New Long Ranger .308 Owner

[Pottsy]

Thanks fellas. Definitely no hammer extension in the box but Henry has one on the way to me.

I mounted up my scope last night, getting her setup for some range time this weekend.

I need some help with where to put oil. This is my first lever action and I want to make sure I don't oil the wrong places. It feels like it could use a little oil on the bottom of the bolt on the gear slots. Can someone tell me where I should be putting oil on this rifle? The manual doesn't really give specifics.

[Pottsy]

Here are a couple new photos. I'll get some good ones of the stock this weekend with my SLR.

[JEBar]

very nice indeed .... really looking forward to your range reports

[BigAl52]

Loks good Pottsy. I will be curious how your range time comes out. The one test I did see on line the shooter used some of the ammo from Gorilla. The gun shot that ammo just about all in the same hole. That company custom loads ammo so essentually your are buying factory handloads. They are a little pricey but if one doesnt reload its a way to get some custom loads. Al

[JEBar]

as has been noted in other threads, much of the inspiration behind the design of Henry's Long Ranger has to have come from Browning's BLR .... our early edition is shown below .... by employing the Browning style rotary bolt they have the time proven advantages of a locking bolt found in bolt action rifles .... having used ours since the '60's I'd really like to test fire a Henry Long Ranger 308 .... there is no doubt in my mind that the Long Ranger will be a big winner and will develop a very large following

[2fewdaysafield]

I think it is pretty safe to say there is some BLR in the Long Ranger woodpile. Thought so the moment I saw a pic of the Long Ranger. I do have to wonder if HRA will ever offer a take down version as Browning did.

[Pottsy]

BigAI - I picked up a bunch of PMC FMJ-BT rounds for the weekend; I can't remember the grain right now but I think it was 147. Hopefully it shoots decent. I did see that review where the guy was shooting Gorilla well with the long ranger. I might pick up a few boxes to try to see for myself. I do want to find a good match round for it.

I shoot a lot of PMC out of my glock and it's always been excellent for my uses, but this is gonna be a different ballgame. I guess I'll see - I bought about 250 rounds ; ). Hopefully it shoots decent enough to get some 1" groups on my first outing...I'll have a hell of grin on the way home if it does.

There was another ammo I saw a guy online shoot three shots in the same hole with long ranger but the name is beyond me right now.

By sometime Saturday afternoon I should have a really detailed range report posted.

[2fewdaysafield]

Looking forward to that report. PLEASE DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA OR PHONE/CAMERA!

[Pottsy]

Alright...I finally had a chance to go out and shoot my LR .308. Friday night I took it over to the range after work to try and get it on paper in preparation for some fun today. I'm going to have to re-mount my scope because even though I used a level and everything looks perfect, it needed to be adjusted way to much to the left, leaving me barely any room left in the dial to adjust for windage in the future. I literally had to adjust it like 80 clicks. I've never had to do adjust a scope I've mounted more than 15 clicks in any direction for zero. I am concerned I either tightened the ring screws too tightly putting an odd pressure on the scope, or the scope is just that crooked. I looks dead straight to me though... I bought a bore laser to make it easier next time around.

Now on to the fun stuff... This gun is definitely a shooter. I zero'd the scope at 50 yards first just to be safe (didn't want to accidentally shoot over the berm or anything else unsafe). I was shooting groups of 3 and my best group at 50 yards was about a .75" group. Not too shabby. After I was comfortable at 50 yards, I moved over to 100 yards. I honestly didn't need any adjustments between 50 & 100...my 50 yard zero had me hitting bullseyes at 100 yards straight away. I was shooting from either the red shooting rest pictured or from bags. That shooting rest is NOT meant for a .308, but I gave it a try but it was all over the place so I just stuck with shooting from bags for the rest of the morning. I added a couple pictures of the targets below. It's hard to tell there were three shots on the 100 yard target, but it was most certainly three. I'm really impressed with the accuracy of this rifle so far. For being my first time shooting this caliber, and first time shooting this particular rifle, I am really pleased with the results and can't wait to be able to show what this gun is really capable of.

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I was shooting factory PMC 147 grain FMJ-BT rounds. I had zero issues feeding or ejecting through 60 rounds. This was my first time firing a .308 though I have some experience with .25-06 and .30-06; I must say the recoil was a little more than I expected having had read about .308 having less kick than .30-06. It felt pretty similar to me, but it's been a year since I fired a .30-06. It's not unmanageable by any means, just thought it was worth mentioning for anyone like me who was new to .308 and wondering what to expect.

The trigger is absolutely fantastic. There is about a millimeter (maybe two tops) of take up before a nice clean/crisp break. I LOVE the trigger on this gun. I should add, it also seemed to tighten up after the first 30 or so rounds. It felt great out of the box, but got even better the more I shot.

I think that about covers it for now. Now for the fun part... here are some photos I took of the stock.

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[JEBar]

"This gun is definitely a shooter." .... there is no doubt about that and not surprised to hear hear it .... nice, very nice indeed

[BigAl52]

Looks good Pottsy. 308 and 243 are very good shooting calibers. IM not to surprised at your accuracy. I bet with some hand loads 1/2 inch groups would be realistic. Al

[Pottsy]

Thanks, man. Agreed - I definitely think as I improve I can get this gun to shoot 1/2" groups. I really didn't even feel like I was shooting too well yesterday and still had great results. It was rainy and windy as heck, my hands were freezing, and it's a brand new rifle and caliber for me. Regardless, I think this rifle and I are going to have a long and happy life together, and then one day she'll be my sons. This is likely to be my primary hunting rifle for the next 40 years...Definitely the kind of rifle one hangs onto.

[Pottsy]

sorry for the double post...it won't let me delete this

[2fewdaysafield]

Dang! The beautiful wood and excellent initial results have me torn between this rifle in .308 and the Big Boy Brass in .41 mag! On the strictly business side...I have a Tikka T3 Lite in .270 (plastic-stocked bolt gun) that I bought for trips I used to take to Wyoming for antelope. For a lot of sad reasons those trips no longer happen so I have my .357 levergun for deer here in the East and the Tikka that was purchased for trips I no longer take is expendable so might be used to help finance the purchase of the Long Ranger .308 which would give me a "long range rifle"--400 yards max for me on game. Which would actually make the .308 Long Ranger a less expensive out-of-pocket option than the .41 mag Big Boy. I don't want to give up the .270 unless it is for a replacement Western game gun. One way or another I am going to take a few more trips out West for antelope, muleys and hopefully elk.

Pottsy....Could I ask you a favor? Did you ever weigh the .308 Long Ranger bare naked without the scope or ammo? The reason I ask is that an awful lot of manufacturers are like women on dating sites and dramatically underestimate their weight. With good accuracy and a realistic weight of the HRA claim of 7 lbs the Long Ranger in .308 would be an OUTSTANDING Western game gun if I go hunting out West again. And I always want to have a rifle that can do that job.

Looking forward to more posts on the accuracy you achieve with this rifle!

[Pottsy]

Hey 2Few... Thanks...I keep telling my wife, this wood is nicer than any furniture we have. She is not too interested though : )

Unfortunately, I did not weigh the rifle before I mounted my scope, and I actually don't have a scale in my house. I would totally do it for you, and I am actually planning on taking the scope off and remounting it once my bore laser gets here, but I don't think I have anything to weigh it with. I will look in the attic in case we saved our old one, but I am pretty sure my wife tossed it out. I am not happy with how few clicks of windage I have left afte the initial scope mount, so I am going to re-do it and see if I can straighten it out.

I can say it definitely "feels" light without a scope on it. I don't have a similar sized gun to compare it with but it definitely felt nice and light without a scope(and not too bad with one on it). If there is anything else I can help you with though, don't hesitate to ask.

Your trips to Wyoming sound amazing...I'd love to hear about them some time. When I bought this rifle I went with .308 because I am somewhat of a romantic when it comes to things like guns, and wanted something I knew I would want to shoot forever and that could handle anything I decided to go and hunt with it in the states. I like the idea of hunting with one rifle for the rest of my life...me and my trusty lever action .308. Cheers!

[RanchRoper]

Somehow I missed this thread.....congratulations, that is a gorgeous rifle.

[PT7]

Under the range conditions and 1st time out ["...rainy and windy as heck, my hands were freezing, and it's a brand new rifle and caliber for me."], your results are very good. And really enjoyed all the "positives" about this Henry: excellent crisp trigger, zip FTFs or FTEs after 60 rounds, accuracy, etc. Not surprising at all.

And of course, the fun part --- beautiful wood! As much as I like the wood furniture on my SGC, I think I would consider swapping stocks with you!!

Your .308 Henry is a definite keeper and looker, too. Thanks for the great range report and very nice photos.
Enjoy.

Now on to the fun stuff... This gun is definitely a shooter...... I'm really impressed with the accuracy of this rifle so far. For being my first time shooting this caliber, and first time shooting this particular rifle, I am really pleased with the results and can't wait to be able to show what this gun is really capable of.

Now for the fun part... here are some photos I took of the stock.

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[2fewdaysafield]

Hey 2Few... Thanks...I keep telling my wife, this wood is nicer than any furniture we have. She is not too interested though : )

Unfortunately, I did not weigh the rifle before I mounted my scope, and I actually don't have a scale in my house. I would totally do it for you, and I am actually planning on taking the scope off and remounting it once my bore laser gets here, but I don't think I have anything to weigh it with. I will look in the attic in case we saved our old one, but I am pretty sure my wife tossed it out. I am not happy with how few clicks of windage I have left afte the initial scope mount, so I am going to re-do it and see if I can straighten it out.

I can say it definitely "feels" light without a scope on it. I don't have a similar sized gun to compare it with but it definitely felt nice and light without a scope(and not too bad with one on it). If there is anything else I can help you with though, don't hesitate to ask.

Your trips to Wyoming sound amazing...I'd love to hear about them some time. When I bought this rifle I went with .308 because I am somewhat of a romantic when it comes to things like guns, and wanted something I knew I would want to shoot forever and that could handle anything I decided to go and hunt with it in the states. I like the idea of hunting with one rifle for the rest of my life...me and my trusty lever action .308. Cheers!

Thanks Pottsy,

The wife, the wood on your rifle, etc...I have 3 ex-wives so I am not qualified to comment.

Weight....anything further you can provide will be greatly appreciated. The first year I went to Wyoming for Antelope I carried a GORGEOUS CZ-550 FS in 30-06. But scoped and loaded (3 rounds) it weighed over 10 lbs and it kicked my then 56 year-old butt when I carried it from dawn until dusk. Sold it before the next year to get the Tikka T3 Lite. Used that for 2 years and then the whole Wyoming trip went to hell.

On my 3 antelope trips....A buddy from another forum that I had hunted pheasant with was from Mo and at the end of a pheasant hunt he asked if I'd be interested in hunting antelope in Wyoming with him. Told him I'd LOVE TO but that as he knew I wasn't a wealthy man and couldn't afford big guide fees and such. He responded that the cost would be license; ($272 per buck and OTC doe tags something like $28 per doe) plus getting myself to KC; share gas from KC to WY and back, share food costs for the hunt, plus $100 fee to the landowner for trespass fee and naturally do my share of the work. I asked him about lodging costs and "trophy fees" and he said "I have a wall tent. We go primitive and camp on his property. No trophy fee or per head fee, just the $100 trespass fee."

JUMPED ON IT!!!! DEAL of a lifetime! About $1,100 for 5 days of hunting counting all costs including my airfare to KC. We hunted for 3 years. But the bordering landowners were charging HUGE trespass fees (like $300 per day) and trophy fees of something like $200 per inch over 11" and $250 per doe. Last year we were there the landowner said he was switching to trophy hunting. My buddy tried to get us a "grandfather clause" (he had been hunting there for 10 of the last 12 years) but the owner said no dice and there went my annual inexpensive Western hunt.

That was 6 years ago I guess. Haven't hunted out west since. But y'know, back when I was hunting with my ugly plastic-stocked .270 Tikka I fell in love with Western hunting out of a tent. And I always thought about a DIY hunt out of a tent with a levergun. Wanted to in the WORST WAY. But shots on DIY Western hunts aren't at close ranges and there wasn't much in the way of leverguns that was affordable that could reach out to 200, 300 or 400 yards. NOW THERE IS!!! I've got my .357 for close range deer here in the NE but I really don't need that .270 Tikka so maybe I should just get a Long Ranger in .308 so that if I am ever able to put together that "Affordable Western Hunt" again I can do it with a LEVERGUN!!!

A few pics from those "good old days" below.

Home sweet home in Wy....





My first antelope taken with my CZ-550 FS 30-06 that weighed a TON!

[JEBar]

great story, one on which I sure hope you get to add future chapters ....

[2fewdaysafield]

great story, one on which I sure hope you get to add future chapters ....

Thanks JEBar.....I've been BLESSED for the last 8 years or so to do a lot of "comparatively inexpensive" out of state hunts. Pheasants, Dove, Sage Grouse, Antelope, Snow Geese but I am an old and romantic fool and I REALLY want to do a few DIY Western hunts for antelope, mule deer and maybe even elk with a levergun. That said, the days when I can carry on my back everything I need for a weeks DIY hunt are getting short. Too much "riotous living". But I want to do it a few more times before I simply can't any more. And I want to do it with a levergun!!!