Henry Rifle Forums

I was thrilled to learn that Illinois finally approved pistol cartridge rifles for hunting deer in the firearm season. Previously, only Shotguns with slugs, muzzle loaders, or handguns were legal. I had high hopes of using my Henry .44 Big Boy Steel carbine for the season but upon further examination, the new law states the rifles using pistol cartridges must be single shot only.
I know many here have purchased the new Henry single shot rifles but I have never seen one for sale anywhere around my stomping grounds. I decided to try to find a solution to render my BBS as single shot for deer season.
I ordered a spare inner magazine tube from Henry. Then I removed the spring and replaced it with a 1/4" wooden dowel rod that was 14 5/8" long. The 1/4" dowel fit perfectly into the center of the plastic follower and once assembled will not let the follower move up into the inner tube. Now, I only have to switch inner tubes to make the rifle a single shot. Hoping this will satisfy any game warden that my stop me.

I wish you luck. If it was me I might ask at the local game office to see if they would allow that.

Wish the best. Just sad you even have to screw with this.

I don't see a problem with inserting a solid rod in the magazine tube to limit the amount of ammo that can be loaded into your rifle .... to me is doing the same has been done with shotguns for longer than I can remember .... in our state a shot gun must be limited to a 3 round capacity for hunting small game and birds .... the rod can be removed to load the maximum when hunting big game

Clever, very clever!

I recently bought a Henry .410 and Henry sells a separate mag tube with a plug in it to allow only two shells in the mag. Not a single shot like you are required to use but the idea is similar and the fix is exactly the same, a limiting plug. If a warden has a problem with what you have done I think the warden just as a problem period!.

Warden might say it's a 2 shot as you can have one in the mag and one in the tube.

You could make the dowl long enough to not allow any ammo in it and then hand load the gun thru the breech. . . Single shot sounds like a rule made up by someone who has never hunted. . . Or even hiked a trail. . .

Why is it that Only the pistol calibers are limited?
if it's straight walled cases only like a few other states have done recently,
then I'd be using one of my 444's or the 38-55.
That's just crazy.

RP

That does sound crazy. A higher powered rifle can have how many rounds? But the lower powered pistol caliber can only be single shot. Why I only hunt the steel critters!