Henry 44 Sights Way Off

[rjathon]

A buddy is visiting with his steel framed Henry 44 magnum with a round barrel. The sights are way off. When adjusted with the rear sight as low as it can go it still shoots over 5" high at 25 yards. It also shoots about 5" to the right. This is when shooting factory 240 gr ammo and when shooting 265 gr Ranch Dogs with 17 gr Lil Gun.

There is no room to lower the rear sight any more and to adjust it enough to move the bullets to the left the front sight would need to be drifted way off center.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[runfiverun]

move both the front and rear sight.
the rear to the left and the front to the right.
about 1/32" or less on both should center things up.

shoot further away to bring the poi down.
or put in a higher front sight.

[Scharfschuetze]

5" at 25 yards means that the rifle is shooting 20 MOA high and right. That's a bunch.

I would look to see if the bore is drilled off center first. I've seen that on a couple of rifles (both 45/70 for some reason) and while one of 'em shot very well, I just couldn't live with the sights (front and rear) so far off of the center line. The manufacturer rebarreled the rifle and had it back to me within a week. The second one was at a gun show, so while I would have liked that particular specimen, it stayed at the show. Use your calipers to measure from 12, 3, 6 and 9:00 O'Clock on the muzzle.

Next I would check and see if the receiver was bored and threaded square to the bore.

Along those lines, see if the barrel is bent slightly. You can use a straight yardstick to check that.

I certainly wouldn't accept the situation from a currently produced rifle, particularly one that is advertised as: "Proudly made in America." Have your friend contact their customer service department with the issue.

[Uncle R.]

I agree with the above. If the rifle is in "out of the box" condition you might want to think about sending it back. If the sights have already been moved around, moving both the front and rear sights might be the answer to the windage trouble.

Assuming a 16" sight radius, moving the front sight to the right about .040" and the rear sight to the left the same amount should move point of impact around 5 inches at 25 yards.

The elevation issue is thorny. Is it possible you can use a different sight picture? I'm unfamiliar with the sights on the Henry but round beads and buckhorns usually require the bead be pulled all the way to the bottom of the notch, and not even with the top edge like a patridge sight. Just wondering out loud... If there's no issue like that involved you need a taller front sight.

Good luck

Uncle R.

[pietro]

.

Boolit trajectory is an arc, with the projectile leaving the barrel and crossing the line-of-sight twice - once on the way "up", the other on it's way back "down".

For most standard cartridges, to achieve the normal 100yd zero, the close zero is about 23yds.


Since your rifle's POI is so high, it could be that the wrong height front sight was installed at the factory - and the elevation issue is easily resolved via installing a slightly higher front sight blade (about $15).

The windage POI/zero can most likely be achieved via moving the rear sight in it's dovetail, in the direction opposite the direction the movement of the POI is desired (to achieve that zero).



.

[.45colt]

Call Henry.........

[lightload]

Henry's buckhorn rear sight has a center piece held in place by one screw. This piece will slide up and down. Check to see if yours will move down. Better yet, call Henry. They will pay the shipping cost both ways. 5 inches off in two directions is too far.

[rjathon]

Thank you all. He is sending the rifle back to Henry. They are happy to check it over.

[Wally]

Click on the The Henry Guarantee on this ..a video from the President of the company..I'd be surprised if they didn't make things right.

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

[Prodigal Son]

Send it back, as a gunsmith and shop owner, I have never been impressed with a Henry product! They look good, but a pieced together especially their 22 Leverguns

[Hogstir]

Send it back, as a gunsmith and shop owner, I have never been impressed with a Henry product! They look good, but a pieced together especially their 22 Leverguns

You may not be impressed but as the owner of 5 Henry's I differ with you. Take a Marlin or a Rossi and send it back to the factory and see what kind of service you get and how long it takes.
7 years ago I bought my first Henry, a .22 magnum. The first time I took it to the range I discovered that I did not like the trigger, it was gritty and seemed to have a lot of creep. I put it in my safe intending to do a trigger job on it as I had done with most of my firearms. 6 years later when I retired and now had the time I decided to fix the trigger on the Henry. I called the factory and actually ended up talking to the owner and President of the company. When I inquired about available parts to do the trigger job he sent me a prepaid mailing label to send the rifle back. 1 week later I received my rifle back with a FREE trigger job and a light crisp trigger with no creep or grit. AFTER 7 YEARS!
My Henry .22 Small Game carbine shoots neck to neck with my CZ 455 varmint.

[MT Chambers]

Call Skinners for better sights front and back, including a taller front sight.

[Hogstir]

Call Skinners for better sights front and back, including a taller front sight.

Skinner sights are excellent, especially for older eyes.

[blixen]

Call Henry.........
+1 I've dealt with Henry a couple times -- once on a second-hand rifle -- customer service is superb. When the president of the company emails you to make sure they got it right--that's something. As for the plastic sights and barrel bands on the .22s--I find that annoying, but you can buy replacements.

[rjathon]

I just got this email from my friend:

Got my Henry rifle back, repaired, from the factory this past week. They
rebarreled it, put on a new front sight, and changed the trigger guard and
magazine tube. No idea what the last two changes were for, but now that
laser sight that mounts in a 44 cartridge sights perfectly in the middle of
the sight. No chance to shoot it yet, but the sight lines up perfectly with
the laser emanating from the barrel.

Wow! Amazing customer service! Good job Henry!