Magazine Tube Replacement

[Firefly]

You have a point and whilst I agree a simple replacement is a better option I am pretty sure that the tube is not strong enough, the increasing reports of failure are concerning and I don't want to have to replace the tube again in the future. Also I did say it was a suggestion not that I was going to do it.

[Mistered]

the increasing reports of failure are concerning and I don't want to have to replace the tube again in the future.

I recall reading the cracking tube issue was becoming a thing of the past due to a different tube steel (or hardness) being used with new rifles as well as replacements.

Someone please jump in and clarify this !

[JEBar]

speaking as one who has a Henry 44 Mag, I still don't look on it as being a systemic problem .... ours failed after the rifle has fired tens of thousands of rounds .... I suspect that it has fired many, many more rounds than most .... I haven't paid much attention to the replacement tube but from what little I've looked at it, I don't see any difference from the OEM .... a while back it was determined that Henry offers the 44 Mag in more different lines of its rifles than any other caliber .... it seems to me that with that being the case, if there was something fundamentally wrong with the tube's design or construction, we would hear of a great many more failures

[Mags]

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Your gunsmith is right about the weakness. The weakness with the end of the mag tube is that the tube is a piece of curled steel and has an open seam that faces the barrel. Hence the little piece of steel between the notch and seem is weak. 'IF' you choose to pursue laser welding have about an inch or so of the seem at the end of the tube also welded.
(You can see the open seem by looking through the mag tube loading port.)

I have spoken with both Henry and the UK importer and discussions are ongoing so at the moment the gun is with my gunsmith who is in conversation with the importer and the importer is in conversation with Henry, I have no idea what the result will be.

On the same topic my gunsmith agrees that the tube is very thin and suggests that laser welding the crack and then fitting a sleeve over the end of the tube reaching the front support may be a better solution than replacement as it would strengthen the area that has cracked on not only my gun but has been reported to have happened to a number of this sites members. He thinks the tube is too weak in this area.

[Mags]

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I think Henry likely sees this type of failure as at least becoming systemic. The new model case hardened .44 and the new side loaders use a machined steel end on the mag tube. Also the carbine models.

357 mag tube end.jpg

speaking as one who has a Henry 44 Mag, I still don't look on it as being a systemic problem .... ours failed after the rifle has fired tens of thousands of rounds .... I suspect that it has fired many, many more rounds than most .... I haven't paid much attention to the replacement tube but from what little I've looked at it, I don't see any difference from the OEM .... a while back it was determined that Henry offers the 44 Mag in more different lines of its rifles than any other caliber .... it seems to me that with that being the case, if there was something fundamentally wrong with the tube's design or construction, we would hear of a great many more failures

[Firefly]

I agree with Mags that the problem is that instead of a proper drawn steel tube the magazine is a cheap piece of rolled and spot welded steel and it is obvious that if you cut a latch slot opposite the open back of the tube it will eventually fail. If I go the laser weld route you can be sure that open seam will also get welded, I am interested to see if the replacement tube is the same or is actually an improved version

[JEBar]

no clue what they are doing right now .... below is a picture of the replacement they installed in our 44 back in January .... the tube shown in Mags post looks like the one on our 45-70

[Firefly]

Exactly the same as is on my .44 BBB so it looks like Henry have not changed anything despite the failures.

[Jimi]

Same problem on a new 45.70—didn’t catch it at the dealer. Got it home and couldn’t remove the inner mag follower without using pliers. The new follower Henry sent didn’t solve the problem. I put bluing on the follower, and saw where the outer tube was binding the follower near the receiver. I took it back to the dealer. Apparently the test fire caused the outer tube to distort, but wasn’t checked and sent on out.

[JEBar]

I took it back to the dealer. Apparently the test fire caused the outer tube to distort, but wasn’t checked and sent on out.

do you plan to return it to Henry for repair .. .. if so, I have no doubt that they will make it right .... please take a look at our How Many ? thread (link below) and add your Henry rifles to our community's total


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 494#p99494