Did you miss out on an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter?

[megasupermagnum]

With H&R gone, the USH quickly disappeared, and the rare used ones are often over $500. Henry just announced they are releasing their own single shot slug gun. It appears to be a reincarnation of an USH. It has a 24" bull barrel, although I doubt it is quite as thick as the USH. 1:35" twist, same as H&R used. It is drilled and tapped for a scope base, and it also offers adjustable rifle sights. Henry did have the problem with the trigger pull and some kind of safety recall. Both problems have been fixed. Don't let the MSRP scare you. The MSRP is about the same as the single shot rifle I bought, and I walked out the door with the rifle for about $350. Keep an eye out for deals, and you may get them even cheaper. If I didn't already have an USH, as well as both 12 and 20 gauge Tracker II's, I might be interested in this Henry myself. This is currently only listed as 12 gauge. If a 20 gauge is ever offered, I may buy one.

[gpidaho]

MSM: Thanks for posting that The Henry slug gun looks pretty nice. Like you, I already have a bunch of shotguns. My 12ga. NEF Pardner TrackerII Plus has a very heavy barrel and is a good shooter but not as pretty as the Henry. Gp

[Markopolo]

i love the look of it MSM.... it would be hard to get one here, but I would love one... i have several smothbore singles, but would love the USH or something with a decent twist like that. i would have no problem at all shelling over 350...

[longbow]

Yes, nice to see something like that available again. I was hoping CVA or someone else who makes single shot shotguns would bring out a rifled version and especially with heavy barrel.

The MSRP though is $543.00 US!! Much as I'd like one if they actually go for even near that I'll be buying a fully rifled barrel for my Mossberg first. I'll have to check out some store prices to see what they go for. Also, it could be a while before they are available in Canada. I'd have to check that too. Not easy or cheap to import firearms!

Anyway, nice to see someone picking up that part of the market.

Longbow

[6pt-sika]

I had a pair of the 20 gauge ones with the laminated stocks and heavy barrels . One was the regular H&R 20 gauge with a 3" chamber the other was one of the ones they made for Hastings in 20 gauge with a 3 1/2" chamber . They shot great but oh my word they were heavy heavy for what they were .

[megasupermagnum]

I had a pair of the 20 gauge ones with the laminated stocks and heavy barrels . One was the regular H&R 20 gauge with a 3" chamber the other was one of the ones they made for Hastings in 20 gauge with a 3 1/2" chamber . They shot great but oh my word they were heavy heavy for what they were .

I haven't had the 20 gauge USH, but I can't imagine it being that bad. My 12 gauge is around 9 maybe 9 1/2 pounds. Personally, I'd rather a slug gun weigh 10+ pounds. 12 would be a good weight. Those lightweight 5 1/4 pound Tracker II's are outlandish. A standard 1 ounce slug in a Tracker II makes a 375 H&H seem like a pussycat.

[gpidaho]

MSM: Those Trackers you mention must be a whole different animal than the 12ga. Tracker II Plus I own. It's well over 12lbs. Gp

[megasupermagnum]

MSM: Those Trackers you mention must be a whole different animal than the 12ga. Tracker II Plus I own. It's well over 12lbs. Gp

Yes, I always get them mixed up but there is the NEF Tracker II, and the H&R Tracker II. One of them is an Ultra Slug Hunter, before they were called the USH. The other is a thin barreled, rifled barrel with Ruger revolver adjustable sights, weighing a scant 5 1/4 pounds. At least the 12 gauge is, the 20 gauge is the same OD, so the barrel is thicker, and the gun slightly heavier. I also always forget that the USH and the larger Tracker II came with a steel rod in the butt stock. I took mine out a long time ago. Mine without that bar weights as I said. If you take your recoil pad off, that steel bar slips right out.

[longbow]

What msm said! "A standard 1 ounce slug in a Tracker II makes a 375 H&H seem like a pussycat."

Most of my slug shooting has been with an old cut down Cooey single shot that doesn't weigh very much. Hefty loads produce attention getting recoil! I'd like a bull barrel slug gun!

If store prices for the Henry are lower than their suggested MSRP it looks like a nice gun for a reasonable cost.

Longbow

[gpidaho]

The recoil from a cheap Stevens 12ga break barrel when firing slugs or buckshot hasn't been matched by ANY rifle I have personally fired. I tried ONE buckshot load from the Lyman manual that used 50gr. of Blue Dot and didn't get the stock tucked into my shoulder properly. It brought me down on one knee with thoughts of permanent damage. LOL Yes Longbow, S.I.L called this morning to ask if I'd ordered the Henry slug gun yet. Gp

[longbow]

I've shot up to 50 rounds from the bench with that light gun. OUCH! I'm usually somewhat punch drunk after a session like that. I do use some padding on my shoulder but even that doesn't make up for several pounds added to the weight of the gun.

[AndyC]

Here it is: https://www.henryusa.com/shotgun/single-shot-slug-barrel-shotgun/

[Kylongrifle]

I haven't had the 20 gauge USH, but I can't imagine it being that bad. My 12 gauge is around 9 maybe 9 1/2 pounds. Personally, I'd rather a slug gun weigh 10+ pounds. 12 would be a good weight. Those lightweight 5 1/4 pound Tracker II's are outlandish. A standard 1 ounce slug in a Tracker II makes a 375 H&H seem like a pussycat.

I own a H&R 162 Buck model slug gun. It weighs 5 pounds 3 ounces. I can tell you for a fact(becuase I owned a .373H&H too) that it kicked way harder.. In fact you can do the math. that gun with a 3" brenneke black magic slug has the same foot pounds of recoil as a .458 Lott or .475 H&H mag

[6pt-sika]

I just recently sold my 375 H&H as well as my 416 Rem Mag both on Ruger #1H’s and I never thought either of them was that bad recoil wise . But I shot a lot of stout stuff there for awhile . That heavy H&R 20 gauge was a pain in the butt to carry around I like the Savage 220 far more and the Savage shot a skoosh better .

[flutedchamber]

Does anyone know if the NEF tracker2 has a steel receiver or cast iron? Somewhere on the net I read that the NEF supposedly had a cast iron receiver.

Thanks for the help.

[megasupermagnum]

There is some discussion about what exactly they are made of. The H&R Ultra Slug Hunter is labeled SB2, but is a special sized frame, only fitting the bull slug barrel, and 10 gauge barrels. I can't speak of the NEF Tracker II bull barrels, but I would assume the same. All the standard thickness barrels were on standard SB1 shotgun frames.

So after looking it up, the H&R USH is a bull barrel (no surprise there), but NEF made both a Tracker II which was a bull barrel same as the USH, but also a NEF pardner Tracker II which was a thin 24" rifled barrel. There is also the H&R Tracker II which is the same thin 24" rifled barrel.

[gpidaho]

MSM: I believe there's still a bit of confusion here. This is not to argue the point, only to clarify.My break barrel slug gun is a New England Firearms not a H&R the barrel is the very heavy bull barrel as in Ultra Slug Hunter. The stamping on the barrel reads PARDNER TRACKER II PLUS 12ga 3" RIFLED BORE ( I'm not yelling LOL that's how it's printed on the barrel) I also purchased 12ga smooth bore barrel here on our Boolits sales site on the chance it would fit and it locks up tight on my frame. The barrel is marked PARDNER-MODEL SB1 12GA. 3" MOD. No mention as to NEF or H&R. I also have the New England Firearms 20ga. rifled bore break barrel that is a much lighter shotgun and doesn't have the Bull barrel. It's barrel seems to be just a small amount thicker than the smooth bore Pardner. Gp

[megasupermagnum]

Well who knows. H&R/NEF have made so many variations and barrels over time, how can anyone keep track?

[W.R.Buchanan]

That Henry Slug Gun is a pretty good looking gun.

However if I needed a single barrel shotgun for anything I'd like a TC Encore.

https://www.tcarms.com/firearms/interchangeable-platforms/encore-pro-hunter/encore-pro-hunter-shotgun-slug#models

More than the Henry, but able to swap in other barrels. MSRP is not cheap at <$900 but should be able to get one for less. They used to have one with sights mounted.

Randy

[megasupermagnum]

The only problem with the Encore is how light it its. It's not Tracker II light, but I believe it is under 7 pounds. On second thought, I just checked the Henry spec, and it states 6.88 pounds. That's going to need some lead in the butt stock.

[6pt-sika]

The only problem with the Encore is how light it its. It's not Tracker II light, but I believe it is under 7 pounds. On second thought, I just checked the Henry spec, and it states 6.88 pounds. That's going to need some lead in the butt stock.

I had a stainless Encore Pro Hunter ML for use in the brackish water of the Blackwater NWR when after Sika stags . I also added a Pro Hunter stainless 12 gauge rifled barrel , that one had a pretty decent thump when you touched it off but the biggest downfall I had was keeping the scope to suit me . Seems recoil of the 12 gauge was torqueing the scope in the mounts . So that went down the road , it was an excellent “idea” for the place I was hunting just a shame it didn’t work out . Might add I never really liked the Encore ML but it shot okay .

[W.R.Buchanan]

After some research, 7.5 lbs for the Pro Hunter 12 ga., and about $780 Street Price.

Randy

[godzilla]

I've hunted with a NEF 20 gauge slug gun for years. Its the light barreled version. I chose it over the ultra because I could not see hauling that pig around all day. They do pound ya from the bench but out in the field you don't even feel the recoil. I was hoping that I had a steel frame but after looking into its few years back its sadly cast. Its a real shame we lost H&R, like so many things the affordable option that gets people into a sport is fading away. An even bigger gripe is the price of sabots! They keep killing off buck-hammer alternatives and pushing $3 per round wonder shells that give occasional flyers. With the changing regulations it makes less and less sense to hunt with these types of guns anymore.

[stripercrazy]

I love the USH, i got 5 in 12 gauge the last one i bought said topper88, i think but looks like a USH