My new Henry .308 came in today, luckily before my wife got to the mail. Thanks Hitzy for alerting me to them at Dante’s. I received fast and professional service from them, and the box was wrapped very well.
I had read three main complaints about these guns on line. Some had complained about lose and shattered butt stocks. Others had complained about the hammer being very hard to pull back, and most people seemed to think the trigger was way to heavy. So I checked the stock as soon as it was out of the box, everything seemed good. My gun was made in January of this year, so I think the initial bugs have been dealt with.
It really is a thing of beauty, and will appeal to those who like simple beautiful things.
Naturally, I wanted to shoot it immediately. We still have lots of snow up here, so I went to one of my usual spots and had to be happy with about 50 yards, didn’t feel like doing the hundred yard test today.
I picked up some Remington 180’s at the local hardware store, the only .308 they carry, but at the same price as a much better brand, lol. I’m not much of a paper puncher, so I just use aluminium pie plates to see if the gun can shoot. I’m not a scope guy either, especially on a sweet little gun like this. My idea is that this will become my main moose rifle, with all shots under 100 yards.
The sites are similar to ruger 10/22, with the rear site being a flip up. Took me about 3 shots to figure out what worked best, and then I became a “minute of pop-can” killer. I don’t have long arms, and the rifle fit perfectly, feeling very natural to bring up to the shoulder. I don’t bench rest unless I have to adjust the sights, and that was not necessary for this little beauty. It seemed to be sited in very well from the factory.
I found the hammer to be smooth with a good tension, certainly not to heavy unless you have the thumbs of a pre-teen girl. Likewise, the trigger seemed fine to me, certainly didn’t hamper accuracy for me. This rifle is kind of like a shotgun, you pop it up and shoot on the fly, so it’s hard to even notice the trigger.
I had a couple of baikal single shots, and they do not compare. The baikals had crappy sites, and you had to eat a gallon of borscht to just crack the barrel. The action on the Henry is incredibly smooth, and lock up is solid.
I went through all 20 shots, pretty much nailing everything I pointed at. I realize it is only .308, but there is really no noticeable kick to it. There is a very nice recoil pad on it. Here’s a ten second video of pop cab destruction at 50 yards.
https://youtu.be/YZYnTKwkJfw
It’s my new favourite gun, probably not for every one, but very fun, compact and light. A super bush gun!
