Strange Experience Today At The Range

[HenryFan]

I was able to take my new Henry single shot rifle in .223 Rem./5.56 Nato to the range earlier today to sight in the scope. I started with some Wolf .223 Rem. 62gr. FMJ ammo to get it on paper at about 25 yards or so. I didn't expect much from Wolf steel case ammo but I thought it would be sufficient at 25 yards to get on paper. If I have to expend ammo to get on paper, the russian steel case stuff is the first to go. The first shot was surprisingly close and I used a few more to get the windage right and moved my target to the 50 yard line. The Wolf steel case was quite poor so I moved to some Wolf 62gr HP ammo and it was only marginally better but still poor.

I then tried some IMI 77gr ammo, then some Hornady 55 gr. SP ammo and last, some Hornady Black 75 gr. ammo. I was not getting what I consider acceptable accuracy but suddenly, after maybe 40 or 45 rounds or so, the Henry started shooting 3-shot cloverleafs with the IMI 77gr ammo.

Has anyone else experienced this? From abysmal to ideal like a switch was turned on. I don't think that my mediocre shooting skills improved significantly between shot 1 and shot 45.

I think the scope (Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9X40) is mounted correctly and I never let the barrel get hot. I clean any new gun before I shoot it the first time so I was starting with a clean barrel.

Got me stumped. Any thoughts?

[Mags]

... I clean any new gun before I shoot it the first time so I was starting with a clean barrel.

Got me stumped. Any thoughts?

Some guns too clean and or excessively too dirty don't shoot well. Looks like maybe you found the fouled sweet spot in between.

[GunnyGene]

... I clean any new gun before I shoot it the first time so I was starting with a clean barrel.

Got me stumped. Any thoughts?

Some guns too clean and or excessively too dirty don't shoot well. Looks like maybe you found the fouled sweet spot in between.

Agree with that. And I wouldn't clean it again until accuracy/precision showed it was needed and then only gently, not scrubbing it down to base metal or he'll have to start from scratch again.

Round count will vary from what's shown in this pic:



See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOmco59 ... n&index=37

and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeAdf4b ... n&index=38

Also, Parts 39 thru 41.

But from the title I was expecting some kind of UFO abduction, or supernatural experience.

[North Country Gal]

Some barrels do funny things as they break in, but do some more shooting. It often take a couple hundred rounds or so before a barrel settles down and shoots, consistently. Also agree not to be in a hurry to clean the barrel and when you do, no need to scrub super clean.

Note, too, that how tight you torque the forearm bolt on single shots such as the Henry can also affect accuracy. Also, where you rest the forearm on a bag can affect accuracy. Most important is to be consistent on both.

[HenryFan]

I understand and appreciate all of the comments. Good advice all.

But I think if I put a gun back in the safe without a cleaning, I'd have nightmares. In fact, I cleaned the rifle upon my return home and had plans to give it a second cleaning tomorrow morning.

I guess I am still afraid the unit armorer will find some black soot somewhere on the piece.

[BrokenolMarine]

As a Marine, I resemble that remark. I clean my guns after each session, if we spend time in foul weather, and about every six months if they are EDC guns. We were taught to take care of our equipment if it's to take care of you. My twenty five year old P220 with tens of thousands of rounds thru it, still shoots perfectly.

[Mags]

I understand and appreciate all of the comments. Good advice all.

But I think if I put a gun back in the safe without a cleaning, I'd have nightmares. In fact, I cleaned the rifle upon my return home and had plans to give it a second cleaning tomorrow morning.

I guess I am still afraid the unit armorer will find some black soot somewhere on the piece.

Check out the section "Clean Your Guns Based on Usage—"
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms ... lean-guns/

[GunnyGene]

I understand and appreciate all of the comments. Good advice all.

But I think if I put a gun back in the safe without a cleaning, I'd have nightmares. In fact, I cleaned the rifle upon my return home and had plans to give it a second cleaning tomorrow morning.

I guess I am still afraid the unit armorer will find some black soot somewhere on the piece.

Check out the section "Clean Your Guns Based on Usage—"
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms ... lean-guns/

Many people spend extraordinary time and effort on the bore, and little to no time on the moving parts in the receiver, or under the stock/grips. To me that's like brushing your teeth, but not wiping your butt. I tend to blame this on the people who market and sell cleaning kits and assorted chems that are nearly always targeted at the bore, and ignore the rest of the gun. I take the opposite approach, and rarely do more than run a dry patch thru the bore to wipe out powder residue, or a little oil if it's not going to be shot for a year or so.

[GFK]

My thinking, a clean gun is a happy gun. Yet, barrels may have pits. So, the copper could fill in the pits to allow the bullet to exit the barrel more consistently. Therefore, getting rid of the power residue is good. However, a little cooper could good a long way. Anyway, that is how I look at my Henry.

[Sir Henry]

For me it all depends on the gun and ammo. Having shot a lot of corrosive ammo I would first clean my hands then the exterior of the entire rifle. Next would be the bore with boiling water and ammonia. Then repeat cleaning my hands and exterior. During WWII it was a Court Martial offense to have pits in your bore. If you were issued a rifle with pits it was stamped with a P and sometimes R for rust. That was common with Enfields.

My concealed carry would get all the lint cleaned off it almost daily even if I never shot it. My rimfire only gets a bore snake down it. All the sage queen rifles and pistols would get a wipe down and oiled at least once a year.

[HenryFan]

I do not have deep pockets so I make (or at least try to make) things that I buy last for a long time. I think that, and military experience, cause me to clean firearms after every range visit. My hunting rifle(s) get a thorough cleaning after the end of deer season before they go into the gun safe. If I anticipate rain while I hunt, I take a stainless-steel finish rifle but I always prefer blue steel/walnut as my first choice.

I have used Hoppe's #9 bore solvent and Hoppe's gun oil for probably 60+ years with one exception. I use Breakfree CLP for my one black rifle, a Colt AR15A4. Somehow, I never found rust, corrosion or cancer on my firearms. At 75, I doubt I will change my current habits. Right or wrong, I refuse to let science, technology or miraculous innovations change my superstitious habits.

Others may disagree and they may be right. One of my hunting buddies has an old Remington Model 700 and I doubt it ever receives TLC but it always works, taking deer every year.

I admit I may be compulsive, maybe overly compulsive, about firearms cleaning but I'm too old to change my ways.

[Hatchdog]

Back to your original results with different bullet weights what is the twist of your barrel? Must be 1-9 or faster if it’s shooting those 77 grain bullets that accurate.

[HenryFan]

Hatchdog -

I had to go to the Henry website and it says the Henry single-shot rifle in .223 Rem./5.56 NATO rifling is 1:9.

One thing I just thought of is that the IMI ammunition is 5.56 NATO whereas the other ammunition is all .223 Rem. If I had thought of it yesterday, I would have included it in my original post.

I would have thought that .223 Rem. would generally be more accurate than 5.56 NATO.

[HenryFan]

Another thing I noticed this morning while cleaning is that there is some amount of play between the buttstock and the receiver. Not much but if I can figure out how to remove the recoil pad, I will tighten the stock to the receiver in hopes it improves accuracy.

Any tips on this procedure?

[HenryFan]

I found a tutorial on the Henry website and tightening the stock to the receiver is a piece of cake. Remove the recoil pad with a #2 Phillips head screwdriver and use a 5/16" allen wrench to tighten the buttstock screw.

When I tightened the stock to receiver screw, it took maybe 3/4 of a turn at most but now there is no looseness between the stock and receiver.

[Mags]

... a little cooper could go a long way.

I agree with that.

[GFK]

... During WWII it was a Court Martial offense to have pits in your bore. If you were issued a rifle with pits it was stamped with a P and sometimes R for rust...

I admit that a pitted barrel is not ideal. But, my Henry barrel seems to be rougher than either of my Marlins. I guess that is where lapping a barrel may help. After shooting my Henry, I typically have noticeable copper fouling. After shooting my Marlins, I don't notice any copper fouling. My Henry is a 30-30; I also have a Marlin in 30-30. I shoot the same ammo in both. I do know that the rifling are different, Marlin has a microgroove rifling. Does that make a big difference? Don't know. I just know that I have more copper fouling in my Henry than I do my Marlin, which mean more work for me. Yet, I have found that my Henry seems to shoot tighter groups, with a little copper in the barrel though.

[Mr. Neutron]

My H009BG (brass frame, octagon barrel) 30-30 doesn't seem to mind a bit of copper in the rifling at all with regards to accuracy. My steel receiver/round barrel H009G 30-30 seems like it's a bit more sensitive to that. The brass framer is the more accurate of the two, so it's what gets taken hunting.

Honestly, I don't mean to stir up any sort of a Hornet's Nest or heated debate here. But I have to kinda side with GunBlue490's philosophy on getting rid of the carbon & gunk, and that a bit of copper fouling in the rifle grooves doesn't actually hurt anything. Like a few here, if the gun might be a safe queen for awhile, I do feel better with a deep clean beforehand. But really, if it's put away with my normal cleaning cleaning and well oiled, it works for me.....

Added in EDIT: Sorry for veering off-course in the discussion about cleaning philosophies. I hope the OP can get all the accuracy he can outta his rifle. By any chance do you reload, or have you tried some more "premium" factory loads, like something from Federal, or othe companies like that? If I do my part, my 30-30 H009BG will sometimes shoot fairly equal groups with Winchester or Federal factory stuff compared to what I've gotten with my handloads (so far). For myself, I'd look at my ammo and my own personal shooting on that day than cleaning habits.

[Mags]

To be honest, most of the time my cleaning philosophy is clean when gut feel tells me it's probably time. Even seldom used guns on occasion, get at least an oil patch through the bore to keep the copper from corroding into that green fluffy stuff. The Pacific NW is very damp fall to spring, so even though the guns are stored in a cool dry safe, the humidity still gets in. Not good for the steel or the copper.

[HenryFan]

Mags -

Do you use a Golden Rod or the equivalent? Silica gel packs?

I use both since it is so humid most of the time in South Carolina.