Henry Rifle Forums

Grabbed my Pioneer out of the safe to star getting ready for Spring silhouette shooting and am kind of in shock at what I saw. The stock screw was loose so I tightened it and set off to the range. The brighter light outside revealed gaps between the stock and the receiver. When I bought it new last year the fit was perfect. I shot 18 rounds out of it and the best group from the bench was 4" at 50yds. Last year with the same ammo it grouped about 1.5". Left the range shaking my head.

When I got home I took the butstock of and the ear that goes into the receiver on the left side fell into hand in 2 pieces. There is also a crack on the right side from the end of the stock where it fit into the action to the hole for the through bolt. I was surprised as I didn't expect this kind of crack from a 22lr. The fore stock now has a gap and wiggles forward and back.

The only thing I can think of is that the wood was not cured completely and it shrunk after sitting in a dry safe all winter. Any one have any ideas.

Yep. Wood moves with the weather. But the term you are looking for is "Stabilised". Which involves impregnating it with a stabilizing resin in a controlled vacuum. It sounds like that wasn't done during the manufacturing process.

There are lots of tales of wood stocks shrinking or swelling, not only seasonally, but also from moving from a humid home to dry; think Mississippi to Montana . I would contact Henry about this, though, and send them pictures of the flawed stock. It sounds like it may have been overtightened when installed, and may not have been fully cured, either. I would bet they will replace it.

I often seal the interior of stocks when I have them off for other reasons (like changing hammer springs), you usually find them unfinished under the recoil pad and and at the receiver, but I don't always do it, either, on rifles I don't plan to be out with in the rain and snow. That's what synthetic stocks are for .

Henry is sending a new stock for my Frontier. I am hoping that it will also take care of the accuracy problem. I have bedded 22's before but that usually made a 2,5" group to around an inch. Let you all know how it works out.

A new buttstock arrived at my porch today. I have to give Henry kudos for how fast they provided a new stock (4 days from email to door). The new stock is not a slide on fit but shouldn't take to long to hand fit. A close look at the back of the action where stock fits there are some burrs inside the area where the lips insert so I am going to take care of the rough spots then fit the stock I am also going to seal the area in the wrist and the back of the stock covered by the but plate that are raw wood. I would send some pics but my ooold phone will not talk to my new computer.