Newbie with questions….

[geezerjohn]

Greetings from geezerjohn.

Bought my model X a few years back, just getting around to shooting it.

A few Qs..,…

1). What parts are most likely to either break, of be lost?

2). I would like to install winged/protected sights (Skinners). They have a rear, but not a front for Henry. Any suggestions? Can their Marlin front be altered (by a smith, not me:) to work?

3). Finally….
I sweat like a pig (OK - I know nothing about how much a pig truly sweats. Need to ask my wife, the retired DVM:). I would love to refinish the metal components with something dark/gray like MELONITE, DLC, etc. Prefer a surface treatment as opposed to plating that can chip/flake. Has anyone done this? If so - where and how much (retiree on fixed $$$, yada, yada, yada:)

Thanks so much:)

John (aka geezerjohn)

PS - BTW, retired professor type. 40 years teaching pathophysiology and forensics (mostly emphasizing osteology and firearms/ballistics). Central IL.

[JEBar]

welcome to our community .... feel free to jump into ongoing threads; as well as, to start others of your own .... you've posed some unique questions, hopefully our folks will be able to help

[Sir Henry]

Welcome to the forum. I can’t help you on your questions however someone will be along soon. When you refinish the receiver take pictures of the process and post pictures.

[DsGrouse]

Welcome, glad to have you here

First question.

The 2 piece firing pin will eventually go. That will requure it to go back to henry. They will need to head space the new bolt.

Second question,

I'm not going to be much help here, I use red dots and LPVOs on my Henry's.

Third question

Cerakote, DLC, hard chrome, and birdsong are options. To be honest, though, a couple of precautions will limit your chances of it rusting.

Shoot with disposable nitrile gloves on; skip latex because the powder can transfer. Let the gun acclimate to ambient temperature before shooting.

After shooting, wipe it down with a reel and rod cloth. Let the gun acclimate to temp a second time when you bring it inside. Wipe it down a second time with a second rod and reel cloth.

Use a third rod and reel cloth to put it i the safe. (Same for taking it out.

Silicone gun and reel cloths
https://a.co/d/1ud3GGo

For the forensic portion of your post




After

[Hatchdog]

Welcome to the forum from the eastern side of the state of Washington.

Probably the most often lost part on a Henry Big Boy is the ejector. When removing the bolt for cleaning the ejector comes out with it but is not attached and they tend to wander off if not supervised by a responsible adult.

Enjoy your Big Boy

[BigAl52]

Ask Andy at Skinner if he has any thoughts on your front sight with the wings. Maybe he would make one.

[rickhem]

Welcome, and an additional thanks to whomever combined these multiple posts.

For your sight, would a hooded front sight suffice? I'm sure that is available, and before scopes were so prevalent, most rifles came with irons that had hooded front sights. It's not the wings like a garand, or M14, or M16, but it is protected. That shaded area from the hood also helps with sight picture too.

For a protective coating, the options DsGrouse posted are all good ones. I once saw a revolver that the owner had coated with NP3, which is a proprietary coating, and I believe has been replaced by NT7. Incredible resistance to the elements from their testing results. Have not heard anything bad about it, and I really liked that revolver with the NP3, which has always been something I wanted to try. Look into that if you don't mind the extended down time while the job gets done.

[brm4450]

Welcome from Dacotah

[Mags]

Welcome from the Tualatin Valley

[leverjc]

Welcome to the forum. The 2 piece firing pin will be the part that will break. You might want to be pre-emptive about this if you have a period of time you will not be using your rifle. The firing pin on my BBS broke two weeks ago and Henry has yet to approve my request for to fix it.

[GFK]

Welcome,

I put a RPP rear peep sight on my H009, some years back. But, only the cloverleaf version is offered now, which I didn't like. The good part, I did not have to change the front sight. Maybe, Skinner is the way to go. Nonetheless, this is a link to the site: https://rangerpointstore.com/.

This is what Midwest Gun Works has: https://www.midwestgunworks.com/henry-r ... perpage:48

At any rate, happy shooting!

[The Wiz]

Welcome

[Ernie]

Welcome to the forum. I have nothing to add regarding your questions.