing is underrated for wet weather longevity.
I grew up with a blued hunting rifles here and with over 30 years of use in the worst PNW weather I still use them and as long as you do the usual maintenance the bluing will not rust on you.
That said the one spot on my lever gun that does show some bluing wear is where I hold it just forward of the lever itself, when I carry it in hand by my side hunting. Again... 30 years of use still no rust or pitting though.

That that said, blued patina is the most beautiful and full of charactor. Nothing beats a blued steel lever gun with age...

 

[Member 34319]

I had a blued Henry. It would need a good cleaning if out in the rain or moisture. No blueing ever thinned out or whatnot, but if I didn't get around to it till the next day, wiping it clean would show surface rusting had started.

Depending on how much you value it, a rattle can can aid in prevention. Or cerakote. Or even as simple as gun wax. Wax is great, till it gets really dirty and you have to clean it.

 

[Munja1]

I had a blued Henry. It would need a good cleaning if out in the rain or moisture. No blueing ever thinned out or whatnot, but if I didn't get around to it till the next day, wiping it clean would show surface rusting had started.

Depending on how much you value it, a rattle can can aid in prevention. Or cerakote. Or even as simple as gun wax. Wax is great, till it gets really dirty and you have to clean it.

Are people able to use cerakote on the internal action of the rifle?

 

[Munja1]

I just want to really thank everyone for the replies... really appreciate it and keep your experiences coming if you will please.

 

[Nosferatu]

Are people able to use cerakote on the internal action of the rifle?

Yes, it's just a heat-cured spray on finish. Any surface that can be reached with a spray gun can be finished.

Get it hard chromed if you want to send it out for a genuinely tough finish inside and out. I've never been that impressed with cerakote on working guns.

 

[Jay Walk]

Some of our expensive plumbing tools were coated, my boss was a nazi about spraying them with WD then wiping them off when they got wet.
This procedure worked well to keep the rust away.

The stainless bore can rust from the metals left behind from the jacketing on the projectiles.