New Model Henry

[BigAl52]

The Henry Garden Gun Smoothbore .22 LR Shotshell
Model: H001GG
Caliber: .22 LR Shotshell
UPC: 619835011213
MSRP: $421

Just got this in an email from Henry. Sounds like people are asking for pest control guns. New Model to come out soon.

[ESquared]

Talk about niche! Ammo is pricey, too. About $.20/rd to start. Beyond that, not knowledgeable enough to comment further.

Just have to give 'em credit for studying the market and seeing a void they could fill...

[GunnyGene]

.22 shot won't spread as fast out of a smooth bore as it does out of a rifled bore, but I don't see much in the way of sales for this. I carry a .22mag lcr out in the garden/yard loaded with a mix of CCI shot and Hornady 45 grn CD. I've used it a few times for the stray copperhead we have occasionally. At snake distances ( 4 or 5 feet at most) #12 shot works just fine from it. If it's a larger critter like a rabid 'coon #12 shot might sting it a bit, but that's when the Hornady enters the picture.

I can't imagine slinging a rifle for this when a small sidearm works.

[PT7]

Yeah, Henry being a niche player is a perfect description with this rifle. The caliber surprised me. Might have been included in the "wish list" Henry has gathered from their web site. I can see it being saddled with the abbreviated name of "Henry GGS."

When I had my Bond Arms Derringer, I carried it along sometimes when I was at my SIL's outdoor range. Lots of snakes near the pond I used to walk around. Either with my BA .38 special or .22LR barrels, shotshells in those calibers would have worked fine. I probably would not carry a Henry rifle there for the same purpose.

Will be interesting to see how this Henry rifle sells.

[BigAl52]

When I saw the announcement of a new gun I was hoping for maybe a sidegate in a pistol caliber or a SS in that 45 colt caliber.

[CT_Shooter]

I don't want to criticize HRA for naming the new Henry Garden Gun Smoothbore .22 LR Shotshell (or whatever is its niche purpose), but I do understand the wide fear of snakes (my late mother-in-law could not even bear to see a photo of one). Nonetheless, here in CT...

...Snakes Should NEVER Be Killed!

Hundreds of snakes are needlessly killed by people each year because of mistaken identity, fear, and misunderstanding. Very often, when a snake is found near a home, people panic and may even assume that the snake is dangerous or venomous. Few Connecticut residents realize that they are unlikely to encounter a venomous snake around their home. The two venomous snake species found in Connecticut (Timber Rattlesnake and Copperhead) do not have wide distributions. These venomous snakes, along with the other 12 Connecticut snake species, are NOT aggressive and will only bite if threatened or handled. If left alone, snakes pose no threat to people. If you encounter a snake in your yard or while out on a walk in the woods, observe and enjoy it from a distance and allow it to go on its way.

https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a= ... v_GID=1655

Look at this cool snake that spent a short time in my watergarden. It feeds on fish, frogs, and other aquatic life and anchors its tail to the bottom to appear as if it's a plant! "It is a species of special concern in Connecticut due to declining numbers and the loss and degradation of its wetland habitats."

Eastern Ribbon Snake.jpg

[ESquared]

This topic got me researching, as I knew absolutely nothing about 22LR Shotshells. Took less than a couple seconds to find this YT vid, where a guy conducts a test of CCI 31 gr 22LR shotshells, but does so, interestingly, out of a Ruger 10/22.

With the notes above about this round not doing well out of a rifled barrel, it makes me wonder how accurate/fair his assessment is. On the other hand, when it's not potent enough to make the semi-auto cycle, that seems like a red flag!

Would be interesting to see a similar "test" done with the new Henry Garden Gun (agree, odd name) and either this same ammo or, even better, a variety of loads.

I'm with most everybody above: I could think of a half-dozen "suggestion box" long-guns that HRA could have rolled out before this one, but to each his own!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh0jCg8Ymuo

[Mags]

.
Back when I was a kid, I used shot shell .22 to do in birds in my grand fathers orchard.

[jimbo510]

I like the idea, but rat shot is too expensive for what you get. Maybe they made the gun for a particular new rat shot round yet to be released by a manufacturer. perhaps steel or some other non toxic shot just in case you hit an innocent tomato you wont poison anyone. But seriously if it was not for the expensive price of 22 rat shot I would be interested as a back yard plinker

[Mistered]

If you reload you can easily make your own pistol caliber shotshells and they are vastly superior to any .22 offering.
You can make them with cardboard 'wads' but the plastic capsules made specifically for this work very well.
One 'Old School' method is to use gas checks as 'wads' - with one on top of the powder and another inverted on top of the shot then crimped to hold it in place.
Google 'Homemade pistol shotshells' and you will find a plethora of information.

[daytime dave]

I'm kind of curious about this gun. I'm very interested. We want to get a small farm soon and it could be very handy I think. I'm keeping an eye on this one.

Thanks Al.

[GaHenryFan]

Evidently Kentucky Gun Co. approached several manufacturers with the idea and Henry was the one that tackled it. Looks like a neat concept, but pricey for the limited use I'd have for it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_gun

This is the video from kygun.co where he talks about the origin.

https://youtu.be/Ni3RdFqGnK8

[Mags]

Here, moles are a huge problem. Don't think this garden gun would be very effective at penetrating a dirt mound with an active mole present in the mound. A .410 with #4 shot works pretty well, even though it's a futile effort. Never ending supply of moles to deal with.

[Mistered]

These 'garden guns' are a cute concept but in reality are kind of a gimmick with limited practical use.
Most outdoor rodents stay pretty well hidden from view as well as beyond the range of someone with gun having a 5-10' effective range.
Keep a 'barn' cat or two around if you have a rodent problem.

[GunnyGene]

These 'garden guns' are a cute concept but in reality are kind of a gimmick with limited practical use.
Most outdoor rodents stay pretty well hidden from view as well as beyond the range of someone with gun having a 5-10' effective range.
Keep a 'barn' cat or two around if you have a rodent problem.

I'd say the practical use is just about non-existent, simply because 84% of the population lives in cities and burbs where shooting anything will likely get you arrested. The other 16% (like me) who live out in the country already have what they need for pest control. It's useless as a defensive weapon also, unless you can club somebody with it. My opinion is that it will have a short production life, which may make it attractive for collectors interested in a long term investment. But other than that it will likely be a range toy for a short time, then spend the rest of it's life in a closet.

[GaHenryFan]

When I was a teenager, I had access to rat shooting paradise. My grandfather, uncle, and several family friends had commercial chicken houses. We were tasked with keeping the rats in control, and 22 shotshells were all we were allowed to use inside the houses. Most of us shot revolvers, but I can tell you a rifle like this would have been a hit.

I reload 357 and 45 Colt shotshells just for the fun of it, but almost all of my vermin control is done with an air rifle now. It's quiet as a mouse and good out to 50 yards or so.

[cphilip]

Old thread but a new subject for me.

Yes... I now have one of those guns no one needs....well... hardly. Traded for it because I am just curious about these things and have actually handled a few but ran into one that a guy bought without realizing what he was getting and so I made a real nice deal on it.

They are interesting and low and behold fun as heck to shoot. I do live in the country. Wether or not I can put it to use remains to be seen but I have, in the past, had to do a way with pests in difficult locations so could, rarely, put one to use. But also are beautiful little things in their black Ash stocks and they are fun to shoot at that! I dunno if they are necessary... but they are cool. And fun.

Finding rat shot aint easy now days. I have found some of the CCI stuff. I only had one box when I got this. I also found some Federal Game Shok to try. This is the old crimped end stuff like old days. I am thinking it might even work. better than the CCI plastic tip. I think it might have a bit more shot in it.

But who needs one of these? I dunno... maybe everybody!

585F3995-2CC4-4CE2-ACDC-8A6DD000F3C8_1_201_a.jpeg

[JEBar]

congrats on the very nice addition to you collection of Henry rifles .... looking forward to hearing your range reports and use impressions .... be sure to add it and your AR-7 that didn't get added a while back to our community's total


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 63#p161463

[cphilip]

Ok well heres some history. The concept was and is not new. They been around a long time. Was news to me too...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_gun

And another note that you probably haven't thought of...

""The origins of this concept

Back in the late 1800s, trick exhibition rifle shooters such as Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody made audiences cheer when they smoked glass balls, soda crackers, and other items thrown into the air with expert shots from their seemingly normal rifles. Well, don't tell the kids, but just as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny weren't all they appeared to be, neither were many of these shooters. Many of these trick shots used smoothbore rifles firing rimfire shot shells. These rounds, what we would call rat-shot or snake-shot today, gave the guns much better accuracy and allowed point shooting with a reasonable chance of hitting the target.
Don't get us wrong, Annie and Bill were expert shots, but their choice of guns did give them a little insurance when performing in front of a crowd. It's all about showmanship after all."