Henry Rifle Forums

Alright, my vision sucks. New glasses on the way plus scope mounts in bound. I’m no crack shot either.

45-70:
25 yards
Indoors
325gr JHP

10” 3 shot group. Yeah, I suck that bad! First time shooting the gun, first time shooting 45-70. Boy is it a thumper! Love it but figured I better save the $3 a pop ammo for dialing in the scope. This thing is awesome though! Was worried as the first round I put in would not feed from the magazine. Tried 3 times. Finally top loaded it and fired. Put two rounds in the magazine and it worked flawlessly. Well it was only 2 rounds, but it felt right.

“X” .45 LC
25 yards
Indoors
260g JHP

15 rounds all in an 8” inch group. All center target, no fliers. I just can’t see at 25 or more yards that well. Gun worked flawlessly and I really enjoy shooting it. Identical scope to be mounted on both guns. (I ordered one but got two! Even made sure I ordered correctly AND my card was only charged once. I emailed them and they didn’t believe me. Said “we would never have made that kind of mistake”. Even the shipping labels were identical!) Oh well. I’ll count it as a win. I tried to be honest, and I guess I was, but if they don’t believe me then fine. Their loss.

I fired one round of Double Tap 335g, cast flat nose. Really just wanted to see if it would feed from the magazine. It would not. Maybe once the gun is broken in, but not this time. Dime off center at 25 yards. High right. Boy does that round have a sharp recoil! Not a thump like the 45-70, but very sharp and crisp.

Pulled out the Kimber Custom II while I was there. 230gr FMJ. 10 yards. 3” center groupings. Pretty standard shooting for me. Ran 7 mags through it. (I carry 32 1911 mags in my range bag) Figured I didn’t want to spend the money today so I left everything else clean and unfired.

All in all and good time. Can’t wait for the rails to come from Henry so I can actually see where I’m trying to aim!!

Sounds to me like you're are having fun. At some point age plays a very big factor in what we can see and out sight pictures. I struggle every time I go to the range, but who cares. At 72 I'm not planning on winning any sharp shooting contest, I just want to have fun. Sure I try to shoot groups to see how a particular load is performing, but I also accept the some of the problem is me.

I'm addicted to 45 caliber rounds. It started long ago with a love of the 45 ACP. I currently own several 1911 and other pistols in that caliber and all are fun to shoot. I'm also hooked on the 45 LC. That is a great rifle or pistol cartridge that can be loaded up or down depending on how much thump you want.

It's all about enjoying what we do.

Paul

having fun indeed .... understood on the 45-70 being a thumper, it most certainly is .... please keep reporting your range reports and use impressions

You'll get it figured out, especially putting a scope on those rifles. I got into the .45's also. .45 acp YEARS ago and .45 Colt about 1.5 years ago. Have three of those: one Henry and two Italian revolver imports. Love 'em!

Congrats on getting to shoot those two nice Henrys. The .45-70 and .45 Colt are great for reloading to your personal taste if you get into that at some point. 405 gr. with 13-14 gr. of Unique equals a nice all day .45-70 shooter that still carries a punch on the exit of barrel. 8-9 gr. of Unique with a 250 gr. cast .45 lead is a sweet one in the Henry.

Those 45-70's can have an effect on you before they are even shot. One needs to have some good concentration when shooting on paper. Congrats on the new rifles.

WOW...shooting a 45-70 indoors, that'd rattle my ear muffs!
I shot mine at a target from my tree stand in the woods last weekend; the report echoed for almost 3 seconds, just like in the movies.
Have fun shooting yours, I still grin after each time I squeeze the trigger.

As stated, it seems that you have it figured out. Some have chosen to use a red dot or aperture type sighting system. For me, I chose a aperture type (I like more of a traditional look) but hitting the target is what counts. It is best to do what works for you. So far, it has worked for me. As I age, that may change though. At any rate, happy shooting!

Sounds like an over all good darn day at the range, the 45 colts sure are fun and as mentioned can be loaded up or down for your pleasure.
I have a pair of rifles and a couple Rugers, and are the ones I have been shooting the most lately.
Thanks for the report.

RP

Personally I have given up on open sights on rifles.

What scope (s ) are you putting on your 45-70? When I had mine I looked for the longest eye relief scope I could find and ended up with the Leupold FX II 1-4X20. (As I recall anyway) I don’t believe Leupold makes the FX II anymore but it worked great and I never hit myself in the eye with the scope.