Henry Rifle Forums

Hey all!

Finally got my Henry Big Boy Carbine 357 Mag!! Question though, should I clean and lube before I go to the range?

such a beautiful rifle!

First, congrats on your BB .357 magnum Carbine! Yup, they are very sharp-looking rifles, and do Henry real proud. You'll love how it shoots.

I'd definitely clean it before your initial range outing. Need to be sure that the barrel is clean of the lubricant they use to store and/or ship the rifle, and also doesn't have anything left over from Henry's test-shooting.

Then enjoy!!

Congrats! My first Henry just a few weeks ago was the .357 BBS "long barreled" version and it's awesome!

When doing your initial cleaning, make sure to use your cleaning rod and some patches to swab out the mag tube, as they can be pretty dirty for a factory fresh rifle.

And, as PT7 notes, make sure to give the barrel a good scrub; mine was filthy.

It also helps to just do the partial break-down and understand from the outset how to get the bolt out, remove and replace the extractor and the lever. Not hard, but YouTube is your friend if you're not sure!

Enjoy and let us hear your range report!

while I've seen nothing to indicate that not doing so can be harmful, cleaning a firearm prior to, during, and/or after firing it is seldom a bad idea .... with all three of our Henry rifles (along with a number of other brands) I haven't put them through anywhere close to a major cleaning prior to their first firing .... at most I run a patch down the barrel, where it goes from there depends on what I see on the patch .... I do work the actions in an effort to determine if there is any glaring indication that some pivot points need lubrication or adjustment .... after that, sending rounds down range is usually next on the agenda

please take a look at our How Many ? thread (link below) and add your Henry to our community's total

http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 953#p65953

I assume you're referring to the gun ....
.....and not to showering and applying sunscreen before going to the range.

Although, this time of year, one probably might want to do both.

Best clean from the receiver and out the muzzle. Doing it the other way around pushes the grim into the receiver.

Run a bore snake first from the receiver and out the muzzle (gets the loose stuff out).
Insert cleaning rod into the muzzle without swabs.
Use tweezers or needle nose pliers to attach swab to the cleaning rod end in the receiver.
Use an eye dropper to add cleaning solvent to the swab.
Pull the cleaning rod/swab out through the muzzle.
Repeat until you are satisfied the barrel is a clean as you can get it.
Run a barrel squeegee from the receiver and out the muzzle.
Run a slightly damp oiled swab down the barrel.
done.

babo wrote:Hey all!

Question though, should I clean and lube before I go to the range?

Yes. That was the answer I received from Henry's Customer Service when I inquired about purchasing a new 2015 H009 last year or waiting for a 2018 model. Upon following the advice, I discovered that copper residue was in the barrel. So, I think it is worthwhile to clean and oil a new firearm.