Henry Rifle Forums

Hi all. I took my new Big Boy .357 Carbine out for a first range trip yesterday and had an overall great time. Very accurate...hit a 12 in steel plate at 200 yards with both .357 mag and .38 special a few times, and the 100 yard plate was easy. The balance and trigger are fantastic.

It cycled beautifully with one exception. I was shooting Winchester .357 mag 110 grain JHP (the only .357 I could get my hands on) and Fiocchi .38 Special 158 grain round nose FMJ.

I started with the .357 hollow points, and they cycled just fine, with a couple hang-ups when the rifle wasn't perpendicular to the ground. Switched to the .38 for a bit, which cycled a bit smoother, and when I went back to the .357, the second shot was very difficult to extract from the chamber. I was able to get the lever open with some force and eject the round, but the next round did the same thing (and before you ask, no, I wasn't smart enough to save the spent brass for inspection...doh). I switched back to .38, and it cycled fine. Then I left the rifle alone for a bit to shoot the trusty Mini-14, and when I came back to the Henry, the .357s worked perfectly for the rest of the day.

I'm relatively new to lever guns. What might be going on here? Is 20 or so rounds of .38 Special enough to create a carbon ring in the chamber? Could it have something to do with using a lighter hollow point .357?

interesting .... first, it seems pretty clear to me that the issue is with the ammo and not the rifle .... I agree that your observation about possibility of the formation of a carbon ring .... not necessarily a complete ring, likely a deposit of residue .... I'd recommend giving her a good cleaning and next time fire one type of ammo or the other .... if all's good with each separately, then try mixing them .... congrats on the accuracy of your rifle ... hitting a 12" gong at 200 yards with a 38 special is truly outstanding

Welcome to the forum. I think your first assumption is more correct. From what I have gathered from another forum, the shorter .38 round leaves a residue that impacts .357s ejections, if not cleaned first. So, it was recommended to shoot either but not both.

I have a Marlin in .38/.357 not a Henry. And, I have been experienced an ejection issue, only once. It seemed to have been more of the brand of ammo that I was using, not the caliber. After not using that brand, I have not had an issue since.

Agree with Jim and GFK. Ammo more likely than gun. Did you clean the rifle after unboxing it? If not like was suggested clean the rifle and try again. Welcome to the forum glad you joined us. I see this is your first post.

Good to hear you have an accurate rifle with a good trigger. I would also go with the ammo causing the rough ejection, glad to hear it cleared up. My BBS also had a problem of not feeding unless the rifle was straight up and down. I noticed that when I the rifle was canted to the left it wood jamb. When I bent the ejector out a little bit the problem is solved.

My BBS .38/.357 Mag is a pleasure to shoot. I've been firing a mix of .38 spl and .357 Mag loads with no difference in noted ejection force. As of my last range trip I have about 200 rounds thru the rifle without cleaning and it still functions well with either load. None of the loads I use are factory, they are all my own reloads.

I think the advice JEB gave is excellent. Following that should help you get on the right track to identifying your issue.

Paul

Thanks for all the responses and the warm welcome to the forum. I will take JEB's advice and clean between switching ammo types next time.

Yes, I did clean it right out of the box, breech to muzzle (Ballistol, few dry patches, CLP, then dry patches until it came out clean).

And just to be clear, I'm not saying I was nailing a 200 yard gong time after time with the .38...I think I got it to hit 2 times out of 2 magazines with quite a drop. However, I was really impressed with the .38 at 100 yards - it seemed to have less than a foot drop. The .357 felt like a flat trajectory at 100.

Remember to cycle fully with authority as well.

peacemaker22son wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:03 pm

And just to be clear, I'm not saying I was nailing a 200 yard gong time after time with the .38...I think I got it to hit 2 times out of 2 magazines with quite a drop.

that is still impressive .... I suspect that a 38 at that distance has a mortar type trajectory ..

My first time shooting my 357 was a learning experience, DO NOT baby it crank that lever with a little muscle and my feed problem dissapeared

Shot my BBSC 357 at a 200 yd target once. I measured a30” drop. Definitely a 100 yd gun. Have fun with that Henry.

Hi all, thanks again for the feedback. I got the BB Carbine out to the range again yesterday. I shot about 70 rounds of flat nose .38 Special (no .357 available at the range). The .38s fed perfectly and I burned through the 70 rounds I had way faster than planned just because I was having so much fun.

I am saving most of my .357 hollow point, but I put 10 rounds through at the end, and didn't have any of the tough ejection I had before. The feeding wasn't as smooth as with the flat nose .38s. Someday I'll actually find some round or flat .357 and report back.

All in all, a fantastic time.

One additional question: I've also got some Fort Scott TUI ammo (photo below) that warns "not for use in tubular magazines." I assume that is because of the pointed-ish tip. Would these be OK to shoot single shot, loading through the ejection port?

IMG_3532 by , on Flickr

peacemaker22son wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 29, 2021 4:43 pm

All in all, a fantastic time.

Would these be OK to shoot single shot, loading through the ejection port?

fantastic time .... now that's great to hear

loading one at a time in the chamber would be find .... if you wish to load 2 rounds, one in the chamber and one in the magazine tube would be OK

Well, I've been out a few more times (when I can find ammo) and haven't had a single feeding or cycling problem. Now if I could only find more .357!

Here's a short clip of shooting a 50 yard steel target.
https://vimeo.com/538111848

Great to hear that you havent had any issues. Maybe 357 will come back soon. You might check ammoseek online for ammo.

BigAl52 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 17, 2021 1:05 pm

Great to hear that you havent had any issues. Maybe 357 will come back soon. You might check ammoseek online for ammo.

I would do that, but unfortunately, my job that supports my hobbies is in the great state of CA. Virtually no local FFLs will accept online orders these days, because they are so busy. So I could find it online, but because CA requires delivery to an FFL, I'm up a creek.

peacemaker22son wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:51 pm

BigAl52 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 17, 2021 1:05 pm

Great to hear that you havent had any issues. Maybe 357 will come back soon. You might check ammoseek online for ammo.

I would do that, but unfortunately, my job that supports my hobbies is in the great state of CA. Virtually no local FFLs will accept online orders these days, because they are so busy. So I could find it online, but because CA requires delivery to an FFL, I'm up a creek.

Hate to say it, but you need to move back to the United States of America.