Henry Rifle Forums

Been eyeing a H001L in the local gun shop for quite a while now. Finally took a close look at it the other day. I always check the bore of all new or used firearms if I'm considering purchasing it. Couldn't see down the bore with a bore light! Brought it to the attention of the shops owner. We run a patch down the bore. Out comes some soft red putty like substance. Looks and feels like bore lapping compound. We run a few more patches down the bore and while there is still red on the patches, the bore looks OK. Get the rifle home today. Pull the receiver cover to clean the rest of the 'stuff' from the bore the right way. Best way to describe the bore when the patches came out clean is very wavy lands and grooves with a few rough patches and loose and tight spots. There is and never was rust in the bore. The red stuff was most certainly some sort of a lapping compound. I guess someone at HRA decided to try to save a bad barrel. Well it didn't work. Best 50 yard group this afternoon from a bench with sandbags was 5.0625" CTC 5 shot group with Eley HV. Don't even ask about the SK and Win Wildcat groups! Also shoots roughly 6" high at 50 yards with the rear sight at its lowest adjustment. So I guess I'll call Henry and get a call tag and send it back. I doubt they will rebarrel it. I'm sure they will just replace it. However I do think Mr. Imperato needs to be made aware of the bore obstruction. That is simply dangerous. Not everyone is as anal as me to check and clean the barrel before shooting.

Edit- yes it was a brand spankin new carbine, not a used one!

Somebody's butt is going to be in a sling!

Keep us posted. I'm sure Henry will take good care of you.

Yes. Please let us know how this will be resolved. Thanks.

Oh I will keep everyone updated on this. Not really mad about it at all. I guess disappointed would be a better term. Disappointed in that HRA would let this out the door. I am a very strong advocate of HRA and what Mr. Imperato is bringing to the firearms market. That said, HRA really needs to have stricter QC. This is certainly not the first booboo I've seen over the years from HRA.

I'm sure the HRA folks will look after you. Let us know.

That is very odd. Certainly not up to par, not even close.

I'm sure you will, but keep us posted.

Yep.. I E mailed Henry three weeks ago with a question and have yet to get a reply...must be spring,summer break

ssonb wrote:Yep.. I E mailed Henry three weeks ago with a question and have yet to get a reply...must be spring,summer break

By far the best way to contact Henry is by picking up the phone. A live person will answer, and will either help you or will immediately connect you to the person who will take care of your issue.

Called HRA today. Summary is HRA initially wanted me to pay shipping to them as the rifle was built in 2014. I politely disagreed as I could produce a receipt showing I took possession of said rifle on 6-3-17 and I could have the dealer attest to the fact that the rifle was brand new. The CS rep said he would waive the shipping charges on my end and email me a call tag for UPS. I was told HRA's policy is the customer pays shipping on rifles over 1 year old. They intend to inspect and rebarrel the rifle. Which is fine by me. There is a call tag already in my email. I intend to ship it tomorrow or Wednesday. That's all I know for now.

I would like to add one additional thought..............


There seems to be a trend for the last few years on the various gun/outdoor forums of complaining when gun companies don't respond to emails. While I do somewhat understand the complaints, after all the gun companies put CS email addresses on their sites and in their literature, a simple POLITE phone call almost always nets positive results for the customer. Even if you are angry, you can be polite. Just a thought for those who say Henry or whoever did not respond to emails.

JNG3, I'm very curious to hear how the rebarrel goes. Hopefully things get handled satisfactorily.

JNG3 wrote:Been eyeing a H001L in the local gun shop for quite a while now. Finally took a close look at it the other day. I always check the bore of all new or used firearms if I'm considering purchasing it. Couldn't see down the bore with a bore light! Brought it to the attention of the shops owner. We run a patch down the bore. Out comes some soft red putty like substance. Looks and feels like bore lapping compound. We run a few more patches down the bore and while there is still red on the patches, the bore looks OK. Get the rifle home today. Pull the receiver cover to clean the rest of the 'stuff' from the bore the right way. Best way to describe the bore when the patches came out clean is very wavy lands and grooves with a few rough patches and loose and tight spots. There is and never was rust in the bore. The red stuff was most certainly some sort of a lapping compound. I guess someone at HRA decided to try to save a bad barrel. Well it didn't work. Best 50 yard group this afternoon from a bench with sandbags was 5.0625" CTC 5 shot group with Eley HV. Don't even ask about the SK and Win Wildcat groups! Also shoots roughly 6" high at 50 yards with the rear sight at its lowest adjustment. So I guess I'll call Henry and get a call tag and send it back. I doubt they will rebarrel it. I'm sure they will just replace it. However I do think Mr. Imperato needs to be made aware of the bore obstruction. That is simply dangerous. Not everyone is as anal as me to check and clean the barrel before shooting.

Edit- yes it was a brand spankin new carbine, not a used one!

Every new Henry rifle that I have bought came with an inspection tag that documented a testfire of the rifle at the factory. Did this rifle have one?

Yes it had a tag on the lever. However there is no evidence that the rifle had ever been fired. All that was documented and initialed was that it was unloaded when packed.

The first line on the Henry ammo inspection tag reads "testfire-check for ammo". I think this means the first inspector testfired the rifle, then checked for ammo, then initialed the tag. The next three inspectors also "check for ammo", and initial to verify there is no ammo in the gun.

It was only marked as checked for ammunition. It's been boxed and dropped off at dealer for UPS to pick up.

Today UPS dropped off a package. HRA replaced my rifle with a new one. I'll shoot it this week and report back.

That sounds good. I hope the new rifle does well. I'm glad to hear that you were taken care of. Seems like it got through the line somehow.

Hoping to hear good things about your new rifle.

echo the hope that your new Henry will serve you well .... looking forward to your reports

Glad to hear that they replaced the rifle and not just the barrel!