Henry BB .357 lever opening when load tube slid in.

[Mistered]

I have an irritating problem with my Henry - sometimes (not always) but when I load it and slide the inner mag tube down there is a hesitation and the tube will not bottom out to where I can lock it into the notch on the outer tube. Also sometimes when pushing the tube down the lever 'kicks' open partially and is difficult to close. Then sometimes all is well and the tube slides smoothly down and a light turn to lock it in place. I know what you are thinking and no, I am not overloading it - and this happens sometimes with just eight .38 Specials in it. I need to do a complete tear down and clean anyway and will look for the cause of the problem but if anyone already has and resolved it please let me know.

[JEBar]

there was a discussion a while back about both, I'm sure folks with a better memory and first hand experience will jump in pretty soon .... the hesitation can be caused by the tube catching on a shells lip .... twisting it while sliding it in place helps .... I do remember the lever opening issue with 45-70 which was related to the weight of the shells .... I don't recall it with 38's .... have you considered calling Henry's customer service .. .. if you should do so, please report back on what they say

[The Wiz]

I had the same problem (not the lever opening) with my loading. Folks on the forum said rotated the tube until it slides over the .38 (same cal. that I had in) and it worked. Does this happen all the time with different brands and cal.? This only happened with the particular brand I was using. Don't know about the lever opening. I agree with JEBar about calling.

[Ray]

I have this same exact issue with my 45/70. I had it lock in the open position. Brass tube got hung up on the rounds, etc.
I had to remove brass rod, empty rounds and the stuck round fell free into the open chamber finally allowing me to cycle it properly. This isn’t normal operation at all. I sent an email to Henry.
I should be able to slide tube in easily over the 3 rounds and then cycle the action to load the chamber.

[ditto1958]

OP, to put it bluntly (there’s no other way) your problem seems to be a common one with Henry center fire lever guns, and is apparently a design flaw that Henry can’t do much of anything about.

I have an H009 30-30 rifle. I love it, but as beautiful as my Henry is, and as good as it shoots, I have to admit that if I were a hunter I’d probably never take it to go deer hunting. I just know that just when I had that big ol’ trophy buck in my sights, that would be the time my lever would decide to pop open, and that buck would trot off into the woods, never to be seen again.

There are things that can be done to mitigate the problem. Load your rifle on its back with the barrel sticking up at a little bit of an angle. As others have advised, twist the inner mag tube back and forth a little as you run it into the outer tube. Keep a hand on the lever and hold it closed as you do this. Lastly, try loading your rifle with one or two fewer rounds than what Henry says it should hold.

I hate to be negative, as I really like my Henry 30-30, but the fact is that they do have a coupla down sides. My Marlin 336 30-30 rifles are almost exactly the same size as my Henry, and they hold 6+1 30-30 rounds. I used to have a Winchester 94, which was also the same size as the Henry, and it held 7+1 rounds of 30-30. Meanwhile, my Henry H009 is supposed to hold 5+1 rounds, but it doesn’t. I can only safely load mine with 4+1, or worry that the lever will pop open.

[CT_Shooter]

...your problem seems to be a common one with Henry center fire lever guns, and is apparently a design flaw that Henry can’t do much of anything about.

Ditto, your method for loading a Henry rifle is spot on and it's how I've always done it with both of my Henrys. However, call me lucky, but I've never had any of the issues you've described (and that a few others are currently experiencing). My H006M accepts a full magazine of ammo (several different factory brands and all of my handloads, even .38s) without popping the lever open while loading and without the inner mag tube jamming. It's just never happened.

I think you should consider calling Henry about the problems you have with your H009. Henry did have issues like you describe when the 30-30s were first released, but I've read that they have long since resolved them. They might make you a "satisfied customer" again.

[Mistered]

Right now I am not making too big of a deal with this and I think I may be onto a 'cure' for the problem. I kind of wanted to make sure it was not an isolated problem and it appears it is not. I BELIEVE part of the problems is the cartridge follower in the inner load tube. It should not be as loose as it is and is too long in my opinion. I am going to turn one that is shorter and a little larger diameter to fit the load tube a little tighter to eliminate the looseness. I will add a bit of length on the inside end of it to provide more bearing surface and reduce the outside length accordingly. If I can eliminate about 80% of the side to side movement I think this will help to stabilize the rounds in the tube better when sliding it down.

[JEBar]

interesting .... looking forward to your test/use reports

[Mistered]

UPDATE!! - well I may have solved the problem - I took my RCBS deburring tool and pushed the follower forward until the cutter made contact with the end of the loading tube and gave it a few firm (but gentle) turns - much like deburring a case mouth for reloading - OH MY ! no more catching on the rim and kicking the lever open and a smooth travel for the tube on down! A little deburring is all it needed! You all can thank me by each of you who do this by Pay Pal'ing me $5.00 to my account (to cover my beer expense!) which I think is CHEAP for the potential hassle I have eliminated!

[Ray]

So let me get this straight. You in essence, deburred the brass tube rod? So you pressed in the spring loaded plunger inside the brass tube with the deburring tool and spun it around a few times to take the edge off. I’m going to try this. Thanks for the update!

[Mistered]

So let me get this straight. You in essence, deburred the brass tube rod?

Yep - thats exactly what I did but it has led me to another idea to improve this even more.

[JEBar]

to be clear, deburred inside or outside of the tube rod

[Mistered]

INSIDE ONLY!

[Ray]

I’m going to give this a try. Henry got back to me and said the 45/70 rounds have a lip and that I should spin the brass tube as I push it down. They gave me no real insight on why the action opens as I do this. I’m going to debur the brass tube.

[Mistered]

I’m going to give this a try.

I can hardly wait for a report! I had to load mine AGAIN when I got home tonight just to make sure I wasn't dreaming - nine .357 rounds in the tube and no hang ups!

[ditto1958]

Awesome. I’m gonna try that, too!

[Mistered]

ANOTHER LOAD TUBE UPDATE - I cleaned the outer load tube with a 16 ga shotgun MOP and Hoppes # 9 and the inner tube with a 20 Ga mop. A few passes with a LIGHT coat of Hoppes, wipe down and let dry and the inner tube slides with NO hesitation. Make sure the lever is OPEN to allow the mop to enter all the way to the cartridge lift area. NOTE ! when cleaning the inner tube push the follower in with the mop and push all the way in and the spring should compress and allow the mop to push smoothly to within about 4" of the muzzle end of the tube (which is about where nine rounds stop) Mine hesitated a little but then went smoothly. I think most of the loading problems are with the sharp shoulder of the end of the inner tube and a dirty inner and outer tube. I am still going to disassemble the my inner tube by taking the finger plug off and removing the spring and cleaning it 100% but a quick mop out with Hoppes has improved it DRAMATICALLY!

[GFK]

ANOTHER LOAD TUBE UPDATE - I cleaned the outer load tube with a 16 ga shotgun MOP and Hoppes # 9 and the inner tube with a 20 Ga mop. A few passes with a LIGHT coat of Hoppes, wipe down and let dry and the inner tube slides with NO hesitation. Make sure the lever is OPEN to allow the mop to enter all the way to the cartridge lift area. NOTE ! when cleaning the inner tube push the follower in with the mop and push all the way in and the spring should compress and allow the mop to push smoothly to within about 4" of the muzzle end of the tube (which is about where nine rounds stop) Mine hesitated a little but then went smoothly. I think most of the loading problems are with the sharp shoulder of the end of the inner tube and a dirty inner and outer tube. I am still going to disassemble the my inner tube by taking the finger plug off and removing the spring and cleaning it 100% but a quick mop out with Hoppes has improved it DRAMATICALLY!

I guess I took the lazy way. I used a one step method (CLP [hoping to get some of the spring too] using 410-ga and 20-ga mops respectively, 30-30). The tubes (inner and outer) were dirty though.

[Mistered]

I used a one step method (CLP [hoping to get some of the spring too]

I haven't used CLP in a long time but if I remember i leaves a thin residue. If that is the case I would follow up with Hoppe's to get the residue out. The tubes & springs need to be clean & DRY for proper operation. I believe most owners are NOT cleaning the tubes when they get their rifle and this is causing most of the problems I read. The deburring I described previously might NOT be necessary is all cases but it will not hurt and WILL improve the tube's travel down over the cartridge rims.

[BigAl52]

Another idea here is I like to use nylon bore brushes. Brownells sells them in all calibers. The 45 cal will fit nice in a 357. I take the large round patches and wrap them over the end of the brush spray them with cleaner and run them down the length of that tube. I use the same method on the inner tube. This allows one to change the patches. Works good for me. Al