Henry Rifle Forums

I finally got 2x new Big Boy Steel Side Gate 20" rifles: one in 44 Mag and one in 357. However, both had problems.

The new 357 bolt cannot be removed from the receiver when you remove the lever and hold the hammer down. This is a documented problem on the net. Appears they did not remove enough material from the top of the hammer for clearance. If you watch the Henry reassembly video from a complete tear down, the first thing installed is the bolt. That is why they did not catch the problem; they do not install it last like you do when cleaning.

The new 44 mag had variegated blueing on the barrel. Looked like a "cold blueing" job to repair something and not a profession blueing job. Obviously, Henry uses a hot salt bath, but perhaps the barrel was not cleaned well enough. The receiver on the non ejection port side by the largest screw had 3 scratches too.

Henry did send me prepaid return tickets, so we will see. Hopefully, they will repair them and make them as nice as my pre-Covid Henry's.

As an aside, I also just bought a new CZ 457 Varmint and it had light blueing area about 1/2" in diameter on the receiver and the floor model had the "polyurethane" finish de-laminating from the stock. Sportsman's Warehouse out here returned both mine and the floor model and I have yet to get a replacement 3 months later. So maybe this is not limited to Henry.

OK, I get that COVID is hard and has caused challenges. However, the company I work for and our suppliers have kept our quality up and we have been firing on all cylinders during COVID like it never happened. In my division we make the electron microscopes that gave the world the first 3D nanometer image of the coronavirus [used to make the vaccines]. My job for the past 20+ years is as a manufacturing engineer specializing in turning/milling.

My take away is if you cannot maintain quality control on a $900 rifle, then you ought to not ship it. Curious to hear your experiences specifically with the new side gate models produced during COVID. Did Henry make it right the first time or repair it correctly?

I haven't bought a new Henry since 2018, so can't comment on their problem. But, I've expected that many industries would be hard hit on the QA front right from the beginning. And would particularly be watchful of ammo during this past 18 months and for the next year or more, from the high volume producers like Federal and Winchester. Much of that equipment is automated, but somebody has to monitor and maintain it.

I searched like crazy day and night and grabbed a 45-70 and Brass .357 right in the middle of 2020 and both are perfect. Bolts come out as they are supposed to, wood is beautiful and the finishes are top notch (especially the brass, holy wow it's like a mirror) both are super accurate. Don't know if I just got lucky here but they really perform better than I thought they would. I originally wanted a Winchester lever but the Big Boy came up as available first. bought it, loved it, got another one lol I'm a huge Henry fan now!

Oh, and customer service is awesome!

I did not buy a Henry during COVID-19. But, I purchased a S&W during the Fall of 2020, and a Benelli during the Spring of 2021. I did notice that the some of the coating from the S&W was missing on the underside of the strap. Sent it back for repair. Seems the PVD finish does not hold up to well on a Scandiun frame, when full power .357 are used. About an 1/2” metal insert is placed just before the barrel to reduce corrosion. If it was a little bit longer, the finish would not have been affected. It is a small area, less than a 1/8”. So, it does not bother me. Just keep it cleaned and oiled, and keep shooting. If it becomes a bother, I will sent it back again.

I have not notice any major issues with the Benelli. There is a section in the chamber where the loading tube meets that is rough. I may smooth it out one day. It cycles fine, so it is okay for now.

Yet, I think those items would be there COVID-19 or not. I could be wrong, but one seem more of a design issue, and the other seem more a mass production of a lower end firearm (if one consider a Nova as being lower end). However, neither concern interferes with the function, more of appear concerns, which most firearms have wear and tear (if used) or character. So, I don’t concern myself with them much.

I bought a Henry BBS during the China flue. I could fix the gap between the stock and the recoil flats on the butstock (six pages of their owners manual on one side then I fixed the 7.5lb creepy trigger and I am on my fourth barrel. This barrel is not anything to brag about but does give fair accuracy. Now if I can only polish the chamber so it doesn't scratch my brass.

Tell Anthony that you are not satisfied and want either your $$ back or a brand new rifle.

Check the hang tags that came with your Henry’s. Mine had the date of manufacture on them. I bought two new in the box Henry’s during Covid but both were manufactured prior to the outbreak. It will be interesting to see if yours was build during the outbreak of before. No issues with any of mine.

One had a tag with all the signatures and the other did not. I'll have to check it when I am home. It was also interesting that the 44 mag was wrapped in that coated paper rust inhibitor stuff and the 357 was just in a plastic bag.

Sorry to hear keep us posted.

Henry did an amazingly quick turn around of both the 357 and 44 Mag. Prepaid shipping both ways and a nice online tracking system. They replaced the hammer on the 357 and the bolt now comes out as expected. On the 44 Mag they replaced the barrel and mag tube and fixed the scratches on the of the receiver. I'm glad that they have good customer service, but I am very disappointed I had to use it.

Looking forward to a range report.