Henry Rifle Forums

I've been looking at the Henry Big Boy Steel and Brass and was wondering does a octagon barrel do anything than look different?

Is it more accurate like a bull barrel?

I've heard some talk about dissipating heat better, but really, how fast can you really reload & shoot a tube feed?

Thanks!

Is it more accurate like a bull barrel?

Theoretically it should be, heavier with a flat surface giving a 'square' sight plane. I prefer octagon over round.

You might be surprised.
Yes, the heavier barrel will be a little more accurate, to a point, but it doesn't really dissipate heat better.
The heavier barrel is stiffer, and more mass, thus less prone to warping from excess heat.

This is good, to a point.
It will also hold heat longer than a thinner barrel.
If you heat up a heavier barrel to the same temperature as a thin one, the heavier barrel will take longer to cool.

for me its a matter of personal preference .... octagons are usually heavier than round ... just how that can affect the rifle's balance varies .... I like the looks of the octagon but that alone isn't a factor that guides my purchase

After doing various web searches to try and compare these two barrel types, JEBar's answer somewhat often cropped up within the discussions: "...it's a matter of personal preference." There weren't many "heated" debates at all, most chats were run-of-the-mill (almost a little "bore-ing"). So personal preference might be the best guide.

JEBar wrote:for me its a matter of personal preference .... octagons are usually heavier than round ... just how that can affect the rifle's balance varies .... I like the looks of the octagon but that alone isn't a factor that guides my purchase

I like the looks of the octagon but that alone isn't a factor that guides my purchase

Mine either - if the BBS had been available when I bought my BBB I MIGHT have gone for the steel - hard to say - I really like the looks of my BBB.

I would go handle both and see which one feels better. I know if you are weight sensitive you will like the steel better as its lighter for plinking. I have both and Im not as good as I once was so my shoulders welcome the break after running thru a couple of tubes of 357 loads. I have a steel in 41 mag and I can tell the difference when I shoot it. Now if the carbines had been available when I bought mine I might have all carbines. I really like how the shorter barrel handles. Al

All else equal, short and stiff makes for a more accurate barrel via more consistent harmonics, shot after shot. Ask a competition bench rest shooter. Of course, all else is seldom equal when comparing barrels. A 20" octagon, though, certainly will be a stiffer barrel than a slim 20" round barrel. I wouldn't make a buying decision, though, based on something so fuzzy. In the real world, it really is a matter of personal preference based on the balance and handling of the gun and, heaven knows, I certainly have light skinny barrel guns that outshoot some of my heavy barrel guns. Heavy doesn't automatically guarantee better accuracy.

If I run out of ammo that 24" octagon pipe is not a bad weapon....

So, does a octagon barrel make any diffrence?

To efficiency? Probably not.

To looks? Definitely! If I was given a choice of two rifles, both the same apart from the barrel, I'd go with the octagonal every time.

It was purely aesthetics to me. The octagon barrel is just plain sexy!

It was purely aesthetics to me. The octagon barrel is just plain sexy!

Yep! - hard to beat an octagon barrel for appearance - they are WAY to cool looking!

I guess a factory reject hexagon barrel would a collectors item...

It certainly makes them heavier. I found the weight and balance of the BBS to fit me better than the BBB. YMMV.

My Small Game Carbines in .22LR have a good balance and are my most accurate Henrys.

I was having the same debate (BBS vs. Classic in 357) and I was able to handle both, side-by-side and the first thing that jumped out at me wasn't the weight difference (which is noticeable) but the fact that the Classic has not checkering on the stocks. They're both beautiful, but, for me and my first Henry, I went with checkered stocks. Easier to keep a good grasp on (at least in my mind) and maybe a bit less of a worry about losing a grasp and potentially scarring up that beautiful brass finish.
But that's just me.

I bought my Henry H009B LCR for the shiny brass and octagon barrel beauty. The recoil kicks and my shoulder is sore after 50-60 rounds. But the recoil kick is straight back into my shoulder. The barrel being so heavy doesn't lift very much, making for very little reposition on the next shot. By comparison my BrazTech Rossi .22LR doesn't kick back into my shoulder hardly at at all, but the barrel does lift a whole lot more. My target groupings are way better with the heavier barrel rifle.

However packing the heavier rifle around was tiring on my arms, so I bought a 'No drill' sling for it (didn't want to drill the beautiful wood of the stock).

So initially, personal preference and then learning the heavy barrel gave me better shooting results.

I like the look of an octagon barrel, but I prefer the weight of a round barrel. 8+ pounds doesn't balance well at the end for a carry gun.

I have four octagon barrel rifles - yes they DO make a difference!

For me the biggest benefits are that the heavy octagon barrel absorbs straight back recoil better and gives better target grouping because the barrel doesn't recoil upward very much when fired. So I don't have to reposition hardly at all between shots.

Off course the downside for me, the rifle is tiring to carry when scouting around. A sling is a must for carry.