Seeking Advice on A Used Henry

[ESquared]

My local range/shop has a 30-30 Big Boy Steel (I assume) that they've had for a while. I'm no good at deciphering their Serial Numbers and I've left a message in Rice Lake, but I'm on a parallel path here to see what you all think about this opportunity. The S/N, by the way, is TT 012376 N. And it's on the TOP of rifle, behind the receiver vs. underneath the lever.
It has a rear Peep installed and a fixed front blade that's attached to the barrel band, none of which seems "stock" to me, but I'm so unfamiliar with what Henry might have done in the past with models like this that I've no way of knowing for sure.
It shows some wear on the metal band near the front sling mount, and there are some scratches near the ejection port (weird looking, like someone tried to insert a round through the open ejection port with their eyes closed). There's no rust and the action is very smooth.
The furniture is fantastic, with gorgeous variations through the rear stock, swirls, blonde streaks, very unique.
And, for me, since I'm a good customer/member, they went from $599 to $525.

So, there are two basic questions:
1. Is $525 a "don't be a dummy, buy the gun" price, or is it "just fair" based on what I've described?
2. Maybe more importantly, what in the world would I do with a 30-30, now that I'm dialing in this .357 that is just shaping up to be a fantastic shooter with my Peep and Lyman set-up? Would the 30-30 give me that much more range, provided I put a scope on it, our would I be just as well off putting a scope on the BBS .357 and moving to ammo that would afford me more range? (I know that's a third question, but it's tangential to #2).

Any opinions/recommendations, given that I've seen it and held it and you all haven't?

[North Country Gal]

I can't help you on the Henry questions, but I can comment from experience on 357 versus 30-30 in rifles. It's not even close. While the 30-30 is considered a bit underwhelming in performance compared to all the over-hyped modern magnum rounds, it is still in a different class as far as energy, trajectory and effective range than the 357 in a rifle.

A better comparison to the 30-30 in a carbine at 100 yards would be the 44 magnum in a carbine - they're actually very close as far as energy at 100 yards. After 100 yards, though, the 30-30 does a much better job of retaining energy and runs a flatter trajectory than the 44 mag, with the 357 mag in a rifle a very distant third on all counts. With the lever-evolution loads, the 30-30 can actually be a decent 200 yard cartridge, now, whereas pushing a 357 mag in a rifle past 100 yards is stretching things.

[GFK]

I am considering to buy a rifle in .357 myself. My reasoning, cheaper to shoot. The differences between a 30-30 round and .357 that is of interest to me is range. Of course, a rifle cartridge with have an impact at a greater range than a pistol cartridge. How much greater? I say at least double. While I was researching the pros and cons, I came across this article.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_rifle_cartridges.htm

I have not real world experience yet with a .357 rifle. But, I am planning to find out.

[JEBar]

I pretty much agree with NCG .... we have a 357 and up to 100 yards, I'd deer hunt with it .... we have a 30-30 and up to 150 yards, with open sights, I'd deer hunt with it .... with a scope I'd go out 200 with our handloads .... there is nothing a 357 can do that a 30-30 can't do better .... recoil, muzzle blast and cost per shot are all less with the 357 .... on a new one, MSRP is $893, Cabela's new price $779 .... used pricing is all over the board

[ESquared]

The ballistics/performance feedback is very interesting, thank you, as I've read/researched on my own and haven't come up with the compelling comparative performance that you all cite. Clearly, this would put me in the position to do just about anything I need to do in Missouri with deer.

What I'm trying to assess, then, is the value equation. I can't find many Henry 30-30s on Gunbroker, for example, to compare to. I'm also unable to find out anything online about the S/N and how that ties to its build date, but I have a call into HRA C/S to see if they can tell me.

The basic issue is "what model is this"? It seems to pre-date Big Boy Steel, as witnessed by the "TT" prefix on the S/N. The Peep rear sight and bladed front also tells me that this is either a modified by the user Henry or some sort of factory special configuration, but I can't tell which. The shop clearly has no idea. When i asked about how old they thought it was, the answer I got was 'not very'. Hugely useful.

I need more information, don't I?

[ESquared]

Here's a picture of what I'm looking at, from an online article from January 2017 (?) on a website called gunivore.com

[Jdl447]

It is an older model. The 45-70 and 30-30 originally came with those sights from the factory.

[GFK]

From what I understand, the 30-30 first came out with Ghost Ring sight. Then, the sight was changed due to non zeroing by users. As far as the marks on the receiver, cases getting stuck during ejection came to mind. Cost: that is a tough one. What I paid for a new 2015 model, is not that much different for a new 2018 model. I would discount the price due to wear and marks (at least a couple of hundred). If your mind is set on a Henry, go for it. If not, see what else is available. I have learned, the buyer is always in the driver's seat. It is just a matter of how much one is willing and have to pay.

[PT7]

I need more information, don't I?

I don't know how much help this will be, ESquared, but I do have some info related to the H009-model .30-30 Henry. I had purchased one of these rifles with stock buckhorns back in 2014. It had a significant magazine loading problem then, and I didn't keep it.

Just this last March 2018 I contacted Henry again as I did some further research on the .30-30. Here is that email chat I had with Jeff Post at Henry, plus a web link from a 2015 "OUTDOORHUB" review I found. That's embedded in my email below to Jeff.

Finally, here is a link discussing some issues with the .30-30 sights. https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/henry- ... -70-redux/ It's a mixed reviewed of this model and the Henry .45-70.
A few pennies worth of info.
PT7


On Wednesday, March 7, 2018 10:12 AM, Jeff Post <jeff@henryusa.com> wrote:
Hi Bob,

Thank you for owning a Henry rifle. Glad to hear you are happy with your Henry H001TLP.

The H009-model .30-30 rifles are no longer built with ghost-ring sights. There has been a running production change on the sights of the H009-model .30-30. Starting in spring 2015 the new configuration of the rear sights on all new H009 rifles has been standard, adjustable semi-buckhorn sights, and standard front-blade with brass bead, as shown on our web site, https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/the-henry-3030/ .

Aftermarket ghost-ring sights can be fitted to the new models, so customers may if they wish, convert back to a ghost-ring. We recommend contacting Skinner Sights directly at: http://www.skinnersights.com/ for their advice and available products.

Regards,
Jeffrey Post
Technical Customer Service
Henry Repeating Arms, Co.
59 East 1st Street
Bayonne, NJ 07002

~~~~~~~

From: Bob
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2018 11:52 AM
To: Jeff Post <jeff@henryusa.com>
Subject: Question: Is a Henry H009 available with ghost ring rear sight?

Hi, Jeff,
It' been a while since we've emailed. Always appreciate your help with my inquiries.

As recent as a month ago, I watched a video on the Henry web site, where a Henry H009 .30-30 caliber was demo'd using a rear ghost ring sight. Today, I could not find that video on your site.

After some web searches, I found that Henry rifle in a 2015 "OUTDOORHUB" review. It has the sight configuration I'm interested in, as well as a round barrel: https://www.outdoorhub.com/reviews/2015 ... 009-rifle/

Back in mid-2014, I purchased a .30-30 Henry, which was one of the rifles that had the magazine loading problem with the lever constantly popping open. You took it back and refunded the price to me.

I'm writing today to inquire if this model H009 is still available? It comes with the XS Ghost Ring aperture sight, and a front blade sight.

[ESquared]

Thanks, this is just another confirmation that this isn't the deal for me. Why take a $525 gun and potentially put another $300 in it, when $800 (+/-) will get one into a NEW Color Case Hardened 30-30? That's one beautiful gun, in my opinion, and no scratches on the receiver, just tie-dye!