Henry Rifle Forums

I could not pass up the perfect weather today, and spent an hour at Parma Woods shooting range (MO Dept of Conservation) with my .357 Big Boy (H006M). Temp peaked at 81 degrees, sunny blue sky, and mild wind.

I shot 70 rounds of .357 magnums, off hand, at both 25 yards and 50 yards. My BBB has a barrel-mounted Skinner rear peep sight and bead front sight.

Started with Target One at 25 yards, and I used 20 rounds of PerFecta 158gr FMJ. 18/20 POIs in target, two are very low and just caught white foam core backing. I’ve regularly been shooting low, so not totally unexpected. (Ignore the other red dots -- I used those to cover up previous hits. And the holes in the white backing above target are all from previous outings, too).
Next two side-by-side targets are at 50 yards. Shot 15 rounds at each target using Freedom Munitions 158gr XTP. Target Two (with rectangular bullseye) took 12/15 in target, again 3 were low at 1” off and 3” off. Target Three with round bullseye is where I experienced some difficulty shooting. OK, here I’m shooting only rounds 35-50. But I could barely hold that heavy 20” octagon barrel up and steady for these rounds!! It felt like the barrel almost doubled in weight! I know it’s a solid and heavier barrel, but hasn’t “weighed me down” to this extent. So 6/15 POIs in target, 4 hits in cardboard, and the other five I’m certain I shot low, off target somewhere down range –> bye-bye to those five. I wasn’t discouraged at all, just surprised how quickly the rifle felt so heavy!
For Target Four, I debated on whether to shoot or not. I simply wondered how heavy the rifle would be to handle. Well, I went for it and shot my last 20 rounds, again using the Freedom Munitions 158g XTP. I left the range quite satisfied with the entire day, as this “last ditch effort” was fun with good results! 17/20 POIs in target, including the two at top of target! That was strange to see because of my normal low shooting. Finally, three rounds hit off target, but stayed low on the cardboard. So I was content with all 20 rounds showing as a visible record – for a change!
Best part of this beautiful day was how much fun it was to shoot the Henry.
Enjoy your next range outing, too!

Nice! Target 4 looks pretty darn good to me!

Appreciate that, RanchRoper! I thought so, too. Glad I didn't "quit" shooting after Target Three!

{I forgot to mention that all targets I used today were 8". Largest I have right now, and I wanted to stay consistent with the target size.}

Nice offhand shooting. You would have brought down any big game with it.

It is amazing how heavy a rifle is when you are trying hard to shoot better. And how much lighter it can seem when you just let that all go and shoot.
Glad you hung in there for the last target and just let it fly.
I tend to get some of my best targets when I forget about trying and shoot by instinct.

Thanks, Sir Henry! A harvest of one deer next fall hunting season would be just fine!

And thanks also to you Seabee, I think you got it on the head. I actually ramped up my lever-action speed a little on those final rounds, and it turned out A-OK!

Nice shooting. Those Big Boys get heavy after a while.

RSb is right, once you get the fundamentals, it becomes instinctive.

Your range reports are always fun to read, though I'm certain they're not as fun as the time spent shooting to create them. Thanks for the descriptions and the pictures. I know oh so well that the Brass Big Boy gives your forearm a serious workout! Nice shooting, PT7.

I've heard that women find Popeye the Sailor arms attractive.

True, RR. That rumor about The Sailor Man's arms has floated around at times.

CT_Shooter has the same BBB I have with the heavier octagon barrel. And probably other Forum members have one, too.
I'd bet CT and others might say that we're all working on a developing Popeye arms with that rifle every time we go to the range!!
Feels today like I picked up about 3/4" more "muskel" yesterday....yuk-yuk-yuk.

I really enjoy reading your reports, I should probably shoot my .44 magnum offhand more often, it only weighs 6.5 pounds. And the one with the scope maybe a half pound more. It's true, you don't usually have time to rest your rifle on something and then take aim when the deer come along. At least, I never have had that option very often. You really shot well!

Appreciate your compliment, Dutch....especially from a hunter, who is as experienced as you are. And glad you like my "home-made" range reports.

I'm usually in a fairly high deer blind where I hunt in the fall. I could have a "rest" for the Big Boy on any of the windows (three directions) I watch through, but I can't see using a rest position. I don't think there would be time to set up like that depending on which field or ravine the deer may come through. That's partly why I shoot off hand. Plus I just like to shoot that way......actually more comfortable for me. Thanks again!

Looking good. Not sure how big you are. But I've found that when shooting off hand sometimes it works well to bring your forward arm back to the receiver and kinda prop your elbow against your chest if you can. this can help with the fatigue. No need to grip way out there as these guns don't need to be held down.

I really should practice shooting off hand more myself. I normally rest the barrel on something or at least prop up the forward hand/arm.

Squatch wrote:Looking good. Not sure how big you are. But I've found that when shooting off hand sometimes it works well to bring your forward arm back to the receiver and kinda prop your elbow against your chest if you can. this can help with the fatigue. No need to grip way out there as these guns don't need to be held down.

I really should practice shooting off hand more myself. I normally rest the barrel on something or at least prop up the forward hand/arm.

Good advice. I'll try that. Thks.

This is a tiny little rifle but should help you visualize what I mean. Just pull that arm in a little against the gut.

Squatch --- Appreciate both the suggestion and visual "aid." I see exactly what you mean.

I'll have to give it a try, but some things come to mind. It seems that by bringing the forward arm back to the receiver, the barrel might move/swing a little more. Not sure, but I'll see what happens when I try it. Next thought was that it should be helpful to prop my elbow against my chest. That looks like it would help stabilize the rifle. Good pointers...thanks!

Squatch wrote:Looking good. Not sure how big you are. But I've found that when shooting off hand sometimes it works well to bring your forward arm back to the receiver and kinda prop your elbow against your chest if you can. this can help with the fatigue. No need to grip way out there as these guns don't need to be held down.

I really should practice shooting off hand more myself. I normally rest the barrel on something or at least prop up the forward hand/arm.