Problems with Henry Picatinney scope mount

[Jim22]

I have a Henry single shot rifle. I'm using a scope on it so I bought their offset hammer spur. I had trouble with the original Henry one piece scope mount while working up loads. It set the high power scope I was using too low. The optic bell was being struck by the hammer and its spur. It caused intermittent misfires.

I bought a used Redfield 1-4x scope from the internet. It has a smaller optic bell so it worked fine but it put the scope higher than I liked. So I checked the Henry website. They are offering a new picatinney mount that takes Weaver rings. So I bought one and yesterday installed it. I mounted Weaver low rings on it and I had the same problem. The hammer was striking the optic bell of the smaller scope. So I reinstalled thee original Henry mount and the problem went away.

If you decide to put a Henry picatinney mount on your single shot rifle you should use higher rings. Be aware, also, that the Henry single shot rifle will not accept other brands of offset hammer spur because of the shape of the hammer.

I expect this combination to be very good for my carrying. The rifle is not light but it is accurate. It needed a trigger job. That's common with today's single shot break open rifles. Don't reduce hammer spring tension. It can be done with careful work.

Jim

[megasupermagnum]

Is this a newer Henry? I've heard nothing but fantastic things from the triggers of post-2020 Henry SS. I did a bunch of work to my pre-2020 SS, and got the trigger really nice. This included reduced hammer springs, but the originals were ridiculous. People with weaker hands struggled to even pull the hammer back. I decided to send it in for the recall anyway, and to my astonishment, the trigger came back at least as good. It is in the 2.5 to 3 pound break range, very crisp. Only thing that might be better is an overtravel stop screw. The hammer springs they now come with are much lighter.

As for the scope mounting, I've had no problems with mine, less than any other break action. Way easier than H&R, which the only real option is to bob the hammer if you want low, and sometimes medium rings. I have a Grovtec hammer extension on my Henry SS 308, if that is what you mean by an offset hammer spur. I see Ranger Point also offers one, so there are at least three brands to choose from. I'm pretty sure all Henry's use the same hammer spur, I could be wrong. I have a Warne scope base on mine. They are the same bolt pattern as H&R/NEF, so there are a number of choices out there. I like Warne stuff, and also use Warne rings. I have low rings, and a Leupold 2-7x on mine. I have extra room to spare. It would be nice to have a taller comb on the stock, but then you couldn't use the iron sights if that is what you preferred. Lastly, I'm not sure what you mean by the rifle is not light. All decked out with a Leupold scope, my Henry 308 is barely 7 pounds. It's lighter than an H&R Handi-rifle 308. Maybe the synthetic stock options were lighter, but it could not have been much. You will be hard pressed to find a lighter rifle unless you are talking small calibers, or a purpose built mountain rifle. I carried mine for many miles through the Bighorn mountains this year. The rifle weight was the last thing on my mind.

[gc45]

A friend has a new Henry 22lr lever gun and it shoots very well! Surprised me so much I want one...

[megasupermagnum]

They do shoot really well, at least as well as a TC Encore or Contender. About the only bad thing I can say about the accuracy is they use very thin sporter barrels, so they heat up quick. When shooting for groups, you have to take a shot and set it down. That's the price of a light rifle though. It would be nice to have a bull barrel 223 though. So far nobody has been willing to make barrels for these.

[dg31872]

Jim, I ran into the same problem. I like medium rings on rifles, so I order them for my new Henry SS in 38/357.
Was surprised to find zero clearance between the spur on the hammer and the scope.
Returned the medium rings and ordered the high rings. They just clear the hammer extension.
It is not the best, but it works.
It would be helpful if Henry bent the spur down to a lower position.

[megasupermagnum]

Jim, I ran into the same problem. I like medium rings on rifles, so I order them for my new Henry SS in 38/357.
Was surprised to find zero clearance between the spur on the hammer and the scope.
Returned the medium rings and ordered the high rings. They just clear the hammer extension.
It is not the best, but it works.
It would be helpful if Henry bent the spur down to a lower position.

Can you post a picture? Maybe they changed. On mine, the hammer spur could not possibly be bent lower, it came that way.

[megasupermagnum]

I was wrong, I have a 4-12x Leopold on mine. Warne base with low Warne rings. Hammer is as low as it possibly can be and still cock.