Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Henry Qs

Recently handled a few Henry single shots. IMO they are too heavy for a hunter whose only ATVs are on his feet! I like the design and the workmanship and even the real world prices BUT

Couldn't they shed some of that weight by making the receivers of aluminum alloy, one of the traditional ways of making a lightweight break-action gun, double or single? It would really help the handling of the small guage shotguns especially. Maybe Ruger could help 'em out with the alloy and casting! (Sure....).

How do these guns take down? One of the main advantages of break action guns is that most of them are REALLY easy to break down into two or three short pieces for storage and packing. Is that true of the Henry singles? (Store was too busy to ask questions and I never break down a gun that isn't mine without permission....).

Made in USA rings my bells, for sure!

Don't have my manual in front of me, but there is a pin (believe it is the hinge pin) that you push out. You'll recognize it because it is smooth on both sides. I haven't taken mine apart yet to try that out so not sure how easy it works.

I bought mine for the straight wall cartridge capability, 450 bushmaster. Very good recoil pad and very good looking walnut. Great workmanship on the steel and finish. Have just shot factory ammo and accuracy is better than good enough for the 450 ballistics.

Some are pretty heavy; depends somewhat on what they’re chambered for. My .410 isn’t a featherweight, but isn’t an anvil either. My .357 OTOH, has a pretty hefty barrel and came in with a scope as heavy as my M70 EW, maybe a bit more. They use one receiver for all models, which certainly saves some money because of parts commonality. From the reviews I’ve seen, the 12ga and .45/70s are pretty lively, and I doubt many would want them lighter. Personally, I’ll suffer the weight so as to have a nicely blued steel receiver. Different strokes.

BTW, I’ve had three, those mentioned, and a .308, which was quite accurate before UPS javelined it into something hard on its way home from the trigger recall, which ruined it. Henry replaced the barrel totally at their cost, but either the new barrel was less accurate, or something in the lockup was damaged by the UPS abuse, so it came back okay, but not stellar as before. It’s gone.

If you want aluminum, look at CVAs, but they have a crappy blocky plastic stock and my ML seems as heavy as the .357 Henry, or maybe heavier.

It amazes me how critical people are about a $500 rifle made in America, of blued steel, nicely finished, with good, sometimes excellent checkered walnut furniture, and decent triggers. WTF do they expect for $500 in the Biden economy?

I have a 357 Henry ss and my only complaints are the excessive drop at the comb and the weight.
Thinking of having Bellm do either the long throat job, the Max, or the 360, but I have tons of 357 components and the long throat lets you seat way out for Max ballistics in a standard 357. Oops, just talked myself into the throat job.
I put a lace on leather comb to fix the drop problem.

Didnt Henry make a single shot in 35 REM?

Far as I know Henry only made the 35 in there lever gun. A single shot 35 rem be nice!

Given the situation with .35R ammo, a .350 (available now) or .360 (almost here!) are the easy buttons for .35 cal fun in the Henry.