Henry Rifle Forums

Does anyone tune Henry rifles? I got a Big Boy recently and there is not a lot of info online….Are they a bit of a sleeper rifle like a Weatherby? In that I mean they just work so nothing to do or post about?….

Like any manufacturer, they turn out a few that need to be returned for unsatisfactory reason.
Most have been cured, some replaced, Henry does have a pretty good customer service.

RP

IanC wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2024 9:00 pm

Does anyone tune Henry rifles? I got a Big Boy recently and there is not a lot of info online….Are they a bit of a sleeper rifle like a Weatherby? In that I mean they just work so nothing to do or post about?….

For the most part, the ones I own just work. I had one where the action wouldn't lock into battery and that one went back to Henry to get fixed. Other issues I've had new of the box loose screws and dovetails. I'm kinda forgiving of the loose screws, I figure someone went on break, came back and forgot to finish tightening them up. The loose dovetails though piss me off. That seems like blatant ship it anyway behavior. As far as the actions, cycled with authority they do what they are supposed to do over and over. I've had no reason to trigger tune.

A couple you might find interesting, if you haven't already found them.
https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic. ... ne#p205361
https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic. ... ne#p106926

the laminated nature of most of Henry's trigger/action components makes is very difficult "hone" them .... it can be done but is much more an art than mechanical act .... one slight stroke too many can compromise the part .... I paid an old time gun smith to work on mine and the result was a really nice trigger pull .... no way I'd do it myself

Thanks for the replies, many guns I own, I look up on forums and there are lots of things that need to be done, honed or lightened. I am still in the break in period with my big boy and am glad in a way to not see may forum posts needing to address this and that. So far I am really enjoying the rifle.

I only have one (H009). As far as the action goes, I am happy it. It seems to get smoother, the more that I shot it. So, I just keep pulling the trigger.

I get what the OP means though, not much of an aftermarket out there for Henrys, or lever guns in general actually, unless you want to do the stupid "tactical" lever gun thing. Its very, very hard for me to buy a gun I cant tweak or personalize or tune or tinker with or whatever. It just is. And believe me my Henry did NOT run well when I got it and Henry, to their credit, did a fine, and persistent job getting it to do so but Im not sure thats what the OP meant.
Ive actually been able to do more with my Rossi levers than my Henry but I really like both. The H is a much more elegant firearm.

If you have one that has a good barrel, there are several things I have done to my Big Boy Steel. The fit of the lever to the action is usually a little loose that can be fixed with thin spacers. I cannot remember the company that makes them but they are thin washers that go between the action and the lever and come in different thicknesses. I have done two different trigger improvement jobs on Big Boys and they are very time consuming to do them correctly.

If you want a better trigger I would recommend Ranger Point Precision's trigger replacement. I bought one out of curiosity and dropped it into my Big Boy just to see what it was like and had almost an identical trigger pull to the one I had spent a lot of time on when I used their reduced hammer spring.

My Big Boy Steel is really the only Henry that I have ever kept except my Evil Roy 22LR. I prefer the 92 action for the most part. On mine I shortened the LOP (preference) put a quick take down knob/screw in for the lever and replaced the sights with a rear Marbles Bullseye sight and a taller front sight. Put a sling swivel on her and a saddle ring, just because I like the looks of one. So mine was all preference work done. The receiver just works and needs nothing done with the innards. Need some pictures for this thread and can't resist.