Spring has sprung. Get out and shoot your Henry
Back to the mothership
Back to the mothership
I bought an X-model in .44 magnum just before Wisconsins deer season with hopes of using it for the hunt. I've handloaded the .44 for a half a century and was confident that something already loaded would probably be just fine. Didn't happen. 50 yard groups were in the in the 3" to 5" range. Often two or three shots close together and then a flyer or two several inches away. I got my whitetail with a Big Boy steel .45 Colt but also hunted with a SS Henry H015 in .44 mag that shoots very well.
Since then I've slugged the barrel and it measures a little over .431". No wonder the lot of Nosler 240 gr. HP's did so badly on paper. They measure at just under .428". Hornady XTP's mic at .429" and were slightly better but still not good. A buddy and I took a little tour of the innards with a
his bore scope and we found no obvious flaws. I tried two different optics with similar results. I even sent in an UltraDot II with 2 minute dot and they sent it back with a sort of indignant note that there was nothing wrong with it. They were right...
Then I got to thinking ....I'm a bullet caster so since it's got a fat bore so I'll feed it some fat bullets. I powder coated several different styles of bullets and then ran them through a .432" Star sizing die. Some were loaded over proven loads in magnum cases and since this gun will NOT funtion at over the 1.600" SAMMI spec OAL some were loaded in .44 Spl brass. This collection of shotgun patterns was the result....will be phoning Henry tomorrow. After having all I could stand with the .44 I pulled out my X-Model .357. I was running out of daylight but had a box of ammo with 9 rounds left in it. It was the Lyman cast bullet #358665 which drop with my alloy at 166 gr. They were loaded over Blue Dot powder with the Garmin chrono reading at 1408 fps average. This was at 50 yards with a Leupold 2.5X scope. There's nine bullets in there but I think a couple of them used an already existing bullet hole. So....I own 10 Henry's and nine of them are really good. Stay tuned.
Since then I've slugged the barrel and it measures a little over .431". No wonder the lot of Nosler 240 gr. HP's did so badly on paper. They measure at just under .428". Hornady XTP's mic at .429" and were slightly better but still not good. A buddy and I took a little tour of the innards with a
his bore scope and we found no obvious flaws. I tried two different optics with similar results. I even sent in an UltraDot II with 2 minute dot and they sent it back with a sort of indignant note that there was nothing wrong with it. They were right...
Then I got to thinking ....I'm a bullet caster so since it's got a fat bore so I'll feed it some fat bullets. I powder coated several different styles of bullets and then ran them through a .432" Star sizing die. Some were loaded over proven loads in magnum cases and since this gun will NOT funtion at over the 1.600" SAMMI spec OAL some were loaded in .44 Spl brass. This collection of shotgun patterns was the result....will be phoning Henry tomorrow. After having all I could stand with the .44 I pulled out my X-Model .357. I was running out of daylight but had a box of ammo with 9 rounds left in it. It was the Lyman cast bullet #358665 which drop with my alloy at 166 gr. They were loaded over Blue Dot powder with the Garmin chrono reading at 1408 fps average. This was at 50 yards with a Leupold 2.5X scope. There's nine bullets in there but I think a couple of them used an already existing bullet hole. So....I own 10 Henry's and nine of them are really good. Stay tuned.
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2 x
Re: Back to the mothership
I've been in your situation, and eventually sent mine back. Mine was a .357, but very similar results with groups.
Henry changed the barrel, bolt, and some other parts, and returned the rifle to me. I called and asked what they found to be the issue, but it seems that info isn't available to the public. The rifle will now shoot about an inch at 50 yards, and about 3 inches at 100 with ammo it likes, and that is all I really expected from it originally. I really haven't made a very deep dive working a load up for it yet, so better groups could still be possible, but for woods deer hunting, it'll do just fine.
Hope they get yours sorted out the way you want it.
Henry changed the barrel, bolt, and some other parts, and returned the rifle to me. I called and asked what they found to be the issue, but it seems that info isn't available to the public. The rifle will now shoot about an inch at 50 yards, and about 3 inches at 100 with ammo it likes, and that is all I really expected from it originally. I really haven't made a very deep dive working a load up for it yet, so better groups could still be possible, but for woods deer hunting, it'll do just fine.
Hope they get yours sorted out the way you want it.
0 x
Re: Back to the mothership
Im sure they will make it right 5shot but this seems to be a repetitive issue with 44 mag and Henry. I have a 41 that shoots as well as your 357 so no need for a 44 at my house
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Don't worry about getting older and still doing stupid stuff. You'll do the stupid stuff as always, only much slower. Hold my beer and watch this.......
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
Re: Back to the mothership
Give 2400 somewhere around 14.5 to 15 gr a try with a 158 gr bullet. You might be surprisedrickhem wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:08 amI've been in your situation, and eventually sent mine back. Mine was a .357, but very similar results with groups.
Henry changed the barrel, bolt, and some other parts, and returned the rifle to me. I called and asked what they found to be the issue, but it seems that info isn't available to the public. The rifle will now shoot about an inch at 50 yards, and about 3 inches at 100 with ammo it likes, and that is all I really expected from it originally. I really haven't made a very deep dive working a load up for it yet, so better groups could still be possible, but for woods deer hunting, it'll do just fine.
Hope they get yours sorted out the way you want it.
2 x
Don't worry about getting older and still doing stupid stuff. You'll do the stupid stuff as always, only much slower. Hold my beer and watch this.......
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
- North Country Gal
- Firearms Advisor
- Posts: 6121
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:46 pm
- Location: northern Wisconsin
Re: Back to the mothership
Yeah, it begins and ends with the barrel. For sure, you can tweak all sorts of things to make a gun shoot better, but you can only do so much with a mediocre barrel.
Does Henry make their own barrels?
Does Henry make their own barrels?
0 x
Re: Back to the mothership
According to what I read they do make there own barrels.North Country Gal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:33 amYeah, it begins and ends with the barrel. For sure, you can tweak all sorts of things to make a gun shoot better, but you can only do so much with a mediocre barrel.
Does Henry make their own barrels?
0 x
Don't worry about getting older and still doing stupid stuff. You'll do the stupid stuff as always, only much slower. Hold my beer and watch this.......
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
H001T .22LR
H001T .22LR MONUMENT VALLEY
H003T PUMP .22LR
BBS .41 MAG
SS .357
SIDE GATE 38-55
- CT_Shooter
- Administrator emeritus
- Posts: 5160
- Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:42 am
- Location: Connecticut
Re: Back to the mothership
Henry does make its own barrels. Jump to 2:58 in this YouTube video Titled "HOW ARE HENRY RIFLES MADE? EXCLUSIVE PLANT TOUR"North Country Gal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:33 amYeah, it begins and ends with the barrel. For sure, you can tweak all sorts of things to make a gun shoot better, but you can only do so much with a mediocre barrel.
Does Henry make their own barrels?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMNLa5wAsXM
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H006M Big Boy Brass .357 - H001 Classic .22LR - Uberti / Taylors & Co. SmokeWagon .357 5.5" - Uberti / Taylors & Co. RanchHand .22LR 5.5"
Re: Back to the mothership
The video shows them boring the rods for barrels. It doesn't show them forging or otherwise forming the raw rods.CT_Shooter wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:49 amHenry does make its own barrels. Jump to 2:58 in this YouTube video Titled "HOW ARE HENRY RIFLES MADE? EXCLUSIVE PLANT TOUR"North Country Gal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:33 amYeah, it begins and ends with the barrel. For sure, you can tweak all sorts of things to make a gun shoot better, but you can only do so much with a mediocre barrel.
Does Henry make their own barrels?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMNLa5wAsXM
1 x
UPDATES: OR passes 114, "one of strictest gun control measures in U.S." https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic. ... 34#p213234
- CT_Shooter
- Administrator emeritus
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- Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:42 am
- Location: Connecticut
Re: Back to the mothership
It doesn't show them mining the iron ore or processing it into steel, either. Thanks for the correction.
0 x
H006M Big Boy Brass .357 - H001 Classic .22LR - Uberti / Taylors & Co. SmokeWagon .357 5.5" - Uberti / Taylors & Co. RanchHand .22LR 5.5"
Re: Back to the mothership
Part of 'making their own barrels', includes whether or not they roll the steel stock they get from someone else, not the mining and processing ore.CT_Shooter wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:39 pmIt doesn't show them mining the iron ore or processing it into steel, either. Thanks for the correction.
1 x
UPDATES: OR passes 114, "one of strictest gun control measures in U.S." https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic. ... 34#p213234