Henry Rifle Forums

Being unfamiliar with pistol caliber carbines, but familiar with .44 mag revolvers and loads, I am wondering what types of factory load offerings I should stay away from when shooting the carbine (BBS sidegate). What kind of general guidelines should I keep in mind for ammo selection to ensure proper cycling, etc. I just recently purchased the carbine and have not used it yet, but found some Barnes all copper VOR-TX 225gr XPB hollow points, and it states they require a 1 in 20" twist, or faster, so I think Im OK there.
Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else, and thanks in advance for any advise! Winter wont let go of us here in MN, but I'm hoping to get to the "range" soon

Any factory should cycle through your carbine. Its all set to a saami specs.

What Al said, you'll find that most if not all will gain a few fps, with the longer barrel.
The fun thing is searching tor that best load.
But at today's prices, not so much fun paying for it.

Congrats on the new Henry, and enjoy.
Let us know what yours likes.

RP

My .44 BBS seems to like the standard or hot factory loads over milder hand loads. The bore is a bit big at .4315 for a .430 bullet but shoots hot .44 mag loads using the Hornady XTP bullet fairly well.

Good info above. If you're going to handload, your handgun loads will work just fine in your Henry. I do that for my .357 mag and .45 Colt, rifle and handguns.

Thanks for the information guys, very much appreciated. I had read some interesting things about some bullet types, like semi wadcutters for instance, not playing nice in some rifles. Today I found some Hornady 240 gr XTP hollow points to add to the Barnes copper loads, and if I can clap eyes on some Winchester white box, I'll be set. Thanks again, really enjoying this forum and all the info.

If you see some 180 gr. XTP bullets you could try those with Alliant 2400 and at around 2000 FPS out of a 17 inch Henry they will get the job done!