New Big Boy 44 owner / Sight questions

[DeathValleyMike]

Hello all!
I just bought my Big Boy and after 2 days, I’m loving it more than any rifle I’ve ever bought!
I have a Marlin 336, several bolt guns from 6.5 Creedmore, and 308 to .270 WSM and .300 Win Mag.

All are scope guns.

I bought my Henry because I love hunting here in the foothills of Appalachia, in the mountains and amongst the Laurel.

All my other rifles are scoped and don’t fit my needs. I wanted a rifle that would point, aim and shoot in some of these dense thickets in these southeastern mountains without wasting seconds trying to locate game in a scope . I also wanted a 100 yard thumper, so I chose the 44Rem Mag/ special.

My range shooting after a couple of days has been with the buckhorns that came on it. I have been holding 4 inch-5 inch groups at 80 yards .
I did notice today that in the low light / gray light time it is super difficult to see the sights. I’m 53 and wear glasses too.

I’ve been looking at some sight options as I want to stay scopeless.
I looked at a set of HiViz front and rear fiber optic sights, but I’m worried about durability and reliability.
Then I looked at the Skinner peep sights. I thought about this but I keep hearing there’s a 50/50 chance they will work with the front sight that comes on a Henry. So then I thought about a Skinner rear peep and HiViz front fiber optic.


I wanted some opinions from you folks that have addressed this .

By the way, I’ve had my first Henry for two days, already attached to it! It brings back my younger memories of hunting these mountains the simpler way!
I ordered a lever 22LR about 10 minutes ago! I’m hooked!
Next up is the 22Mag then something long range.

I’m gonna give my bolt guns and aitoloaders to my kids , so when I do these Henry rifles I want to set them up with as close to the same sights possible.

Sorry for such s long post! Being new, I wanted to make sure you guys feel me as the kids say!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

[Rifletom]

Welcome DVM! There are plenty of .44 mag shooters here to help with advice on the sights you're asking about. I had to scope my two Henry's.
You'll get help here, no doubt. Keep that 336.

[Cofisher]

For 100 yard shooting, nothing beats the Skinner peep sight system. Check it out.

[Mags]

... then something long range.
...

Long Ranger would be a good choice for that.

And Welcome from the Tualatin Valley, OR

[JEBar]

first, welcome to our forum .... delighted to have you join us .... your hunting terrain sounds very much like my home area in western NC .... having taken deer, boar and black bear with a 44 mag, I can assure you that your selection is a good one .... I have used a HiViz front with rear fiber optic sight .... never had an problem with them

second, be sure to follow this link to where you can add your rifle to our communities total ====> http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... start=1510

third, you still have time to qualify for our drawing that is underway .... check it out in our Forum News area

[brm4450]

I like the peeps, and welcome from Dacotah

[Steve in PA]

I bought a Henry Big Boy 44 Magnum last year and really didn’t like the buckhorn sights. I was shooting Hornady 240 XTP and even with the rear sight all the way down, I was way high at 50 yards.

So, I went with the Skinner peep sights and while the sight picture was great, true to form I had to get a different front sight.

[Conax]

On my BBS Carbine, the Skinner peeps that are low profile and mount to the barrel may work with the front sight as is.
The Skinner peep that mounts on the receiver, will not. I have that one. After some trial and error and using a front sight calculator I put a tall brass front blade on and my rifle shoots to point of aim. Here's the note I made on a document back during that modification:
Rear sight replaced with Skinner express peep
shot 4" (!) high 25 yards 10" high 50 yards
Replaced front sight with brass Skinner .600" post
________________________________________
Shooting hot 180 grain Remingtons, it is right on now.
Shooting 225-240 grain rounds, raise the rear sight one turn.

Your results may differ. I've read posts on here that are all over the place.
Good luck!

[DeathValleyMike]

Thanks for the advice and opinions folks!
I noticed the guy who said he hunts in Western NC.

Our terrain is similar because I hunt western SC mountains and western NC mountains. We should hook up sometime!

[DeathValleyMike]

Welcome DVM! There are plenty of .44 mag shooters here to help with advice on the sights you're asking about. I had to scope my two Henry's.
You'll get help here, no doubt. Keep that 336.

That 336 will be with me till I die. My daughter took her first 2 deer with it. She has already claimed it!
My son likes the new Henry so that will work out great!

I’m gonna sell several bolt guns and buy more Henry rifles!
Think I’ll keep one or two in case .

Great being here guys!

[ol'pole]

I put Marbles' sights on mine, bullseye rear and fiber optic front. Fast, clear open sight picture, unlike peep sights you can see all around your front sight. Check out Marblesarms.com. American made for aver 100 years

[Shakey Jake]

Welcome from the Land of Sugar! I've become fond of the Skinner barrel sight more than the receiver sight. Just my preference.
Jake

[Steve51]

I did not like the buckhorn sights either.
I first went with the Skinner barrel mount peep sight and it worked good and I did not have to change the front sight. Over time, I thought a receiver sight from Skinner might give me better accuracy, so I bought a receiver peep sight from Skinner. I also had to change out the front sight. I bought one from Skinner that you file down to meet what you need. I think I like the receiver sight the best but is costs about twice a much and you will most likely have to replace the front sight also.
I also tried a Marbles bulls eye sight on my Golden Boy rifle. It was a good sight for my old eyes but the ramp sight adjustment is not always a fine enough adjustment and you may have to rely on a little "Kentucky Windage"
They are all good sights in my opinion - much better than the Buckhorn - just comes down to personal preference.

[DeathValleyMike]

Welcome DVM! There are plenty of .44 mag shooters here to help with advice on the sights you're asking about. I had to scope my two Henry's.
You'll get help here, no doubt. Keep that 336.

That 336 will be with me till I die. My daughter took her first 2 deer with it. She has already claimed it!
My son likes the new Henry so that will work out great!

I’m gonna sell several bolt guns and buy more Henry rifles!
Think I’ll keep one or two in case .

Great being here guys!

Being patient, but this outlook may change.

[DeathValleyMike]

Since my last visit here I have gotten my rifle back from Henry and elated that it is 100 great!
I shot a buddy’s 45/70 with the Skinner and really liked it, but it was still pretty slow target acquisition in thick cover .

I bought a Ranger Point precision and tried it out Saturday and while I like the construction and look better than Skinner, it was pretty much the same. (Do love the clover leaf rear).

I had a set of True Glow fiber optic red and green sights I ordered when I first got the rifle but didn’t like the fiber optic look on such a traditional looking rifle .
Well, I broke the true glow sights out Saturday and was blown away!
I kept all but one round out of 10 on a paper plate at 80 yards with the fiber optics, and getting on target in the brush was much quicker!
I hate the look , but for tired eyes they are amazing!
I’m gonna leave them on for now, but I may put the RPPs back on for another try later.
The True Glow sights are all steal , fit great and seem sturdy!

If you want to try the True Glow sights, they are only $36 on Amazon.

[pennsylvaniapete]

I have 4 Henry rifles.
1) BB .357 mag
2) BB .45 colt
3) BB X .44 mag
5) Golden Boy .22 l.R.

I bought Pic rails for each of them on eBay, and cut the rail length down to match the top of the receivers profile. So, all Big Boys have the same length rail. I have a Vortex Venom red dot sight that I move to the rifle I want to use that day. A few shots to confirm POI and I am good to go.
I am over 75 and had a difficult time with open sights. The red dot did the trick for me and looks good on the rifles.

[rickhem]

Another option would be to look into a forward mounted red-dot sight. There are short mounts available for mounting on the barrel, and some of the smaller dot sights would work quite well in that capacity, along the lines of a scout scope style setup. To me, it does not keep that "traditional" look and feel, but it sure as heck works for rapid target acquisition. Another benefit is that holding the rifle in one hand at the receiver balance point is still the same, so it carries well too.

[Redthies]

Since my last visit here I have gotten my rifle back from Henry and elated that it is 100 great!
I shot a buddy’s 45/70 with the Skinner and really liked it, but it was still pretty slow target acquisition in thick cover .

I bought a Ranger Point precision and tried it out Saturday and while I like the construction and look better than Skinner, it was pretty much the same. (Do love the clover leaf rear).

I had a set of True Glow fiber optic red and green sights I ordered when I first got the rifle but didn’t like the fiber optic look on such a traditional looking rifle .
Well, I broke the true glow sights out Saturday and was blown away!
I kept all but one round out of 10 on a paper plate at 80 yards with the fiber optics, and getting on target in the brush was much quicker!
I hate the look , but for tired eyes they are amazing!
I’m gonna leave them on for now, but I may put the RPPs back on for another try later.
The True Glow sights are all steal , fit great and seem sturdy!

If you want to try the True Glow sights, they are only $36 on Amazon.

You know RPP does their sights with fibre optics too, right? That’s what I had on my Marlin 1895 GS.