Grandson's Henry

So I'm sitting at the table eating lunch when a neighbor walks in. (Yes, just walks in- everyone who knows me just walks in. Dunno why, but no one ever knocks on my door.)
"Hey, whatchyupto?" he asks.
Pointing at my plate, I tell him, "Taking a bath."
"Good- you look like you need one." Good reparte, think I.
He pours himself a cup of coffee and joins me at the table, says, "Got a birthday present for Humphrey I want you to look at, lemme know whatchya think."

We talk about the weather while drinking coffee and finishing my lunch, then wander outside to his car.

There's a big grin on his face as he opens the backseat and pulls out Humphrey's Henry.

Humphrey will be eleven this May and being a typical grandfather, Erv wants to get him something that'll have some meaning for more than just a single year, or day.

And he found this little gem to be the first "real" gun Humphrey owns. It's a Henry .22 lever action, just like the cowboys used to carry. (As usual, click pix to enlargen. [I know 'enlargen' ain't a word, but it works.])
Henrys are made in the good old USofA, someplace on the East Coast- New York, I think, and are a popular rifle. This one, being .22, handles 15 rounds of Long Rifle, 17 Longs and 21 rounds of Shorts- of course, not all at the same time. I dunno if it's possible, or even advisable, to mix-n-match rounds, but imagine it is, but why?
Back to Humphrey's rifle.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but I was duly impressed with the tiger striped American Walnut stock- very impressed. The grain is probably the best I've seen on any rifle. And Henry does brag about its wood.

The front site was nothing to write home about, though. Made of modern day plastic, I wasn't impressed at all. Also, it has a hood, which I've never liked on my Marlins and have removed, though I do understand the reasoning behind having it there. Protect the sight from dings, nicks, scrapes and getting knocked out of adjustment. Still- and this one shows it pretty well- they can get knocked around and bent out of shape, too. (Erv did buy the rifle from a friend of his, so the gun is used. Except for the hood, the rifle is in NIB condition, though. I really doubt more than a box of bullets have gone through it.)

The rear sight is typical flat-topped square notch adjustable for windage with a hammer (OK, kidding: use a hardwood drift pin and light tapping with a hammer in the direction desired.) Finish on the rifle receiver was a beautiful black paint job over aluminum- I don't know if Henry is using aluminum for all their receivers these days, but it looks OK. Not the toughest finish in the world since it's paint or enamel.

One word of caution is in order here, too: there is no "manual" safety on this rifle other than the "half cock" position. Just the way it should be, IMO. Teach them right the first time to not rely on safeties, but on muzzle control.

Once initial inspection and congratulations were given out, I grabbed a couple boxes of 510's and a box of Stingers and we took the rifle to the range behind the house. (Its a short 100 foot range but adequate for most the shooting friends and I tackle.)

As you can see, the Stinger case (silver) is just about 3/32 inch longer than a 510 (common, average size 22LR). I mention this because while we were shooting, I noticed a bit of resistance to the chambering of the Stinger.

So far as the action is concerned, I was again impressed with how silky smooth it was. It's a full 90 degree stroke to load and cock, just like a 'real' lever action rather than the 60 degree throw of some models. Loading the Henry is typical of most tubular fed rimfires: twist the locking tab on the end of the tube, draw out the compression spring insert tube, load the bullets by either dropping them i via the bullet shaped hole (with the tube still partially in), or pull the spring tube all the way out and drop the bullets in the open end, which is my preferred method. Doing that, be careful to not walk off and forget the tube, though.

Once loaded, point the muzzle at the ground downrange and work the lever just like John Wayne did to load the chamber. Again, keep your finger off the trigger till you're ready to shoot- this is a half cock safety, so you'd better be darn sure where the muzzle is when applying it in usual fashion: hold hammer back with thumb while carefully depressing the trigger, let the hammer go forward a bit, release the trigger and slowly lower the hammer to its half-cock. To fire, pull the hammer back to full cock and aim, squeeze off the round, and cycle the action for the next... hmmm, getting long-winded again and rambling...

As mentioned, I'd felt a bit of unusual resistance while cycling the action with Stingers. Actually, got kind of concerned at first because I thought I'd damaged the rifle. But, thankfully, inspection disclosed the problem and all is well.

I extracted the round, noticed some scratching on it and a small chip of the bullet scored away. Sooooo... pull out tube, empty all rounds, re-insert the first and look at things more closely. (You can see the etching on the bullet case.)

The problem was the added length of the Stinger and the case meeting the chamber throat early and, not being malleable as lead, create just a whimper of resistance before going in. It is noticeable, but nothing to worry about, IMO. Just something we should be aware of.

EGADS! That's a small rifle! Comes quick to the shoulder and points right the first time, though the ear muffs did cause a little clank in my ear when the stock hit them. Actually, side by side comparison with my Marlin '94 shows the Henry to be about half an inch longer due to the rear stock wrist (where the hand goes) being nearly an inch longer than the Marlin's. There is definitely a difference in weight, too. The Henry is probably falling in about five pounds, loaded. The Marlin is tipping seven pounds loaded. The wood, though beautiful, is a bit less in substance/size compared to the Marlin, but probably in keeping with most Winchesters I've seen, which also seem kind'a skimpy with their wood.

Handling was a breeze, too- and fun. Talk about F-U-N! Wow. There's something, to me, about actually being part of the working end of a rifle, and having to work the action on the Henry was... well, fun. Not as quick firing as a semi auto, but faster than a bolt and probably on par with a pump.

How well did it shoot? I can't blame the gun for lack of accuracy, that's for sure. Using open sights with my old eyes isn't the best option- which is why all my rifles have scopes- but I think I managed well enough to impress Erv with the group.

The previous owner had obviously sighted the rifle in, or the factory did a marvelous job of bore-sighting. Either way, the group was little over an inch and nothing I'd whine about for a little .22 plinker-small game getter.

I'm certain Humphrey is going to be over-joyed this birthday- he and Gramps may well find themselves at the Shy Wolf Range for some first lessons.

Would I recommend this rifle for an adult? Or even myself? I dunno- verdict isn't in yet. The things I didn't like about the rifle were nit-picky things such as the aluminum receiver and plastic front sight (which I'm sure can probably be changed). Its diminutive size and weight make it a wonderful little gun for a Bug Out Bag or a Get Home Bag. It is certainly a classic First Gun for any youngster. No parent would go wrong getting it, though it probably isn't a gun that will be handed down from generation to generation due to the aluminum receiver. Time will tell.

Dang, I dunno. Marlin makes a really sweet little .22 lever... well, they did till their parent company shut down the North Haven factory.

Shux.

Bless God, God bless.

Shy III