rifle shims

[Squatch]

Has anyone here shimmed up their Henry rifle?

I have large loop levers on my Henry's they are a bit sloppy compared to the original levers. I need to take all my rifles down to the receivers for a deep cleaning. It's been a while. I've been thinking of buying some shims and doing a little blueprinting so to speak while they are apart.

https://www.triggershims.com/henry_rifle.html

Just curious if anyone has done this.

[GFK]

The cost is not bad. But, I would think and hope that Henry makes a product the best that it can be made. Then again, I am new to Henry. For that matter, I am new to lever action rifles period.

[tractortad]

I've got these installed on three of our Henrys (levers only). They are easy to install (stick em on with a little grease) and they work as advertised - takes a lot of play out of the lever. I recommend them - nice little mom and pop outfit.

[RetiredSeabee]

Haven’t done it but now you have me needing to go get my Henry to see how much play I have in mine.
If you decide to do this I will look forward to hearing about it.

[Squatch]

Just ordered the shim kits. Hope to get to them soon. My Henry's are ready for some TLC. I'll probably start with the 45/70. The action is starting to feel a little gritty. I'll deep clean and lube it then shim the lever while I'm in there. No real complaints with the hammer and trigger. Then I can try out the new recoil pad I bought for it!

[John E Davies]

This is an old thread, any updates? Good results? I have shimmed a Ruger Super Redhawk with excellent results, and plan to do my SP 101. I think this is a great mod that anyone can do, and it is completely reversible if you need to send in the gun for repair.

You can even make your own shims, quite cheaply, but that would be a new thread....

Thanks,

John Davies
Spokane WA

[CT_Shooter]

Sadly, our friend Squatch passed away shortly after this post. He was a regular poster with lots of great info and stories to tell. We miss him. Since you have experience, John, you might pick it up again, though. It would honor him and be helpful.

This is an old thread, any updates? Good results?

[John E Davies]

Sadly, our friend Squatch passed away shortly after this post. He was a regular poster with lots of great info and stories to tell. We miss him. Since you have experience, John, you might pick it up again, though. It would honor him and be helpful.

Well, that is very sad news, I am sorry to hear that, but us old timers clock out every now and then.... I don't mean this to be flippant.

I would be happy to post a thread about shimming guns. It will take a while, my .44 mag rifle just passed through Billings on the way to Henry for repair.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[LeverLuvr]

I just joined this forum but had read this thread a few days prior to joining. It sucks loosing an old friend. I lost my best shootin buddy not long ago. I just ordered some shims from TriggerShims today for my BBB 357. I would be honored to carry on this thread with followup info and results. Hopefully by the end of the week I should get them and possibly get to the range next weekend.

[RanchRoper]

Squatch would like it that his thread is rolling along. Keep it going guys.

[LeverLuvr]

I got the shims today from TriggerShims.com , great service and nice people. I put them in tonight and wow! This Big Boy is nice and tight now, feels real solid . I Put the shims in the lever and the hammer, didn't mess with the trigger, that seemed ok. Before it had just a very slight creep to it but now its gone. I also polished a few surfaces while apart but nothing was really bad to start with. Over all very happy with the results. hope to get to the range in the next week. I'll try and pop a bulleye for Squatch

[Team Roper]

I got the lever shims for my Henry and that tightened the lever up a good bit but the trigger, I didn't do anything to. I am afraid it will need more then shims to make it anywhere close to a decent trigger. Worse trigger I ever had on a rifle. Hard to believe when everybody else seems to say they have great triggers on a Henry. Mine must have been a Monday or Friday rifle.

[Ozarkwoodswalker]

I put shims in my marmin 336 and it worked well t I take out side flop

[John E Davies]

I got the lever shims for my Henry and that tightened the lever up a good bit but the trigger, I didn't do anything to. I am afrai
d it will need more then shims to make it anywhere close to a decent trigger. Worse trigger I ever had on a rifle. Hard to believe when everybody else seems to say they have great triggers on a Henry. Mine must have been a Monday or Friday rifle.

I agree 110%, the one on my BB X .44 Mag is just plain nasty. 6.5 pounds and TWO distinct grunchy pre-stages before it finally breaks cleanly. It went back to Henry because it would not cycle anything and I thought they would have fixed the trigger then. Nope. I will go into it myself soon. It isn’t pleasant to shoot. There is nothing like a really bad trigger to piss off an owner.... but I love everything else.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[Team Roper]

I got the lever shims for my Henry and that tightened the lever up a good bit but the trigger, I didn't do anything to. I am afrai
d it will need more then shims to make it anywhere close to a decent trigger. Worse trigger I ever had on a rifle. Hard to believe when everybody else seems to say they have great triggers on a Henry. Mine must have been a Monday or Friday rifle.

I agree 110%, the one on my BB X .44 Mag is just plain nasty. 6.5 pounds and TWO distinct grunchy pre-stages before it finally breaks cleanly. It went back to Henry because it would not cycle anything and I thought they would have fixed the trigger then. Nope. I will go into it myself soon. It isn’t pleasant to shoot. There is nothing like a really bad trigger to piss off an owner.... but I love everything else.

John Davies
Spokane WA

Mine is a 44 magnum and it isn't even close to being even a good hunting trigger. You described mine in your reply. Mine is 7 pounds but it isn't even consistent with a feel of scraping over big rocks then smooth then just before the break, moving over more big rocks and then boom and hope you are somewhere close to your last shot. I heard they aren't easy to work on or I would but I just don't have the desire to even take it back out of the safe. When I was looking for a 45 Colt here about a month ago, the LGS had a Remlin and a Henry. Of course the Henry looked beautiful but when I tried the trigger and yes, the store owner let me pull them, the Remlin had the sweet trigger that is the one I went with. I have a good gunsmith friend that I shot SASS with so eventually here, I will mention my Henry to him and see what he can do with it.

[LeverLuvr]

I have to agree with the above statements. My first Henry was the BBB 44 mag and the trigger was horrible. had to send it back as it got to a point it wouldn't even release no matter how hard I pulled. Once returned (6 days later), it was perfect and never had another issue after that. I was looking at one a couple of weeks ago in the LGS and that one (12 years later) had the same issue. My 357 has a fairly heavy pull, but it is smooth and crisp. I did have an issue after the first 30 rounds where the shells where very hard to extract once fired (357), they cycled fine in and out if not fired, and 38's where fine regardless. Not sure why, but I took the gun completely apart and gave it a good cleaning, then used different ammo the next time out with no problems. I chalked it off to a bad batch of ammo (Magtech).
Much as I love Henry rifles, based on my personal experiences, and a lot of what I have read in forums and observed in reviews, They definitely could benefit from a little tweaking in the manufacturing stages and quality control. They are nice and solid guns, but buying new and having to send it back first thing to be made right buy A+ customer service is a bit aggravating. If they could just improve on the clearances to tighten them up a bit, and the trigger pull, they'd be the undisputed king in my book. Maybe I'll send a letter to Anthony himself with some general concerns and problems, just to re-enforce some things to look at in the manufacturing stages. Outstanding customer service is great, but if people become hesitant to buy to start with, what good is it. They are just sooooo close.

[LeverLuvr]

Well, I'm FINALLY going to the range today. Got busy with things and haven't had the time to go. Looking forward to some shootin with the new shims in place. Will follow up tonight.

[Team Roper]

As a follow up to my Henry 44 mag. problems with the trigger and a few other issues, I just turned mine over to a good gunsmith friend of mine and told him to make it right or it's going to be collecting dust this hunting season. For $20, I had everything fixed and am quite happy and had it back in a week. Funny thing, as much as many complain about the Remlins, I recently bought a new one in 45 Colt and it doesn't need a thing done to it. I think good quality control is pretty lacking in most gun industries and a bad one slips by or is just gone over by somebody who just doesn't care.

[RanchRoper]

I'm waiting for Squatch to chime in....would be a Forum first! Hey you never know....

[LeverLuvr]

Had a good day at the range yesterday. Got my Tikka sighted in and getting 1/2" groups at 100 yds....I'm happy wit dat! Played with the Henry a bit and I gotta say, the shims were worth it. I liken this rifle to a Cadillac. Heavy, solid, and now tight. Racking the lever is like closing a door on the old Detroit steel of yester-year. It ain't fast, but it's a smooth ride. Now for my next Henry, hmmmm???? Kinda thinkin a 30-30 steel, something a little lighter. Maybe if I start saving bottle caps, I can splurge on a wildlife edition. That sure is a purty gun, and I got the full assortment shim pack so I got plenty for the next Henry, or 2 or 3.