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H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

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cruzerbotz
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H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by cruzerbotz » Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:12 pm

Got this several weeks ago and haven't had a chance to shoot it until this morning. Have a Nikon P-223 scope on it because I wanted something small. Was getting 2 1/2" and larger groups at 100 yds. Shot Hornady Black 75gr 223 and Hornady Black 62gr 5.56. Also had taken some Monarch cheapo stuff to do the initial sight-in with.

I believe the issue is the trigger. It was HEAVY! My trigger scale is still packed up somewhere so I can't measure it. But, it is the heaviest trigger I have ever gotten on a gun. It was bad enough that it felt like it was not going to fire. I'd be squeezing and then have to just relax and start again. Will try to find the scale to get an accurate measurement. Then, will decide whether to call Henry and send it back to them or find a local gunsmith to work on the trigger.

There should be no issues with the accuracy with a 3 to 4 lb trigger.
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JEBar
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by JEBar » Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:57 pm

understood on a heavy trigger pull .... if you send it back to Henry, they will take a look at it and if there is a mechanical issue, they will fix it .... will they take it down to a 3 - 4 lb trigger pull, I doubt it .... the term is legal liability .... I felt the same way with our BBS 44 Mag and CCH 45-70 .... I ended up taking ours to a gunsmith who I trust and he took care of both of ours
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North Country Gal
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by North Country Gal » Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:03 pm

Sorry to hear about the heavy trigger. Yes, too heavy can be tough to shoot for the sake of group size, though I certainly don't think you need a hair trigger to shoot good groups. My single shot Winchester Low Wall single shots all break right at 3.5 pounds and that's enough for me to get good accuracy out of them. I think a 3 to 3.5 pound pull is certainly doable in this age of lawyer proofing. I've yet to even see a Henry single shot in our area, though. Had hoped the Henry SS might have some adjustment to the trigger. Might be some mods you can do yourself? Let us know. I'm sure a lot of other shooters would appreciate the info.
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ESquared
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by ESquared » Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:14 pm

While Henry will be more than happy to listen to your experiences and concerns, data always helps, so if you can find that trigger pull gauge and take some measurements before you call them, I'd say you'll be ahead of the game by quite a bit.
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cruzerbotz
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by cruzerbotz » Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:19 pm

Some interesting observations today on the rifle. Decided to take the stock off and see if there was something I could do to help the trigger. Still haven't found the trigger scale. May have to invest in another one. Anyway.......

Took the stock off. Removed the two wood screws holding the rubber butt pad on. There is an Allen bolt holding the stock on. Removed that and the stock slid right off. The interest part is that there is a steel tube about 9/16" diameter threaded into the receiver frame. This does two things. The end has a threaded hole that the stock bolt threads into. The other end of the tube is partially hollow and that is where the hammer spring is with a steel cap on it. The hammer strut sits in the steel cap. The interesting part is that this tube can be backed out as much as 1/4", maybe more and appears to lighten the force to pull the hammer back. It also "appears" to lighten the trigger a might.

There is a screw on each side of the receiver that look like they hold the "trigger group" in the rifle. Will play with these this weekend and see if that is what they do, and if any part of the trigger can be polished to lighten it.

I will have to say that like my BB Steel in 357, the innards of this rifle are nice. No machine marks or ugly casting marks. This rifle is well made.
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cruzerbotz
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by cruzerbotz » Sat Sep 01, 2018 3:16 pm

Update.....

Picked up an inexpensive trigger pull guage yesterday. Went to 8 lbs. Trigger pull was more than that. Couldn't find a diagram to take the rifle apart, so started "experimenting". Thought the forearm had to come off to take the barrel off. Nope. The pin that the barrel rotates on comes out easily. It is held by a detent ball in the middle. So, a Delrin dowel or a wood dowel and gentle tap with a hammer removes it. The stock does not need to come off to work on the trigger.

There are two screws on one side of the receiver and one screw on the other. The smaller ones. Take them out and there is a hex screw you can get to after taking the barrel off. Take that screw out and the trigger and trigger guard will come right out.

This is a really simple trigger. The trigger blade catches on a ledge on the hammer. The pull on the trigger slips it off the ledge. That is it. I had some 600 grit paper, so I used that to polish the end of the trigger blade. Then, I polished the ledge on the hammer. Just used my fingernail with the 600 paper on it. Put a dab of lubricant on it and put everything back together. Worked the trigger about 150 times.

Remeasured the trigger pull, and it looks like it is now down to about 4 1/2 lbs. Will go to the range in the morning with several varieties of ammo and see how it does. I've got the feeling that the more it is shot, the better the trigger will get.

One other thing I noticed when I had it apart. The breech has a round steel piece that appears to be held by a screw on the hammer side. I expect this is to make it easy to install the firing pin and spring on the firing pin. I would guess that this round piece could easily be drilled a little higher to install the firing pin higher for a rimfire. My guess is that the same receiver is being used for the centerfires and the shotguns. Could a rimfire single shot be down the road?
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ESquared
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by ESquared » Sat Sep 01, 2018 7:44 pm

That's some great gunsmithing, good for you! Eager to hear a range report. Nice work. Congrats on figuring it out!
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by cruzerbotz » Sun Sep 02, 2018 6:28 pm

Went to the range this morning. All is good. What a difference with the lighter trigger. Shot at the 75 yd sight-in range as I didn't want to wait around for the 100 yd range to go cold. Best two groups were with the Hornady Black 223 75gr and the Vortex with a Barnes TSX. Last group I shot was with the Black. Four shots to finish the box. Shot two and the guy at the other end wanted to go downrange, so let him. Looked at the two and they couldn't have been more than 3/8" apart. Shot the last two when the range went hot again. Then looked. One of the last two hit about 3/8" from the first two. The other was about 1 1/4" away. No complaints now about the rifle.

Not sure I like the Nikon P-223 on this rifle. The cross hairs are pretty thick and could probably use more than the 3 power. So, will consider a Leupold 2-7 x 32 or another small scope.
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by Mags » Sun Sep 02, 2018 6:56 pm

Glade to hear it turned out well. Got pictures of your target results?
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Re: H015-223 Kinda Disappointed

Post by cruzerbotz » Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:02 pm

had to get going so didn't get any pics. Will have to re-sight it as I looked in my scope drawer and saw I had a Weaver 1.5 x 6 that I mounted. Should be able to get some this weekend.
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