Henry Rifle Forums

Finally got a nice enough day here in the valley to sight in our two new Henry singles in 45-70 and 357Mag. We sighted in both rifles at 25 yds. First up the 357Mag - took 9 shots/3 groupings/two adjustments to get three in the bull using Aguila 158g JSP - figured we'd quit after that last 3 shot group - definitely close enough for our needs. Next up was the 45-70, which we thought should be close because we were ringing a 3" steel plate with it last week. Turned out it was shooting about 2 1/2" low - using a 6 O'clock hold. This time it took ten shots/3 groupings/two adjustments using Winchester 300g JHP to get two out three in the bull - again close enough for us. Overall we are happy with results - I didn't think we could even do this well with the stock iron sights, but some odd reason, I can see these single sights much better than any of the buckhorns on our Henry lever guns. We still plan on trying to find a good peep/Lyman Globe setup to go on these rifles to make them even easier to shoot for us old eye guys...

These rifles continue to be a dream to shoot. They are well balanced, easy to shoulder, and are just plain fun to use. They are quickly becoming some of our favorite big-bore plinkers....

Looks good there Tad. Ive spotted a 30-30 that I would like to have just dont know if I need another caliber. Ive also been going back and forth with a 44 mag. I already have a 44 mag handguns so it would make more sense but the 30-30 is sure tempting.

.
ahhh, go with the tempting! A .30-30 is a great shooter. Not that I'm biased or something.

BigAl52 wrote:Looks good there Tad. Ive spotted a 30-30 that I would like to have just dont know if I need another caliber. Ive also been going back and forth with a 44 mag. I already have a 44 mag handguns so it would make more sense but the 30-30 is sure tempting.

You can't have too many singles, Al - get both.

Great looking targets, Tad, and very nice with the factory sights. Interesting that they're somehow working better for you than the buckhorns on the lever actions. Wonder why?

Always look forward to you putting together a Skinner/Lyman pair, so please keep us posted on that, especially the LoPro II.

tractortad wrote:These rifles continue to be a dream to shoot. They are well balanced, easy to shoulder, and are just plain fun to use. They are quickly becoming some of our favorite big-bore plinkers....

I've never heard of a 45-70 as being just plain fun to use .. .. I'd appreciate hearing your impressions and comparisons with others you have fired

Jim
I think maybe you are associating 45-70 with shoulder pounding recoil. While I understand what you are saying some of us have taken the 45-70 and downloaded it to more comfortable shooting levels. Something I know you have mentioned you were working on. I think I read where you made comments of not having to much of a desire to own one but were still maybe curios about one. I to at one time didnt think I would really want one but decided to try one when the 357 came out. Now that I have tried one another one is tempting me again like they did Tad. The simplistic nature of these single shots are kind of nice. Easy to load light weight and they shoulder very well. Clean up is also a breeze and I agree with Tad its one of my favorites to take to the range. Simple is good and in this case alot of fun. Just go getcha one Jim you will like it.

BigAl52 wrote:Jim
I think maybe you are associating 45-70 with should pounding recoil. While I understand what you are saying some of us have taken the 45-70 and downloaded it to more comfortable shooting levels. Something I know you have mentioned you were working on. I think I read where you made comments of not having to much of a desire to own one but were still maybe curios about one. I to at one time didnt think I would really want one but decided to try one when the 357 came out. Now that I have tried one another one is tempting me again like they did Tad. The simplistic nature of these single shots are kind of nice. Easy to load light weight and they shoulder very well. Clean up is also a breeze and I agree with Tad its one of my favorites to take to the range. Simple is good and in this case alot of fun. Just go getcha one Jim you will like it.

in reading his report, I thought he was using factory Winchester 300 gr JHP .... I've never fired any of them but doubt they would be reduced recoil loads .... I am trying to come up with a Cowboy Action load for our 45-70 but is a very slow process .... with our loading equipment in NC, and us spending the winter in Texas, about all I can do is read and try to learn from all the related info I can find .... the very first firearm I ever bought for myself was a 12 ga H&R Topper with a 32" barrel and full choke .... kicked like a mule .... since then the only single shots I've had any interest in have been muzzle loaders, don't anticipate that changing .... simply a matter of personal preference .... much the same as AR type rifles, haven't ever owned one and I would be very surprised if I ever purchase one .... have never owned one nor do I anticipate ever doing so .... another one of my quirks is, outside of shotguns, I don't own or intend to purchase more than one rifle or handgun in the same caliber .... one of the things I really enjoy about this forum is the diversity of firearms discussed .... that is as close to personal experience I anticipate having with many of them

They make one in thurty thurty Jim has ur name all over it.

JEBar wrote:

tractortad wrote:These rifles continue to be a dream to shoot. They are well balanced, easy to shoulder, and are just plain fun to use. They are quickly becoming some of our favorite big-bore plinkers....

I've never heard of a 45-70 as being just plain fun to use .. .. I'd appreciate hearing your impressions and comparisons with others you have fired

The Henry 45-70 is just plain fun to use (for us, anyway) - we like loading those big cartridges and seeing the steel targets wrap around the support bar when you hit the gongs or watching the milk jugs explode when one of those 300g JHP lands. Al nailed it when he talked about how these rifles are simple, easy to shoot, and easy to clean - all for less than $400. We usually shoot Win 300g factory 45-70 and the recoil just isn't a factor for us - the pad on these blued steel singles works very well - then again maybe my sons and I are recoil junkies - we really like the big bore stuff. The singles also make you slow down your shooting and kind of "enjoy the shot" - if that makes any sense. We have 2 Henrys, 2 Marlins, 2 Winchesters, and 1 H&R Buffalo Classic in our 45-70 collection. I'd say the Henry Single is the easiest to shoot among all of them - it doesn't have the lowest felt recoil(probably middle of the pack), but it is the easiest to shoulder and hold on target.

info really appreciated .... your wide range of personal experience with so many 45-70's gives you an in depth perspective which I appreciate you sharing on the open forum .... I'm fairly new to big bores but I've already come to like their big holes and hard impacts .... historically, I've pretty much stuck to various 30 calibers .... blood thinning meds and growing decades older have reduced my tolerance for hard recoil ....

I enjoy shooting my H&R in 45 Colt signle shot and Henry .223 single shot more than any firearm I own except maybe the big boy in .357. It's a close race among those three.

Glad to hear you're enjoying that 45-70, tractordad. Oh, yeah, I've long had a love/hate relationship with the 45-70, the hate part being the recoil of some loads. What I have found, as I'm sure you have, is that the gun and its stock proportions, weight and so on, make a big difference on how you manage the recoil. Pleased to see that Henry is putting a serious recoil pad on these single shots.

As for the love part of the 45-70, it has a attraction for me very much like the 45 Colt. Both are amazing cartridges that have stood the test of time and are as popular as ever, even in this day and age of tactical guns. Yup, loading one of this big 45-70 rounds into a single shot is like taking a step back in time.

For sure the 45-70 is fun to shoot. While I don't envision using mine to plink too much, for sure it'll go along whenever I'm sighting in, etc. in preparation for hunting season (which can be at any time of year, this spring especially). There's just something fun about lobbing those big bullets at a 100 yard target. And the Henry's are a really nice hunting rifle, too. Easy to carry, pretty light, fast handling. There's nothing not to like .

steelersfan97 wrote:I enjoy shooting my H&R in 45 Colt signle shot and Henry .223 single shot more than any firearm I own except maybe the big boy in .357. It's a close race among those three.

My Henry 45 Colt Carbine and the BBS in 357 are my two favorites, but I keep wandering back to the Single Shot for caliber I don't have. The 223 could be interesting and fun. Since you seem to have experience with a breadth of calibers, what would the Pros and Cons be of a 223 SS vs., say a 44Mag SS. I'd reload for both, if that matters...

Hmm, single shot, huh? Don't think I'll be buying a SA revolver yet, but, a single shot. Hmm.

/quote] My Henry 45 Colt Carbine and the BBS in 357 are my two favorites, but I keep wandering back to the Single Shot for caliber I don't have. The 223 could be interesting and fun. Since you seem to have experience with a breadth of calibers, what would the Pros and Cons be of a 223 SS vs., say a 44Mag SS. I'd reload for both, if that matters...[/quote]

We have a Winchester Low Wall in 223 and several versions of the Contender, both rifle and pistol in 223 and also shoot our CZ 527 223 as a single shot. The 223 makes a super single shot cartridge. Almost too may advantages to list them all. Great accuracy - all ours do inch and a half or less at 100 with the cheapest bulk 223 ammo and well under an inch with the better factory stuff. Long distance shooting out to 200 yards and beyond, thanks to a flat trajectory. Wide variety of bullets and loads for hunting everything from varmints to deer. Zilch for recoil, you can shoot it all day long. Cheap to shoot, whether you reload or go factory. In fact, the 223 is the cheapest factory centerfire rifle ammo you can shoot.

Yeah, the 44 mag is a great single shot cartridge, too, but it can't compete in any of these areas with the 223.

North Country Gal wrote:/quote] We have a Winchester Low Wall in 223 and several versions of the Contender, both rifle and pistol in 223 and also shoot our CZ 527 223 as a single shot. The 223 makes a super single shot cartridge. Almost too may advantages to list them all. Great accuracy - all ours do inch and a half or less at 100 with the cheapest bulk 223 ammo and well under an inch with the better factory stuff. Long distance shooting out to 200 yards and beyond, thanks to a flat trajectory. Wide variety of bullets and loads for hunting everything from varmints to deer. Zilch for recoil, you can shoot it all day long. Cheap to shoot, whether you reload or go factory. In fact, the 223 is the cheapest factory centerfire rifle ammo you can shoot.

Yeah, the 44 mag is a great single shot cartridge, too, but it can't compete in any of these areas with the 223.

That's what I call some A-1, quality enablement right there, NCG! The single shots have me intrigued, they look beautiful and the 223 seems to fit a gap in my caliber lineup. As Al pointed out above (and you confirmed), there's almost no reason to reload it when you can buy in bulk so reasonably. Will have to ponder this some more, but thank you very much for your comments and endorsement(s)! Great food for thought.

Me, an enabler? Naw.

.
...as she says with an evil we cannot hear...

North Country Gal wrote:Me, an enabler? Naw.