Long Ranger .308

[Kram]

Hey fella's, I think this is my first post here.
I purchased a H014S-308 in July, I've had it out twice using the Burris 3-9 x 40mm Fullfield II scope. I've tried some 165 grain Hornady BTHP, some 175 grain and lastly 178 grain BTHP. I'm not all that impressed with my loads and the gun. The larger 178 grain seemed the best with 43 grains of Varget but still not great. Softball size grouping at 70 yards.

I have a home built AR308 with a $100.00 barrel (also 1-10 twist rate) that out shoots the Henry. I'm not bashing Henry. It's got to be the best customer service I've ever had. My little H001 is the most accurate of all my 22 rifle.

I guess my question is to those that have this gun is, what size bullets are you using? I thought maybe I'd bump up the size to 185 grain.

I'm going to go out again in a few days. I think I'll remove the scope and see how it does. It's a beautiful gun, smooth action, it does takes some getting used to.

Thanks for reading..
fish

[CT_Shooter]

Hey fella's, I think this is my first post here.

Welcome to the forum, Fish. I'm sure a few folks will have some comments or anecdotes to share. Glad you joined us. BTW, we have a few knowledgeable gals here, too.

[JEBar]

first, welcome to our forum, delighted to have you join us .... do hope you will read and post often .... 308 has been my go to caliber since the mid 60's .... while it is a really versatile caliber, I've found it excels with 150 gr bullets .... our standard load for all 3 of our very different 308's is 47 gr of IMR 4320 pushing a 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet for range work, Nosler 150 gr Accubond bullet for hunting, or Nosler 150 gr E-tip bullet where lead bullets aren't allowed .... very minor (if any) scope adjustment is required to go from one to another .... be sure to follow the link below to where you can add your Henry rifles to our community's total


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 59#p145959

[BigAl52]

Welcome to the forum. If you dont reload I would recommend buying a box of Barnes TTSX. They work very well.

[Kram]

Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking the 1-10 twist needs the large bullets. My AR was just ok with 150 grain bullets, with the 178 grain bullets it was right on. I didn't try 150 grain in the Long Ranger, just my reloads of 165grain and 178grain with Varget powder.

[leverjc]

Wow softball sized groups at 70 yds. I have a Ruger Scout that with ammo it likes shoots around 1" at a hundred and the load it liked the least shot about 3" at a hundred. It sounds like something besides the rifle not liking the loads. I would shoot off an email to Henry and see what they think.

[Kram]

I want to shoot it without the scope and put on another scope so I can narrow it down before I email them.

Thanks

[JEBar]

before saying anything to Henry, I suggest you fire some factory ammo .... they specifically do not recommend firing reloads and any comments you choose to communicate with them will carry weight if they feature the use of factory ammo

[Kram]

Yes, I'm familiar with not mentioning reloads. I just sent them an email regarding factory ammo, I have tried some 150 grain factory ammo .. I would question my reloads but they shoot so good in my AR with a 10-1 twist..I'll dig through my ammo cans and see If I can find some more.

Another thing I asked about was the bolt closing. When I lever a round the bolt doesn't close all the way. I have to squeeze the lever for it to close all the way and the firing pin to engage.

It's a new gun, I'm not really worried about it......yet

[JEBar]

Another thing I asked about was the bolt closing. When I lever a round the bolt doesn't close all the way. I have to squeeze the lever for it to close all the way and the firing pin to engage.

the gearing activated by working the lever in a Long Ranger is extremely precise .... it is patterned after that of a Browning BLR ... it should only be disassembled by a person who really knows what they are doing

[ESquared]

My early-production LR 308 seized up and had to go back to the mother ship a couple of years ago. Once I got it back, it was scary good, at least from my indoor (50 yd) range. Agree with the comments above, especially proving it out with lighter (150-165 gr) factory ammo. Federal Fusion 150 gr seemed very well-suited.

Henry LR 308 Fixed, Zeroed Range Trip Oc t4 2018 002.JPG

[JEBar]

Agree with the comments above, especially proving it out with lighter (150-165 gr) factory ammo. Federal Fusion 150 gr seemed very well-suited.

good to hear but can's say I'm surprised that good quality 150's perform well in your Long Ranger .... that isn't to say it can't handle heavier bullets, just that it excels with 150's

[Kram]

My early-production LR 308 seized up and had to go back to the mother ship a couple of years ago. Once I got it back, it was scary good, at least from my indoor (50 yd)

It seems like your saying the gun was not accurate before you sent it back.

[ESquared]

My early-production LR 308 seized up and had to go back to the mother ship a couple of years ago. Once I got it back, it was scary good, at least from my indoor (50 yd)

It seems like your saying the gun was not accurate before you sent it back.

Can't say if it was accurate or not before the repair trip, as it seized up before I got that far.

Wouldn't really matter to me how it was before, given how it is now.

[Rifletom]

Kram, why do I get the feeling we know each other from another forum? Where we shooting at the MLC desert spot last week?
You have the exact loads and slight issues my bud had. Hmm. Here's one: how'd you like the Pietta?

[Kram]

Kram, why do I get the feeling we know each other from another forum? Where we shooting at the MLC desert spot last week?
You have the exact loads and slight issues my bud had. Hmm. Here's one: how'd you like the Pietta?

Hey Tom, I have some 150 grain plinking ammo, I'm going to remove a few bullets and load them up. I already talked to Henry about the bolt not closing. I want to shoot it another time with some factory ammo ( if I can find some) with open sites and see what happens. Got to work on that Rossi 44 mag too. Got some .432 sized bullets coming for that.

Got to give Henry credit, they don't waste time. If your not happy, send it back.

I'll let you know when I plan to go out to the Mojave..

ESquarder, that's for the reply, I had thought it locked up after shooting it. There I go thinking again

[Rifletom]

Ha! Figured that was you Mark! Henry folks, 'ol Kram, Mark spelled backwards, and I been heading out to the desert for a while now shooting our lever guns, S/A revolvers and anything else we bring. MLC stands for Mojave Lever Crew. Kind of an inside thing with three of us.We keep trading loads back and forth and whatnot. I think Mark has about nine or so lever guns, some real dandies. Alright Mark, we'll be talking. Hope he sticks around.

[Kram]

Tom, who's that handsome guy in your Avitar?

Yeah guys, I blame Tom for getting me into reloading. I've been fortune to have such a good guy sharing his reloading knowledge.