Henry 44 magnum

[phonejack]

First rifle for me for he purpose of shooting cast. I took it to the range this morning. First up was 2 factory and 2 handloads with jacketed. At 100 yards it shot to the sights with all 4. Didn't have to adjust for windage or elevation. That was interesting. I had some subsonic 240 swc's from my pistol days. They shot to the sights at 50 yards. Huh!!! When I got home I purposely looked for any barrel leading. Nope none whatever. Put some Hoppe's in the barrel and let me that sit awhile. No blue, green on the patches. Oh yeah, it cycles cast RFP and SWC'S flawlessly. It will definetly be a cast gun for me. Next up will be using the chrono to check the velocity of the cast load.

[Outer Rondacker]

Congrats on the nice gun and the fact that it is a shooter. It will serve you well. Thanks for the pic.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

My .357 Henry was right on the money too. They do a nice job putting them together.

[DW475]

Both my Henry .41 & .44 were dead on out of the box. Sweet lever guns.

[GMW]

I have the Big Boy Brass in 44 with a two tone Skinner Express peep sight. Sweet looker and shooter.

[Tatume]

It's very interesting that Henry adjusts sights. That is a step above.

[GhostHawk]

Our Mills Fleet Farm recently redid their whole firearms display area. Instead of 3 shotguns and 2 AR's they now have an area that is at least 30 feet by 50 feet. 3 long display cases full of pistols.

And Henry rifles have a nice long rack all to themselves.

Been drooling over the octagonal barreled brass frame .44 mag and the .357mag.
Both look sweet.

[Ramjet-SS]

Yea Mills Fleet Farm really are doing the shooting sports part of their stores well very impressive on the renovated layout and look. They have no issue selling all types of guns.

[smkummer]

I need to try one sometime just to use the tube loading feature, I know some balk at that but it’s most likely easier and faster to load a full magazine. It might be slower if you just add a cartridge or 2.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
The original Henry 1860 was available with a tube loader unit.
Mike in Peru

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Our Mills Fleet Farm recently redid their whole firearms display area. Instead of 3 shotguns and 2 AR's they now have an area that is at least 30 feet by 50 feet. 3 long display cases full of pistols.

And Henry rifles have a nice long rack all to themselves.

Been drooling over the octagonal barreled brass frame .44 mag and the .357mag.
Both look sweet.

Yep the new owners of Mills Fleet Farm are stepping up

http://www.startribune.com/with-new-owner-and-broad-reach-fleet-farm-steps-on-the-accelerator/455020903/

[Dan Cash]

Good morning
The original Henry 1860 was available with a tube loader unit.
Mike in Peru



True, until the Kings patent loading gate came along in time for the 1866. Winchester never looked back and it seems the customers who banked on their rifles didn't either.

[9.3X62AL]

My .357 Henry was right on the money too. They do a nice job putting them together.

What Charlie said, regarding my steel-frame Henry 357 Big Boy. It is tons of fun.

[44Blam]

I have a H012 steel in 44 mag. The sights were pretty much on, but I bought a skinner peep and front sight. Now the sights are bang on! :D

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I just put a lyman MJT20 globe on mine. Have to see if the little adjustable leaf on the rear can compensate for the extra height. Going out today in this fine weather for some plinking. My son has a BB brass in .357 and has been doing well shooting silhouette out in PA. Knocked 8 rams down in a row at 200m last Sunday.

[georgerkahn]

"Oh yeah, it cycles cast RFP and SWC'S flawlessly. It will definetly be a cast gun for me."

I, too, have one of these in my stable. Might you provide the MOULDS you cast your working cast bullets from? Thanks! geo

[44Blam]

My mould for .44 mag is a 4 cavity mould from Accurate moulds that has 2 cavities in 240-A and 2 cavities in 240-AG. Basically the same design just one is gas checked and one is plain base. They cycle flawlessly in my Henry H012 and I shoot them in my Ruger Redhawk.

[georgerkahn]

Thank you -- my mould of choice has been the SAECO 441-240 -- a .44 Rem Mag SWC “Keith” style 2-cavity 240 grain mould, which functions well in my Henry and Uberti long guns as well as handgun in this caliber. I may very well look into the 240-AG -- I have no issue with putting a gas check on.
geo

[44Blam]

With those 240-AGs I have a W296 load that is 23.5 grn (not quite max) and then I do a 21 grn load of 2400. Both of those are solid loads that kick like Chuck Norris in the revolver, but are pretty reasonable in the lever gun.

[lazs]

I have an early brass Henry 44 mag and it really will not cycle the keith type SWC.. it likes most everything else. It is a very smooth gun and like some here I went with the skinner sight which is more old eye friendly.

As for the tube mag... and how it loads.. it is WAY faster to load if you have to load more than one or two. It is WAY safer to unload. just dump em out.. and the transfer bar is something that should be on every lever gun. a safety on a lever gun is... well.. ugly.

lazs

[northmn]

I like the tube magazine on my 22 mag a lot better than the side gate on my Marlins and the Mossberg 464. Easier to load and unload as mentioned. Also I would bet the tube loading mags don't smash bullet noses and leave a brass residue like the loading gate does. I like the Henry's, don't have one, as I am lever poor but would like one.

DEP

[lazs]

LOL...yeah.. and they never pinch your fingers. Loading the big caliber tube mags is even easier for me. I pull the inner tube all the way out and tilt the gun at maybe 30 degrees and just drop in the rounds from the top.. you can hold the inner tube under your armpit while doing this... I think the Henry's are extremely safe guns for this feature (making unloading safe) and for the transfer bar which takes nothing from the gun and simply adds Ruger revolver like peace of mind.

I have not shot the 22 caliber Henry's but folks tell me the guns are a hoot.

lazs

[northmn]

Henry 22's are a hoot.

DEP

[44Blam]

I have an early brass Henry 44 mag and it really will not cycle the keith type SWC.. it likes most everything else. It is a very smooth gun and like some here I went with the skinner sight which is more old eye friendly.

As for the tube mag... and how it loads.. it is WAY faster to load if you have to load more than one or two. It is WAY safer to unload. just dump em out.. and the transfer bar is something that should be on every lever gun. a safety on a lever gun is... well.. ugly.

lazs

I put a skinner sight on mine as well - I LOVE it. It is super accurate! I did a shooting comp the other day and I was against guys with AR15s with scopes - I didn't win, but I was in the upper 1/2. Target acquisition is super fast.

[lazs]

With the stock semi buckhorn style sight I simply could not get consistent accuracy at 50 yards... I know it is my eyes but my much younger friends had trouble too... i think it depends on lighting and glare. With the skinner all that is eliminated. The accuracy is a good as my best stock sight groups but far more consistent.

lazs

[Walks]

I've had a UBERTI Henry for almost 30yrs. I've 3 brass tube loaders that hold 6 rounds a piece for almost that long. I've feed it only RNFP, 1st a MAGMA 210gr , then an RCBS 200GR CM. So I have never bothered to try any SWC.
But dropping a tube full of cartridges straight down is a recipe for disaster. I feed my Henry at 45degrees. I've seen a Henry come apart by someone dropping rounds straight down into the tube. Usually the second or 3rd round. Even saw one of those short-lived MARLIN 1894's in .32 H&R Mag blow up that way. Shooter was using the Lee 32-100gr RN. Some folks just don't listen.
Don't care much for those pot-metal new henry's. Haven't seen one of the new replica's of the "1860's" so I can't speak to the quality of them.

I grew up shooting WINCHESTER & MARLIN Lever Guns. Just don't understand the problems folks have with loading gates. While I've never even seen a MOSSBERG 464, I can't speak to how It's loading gate works.
I've owned & shot WINCHESTER 1873's, 1886's,1892's , 1894's and 71's. I've also owned and shot replica 1886's, 71's, 1892's and 1866's made by BROWNING(Japan), UBERTI (Italy) & ROSSI (Brazil).
I just HAVE NO PROBLEM with the side loading gate.
I've used plenty of .22 Rifles with tube magazines that are feed from the end by removing the inner mag tube. Don't mind them at all. If you can't master a side loading gate, I guess the henry's are just right for you.

I suppose these days with the REAL WINCHESTER 94 being out of producton for 12years, that folks no longer can buy an affordable Lever Gun to learn on.

[9.3X62AL]

Walks--

Specific to the 357 Magnum levergun question--I would have loved to buy either a Miroku/Winchester 1892, or a Marlin 1894C with the side-gate, but both have been unobtainium for several years. I got tired of waiting on gunmakers or sellers to get their act in gear, so I opted for the Henry Big Boy/steel receiver. I have enough sense to NOT let live cartridges free-fall down a mag tube. I pull the spring tube back to just clear the loading port, then set 1-3 cartridges in and push them down to the magazine's endpoint. It is an accurate, tractable rifle that I enjoy shooting very much.

[cb4017]

I've been wanting a .357 lever gun for a while. I avoided the Henry because of the loading tube. Well a month ago I impulse bought a Henry Big Boy Brass in .357 Mag. Glad I did. Very well made and lots of fun. My old eyes didn't like the buckhorn rear sight so I installed a Skinner barrel mount peep sight. Much better. This rifle is becoming my favorite plinker.

[JoeJames]

I have been thinking about getting one of the 44 Mags. But how does it feed with 44 Special? I expect that it would be a problem with semi-wadcutters, but was wondering if round nose will feed ok?

[cb4017]

I have been thinking about getting one of the 44 Mags. But how does it feed with 44 Special? I expect that it would be a problem with semi-wadcutters, but was wondering if round nose will feed ok?

My .357 feeds .38 Special SWC just fine. I would think the .44 Mag would be the same.

[lazs]

The problem for me... for my Henry.. with SWC bullets it that they are too long. They simply jam up the gun. you can feed em one at a time through the ejection port of course. The same bullet loaded in 44 spl cases will feed since the overall length is shorter. The Henry is no different in that regard than my brothers Marlin... neither will feed the 44 mag SWC but both will feed the 44 spl with the same bullet. Why 44 mag lever gun makers do not just make it so the carrier is longer I have no idea. it is barely a 1/16" more needed.

As for loading.. I tilt the gun just enough so the rounds slide down the tube. It is pretty easy to get the hang of really.

I just took the Henry out for the day with a friend and I had forgot how much fun it is plinking with this little carbine.

lazs