Henry 45-70 iron sight trouble

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Isobar1999

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Does anyone have a Henry 45-70 and have trouble with the rear sight not having enough elevation adjustment to get a 100 yard zero ?
I bought a new 45-70 and took it out yesterday to zero the irons and had to have the rear sight elevation maxed out and also the small rear sight insert raised right up and still couldn’t get enough elevation to get close to a zero at 100 yards.
I was shooting 405 grain Remington corelokt 1600fps ammunition.
I’m thinking it needs a shorter front sight.
It pissed me off as 45-70 ammo is not cheap and to find that the irons don’t zero at a pretty standard distance for 45-70 was frustrating to say the least.
 
I would contact Henry and see what they have to say. It might be an issue with your gun, but it also might be an issue with the ammo used?
 
"might be an issue with the ammo used?"

This, probably - I was reloading with H4895 for my lever action 358 Winchester and could not get high enough elevation at 100 yards with a scope.

Switching reloads to Win 748 with the same 200 grain bullet raised point of impact well above zero at 100 yards - different powders, different pressures?
 
Your cheek weld is too high on the butt stock. When using irons or tang peeps a very small deviation in cheek weld can change your impact point many inches...even changing your posture will change the eyeball elevation as to how you look through the irons can cause enough to change to completely miss a computer paper sized target.

You can look through your back sight at any plain you want by changing elevations of your eyeball (raising or lowering your cheek weld).

You can make your rifle shoot to a 100 yrd POI with your back sight 1/2 way up the ladder just by changing your eyeball level.
You can prove this to yourself very easily in your house without going to a range...set your rifle on 2 stacks of books on a table, one stack under the bore and the other lower stack under the butt. Position the rifle so you have an aiming point ( mark on the wall will do but something further away out a window is better). Now with the sight where you have it now and a cheek weld like you used at the range position the rifle so it is sighted at the target you have chosen (use more or less books under the front sight/bore) Now without moving the rifle, lower your cheek weld 1/2 inch or more...the front sight disappears doesn't it...now, without changing your cheek weld raise your bore until you can see the front bead again...you have just increased your bore angle/trajectory many times more than what would be needed for a 100 yrd shot.
Now the next question you are going to ask is "how do I hit the target when my front sight is elevated much higher."...that is easily answered...keep your cheek weld-eyeball-front sight plain locked as is, now move your head and rifle as on unit until you have your original target line up...guaranteed in a live fire at the range situation if you did this you would shoot over a 100 yrd target easily using the supplied sights.
 
If your ammo is factory a more realistic velocity is around 1250 fps. My Marlin 1895 will not adjust high enough to shoot my 405 grain 1400 fps loads to POA @ 100m.Had to add a scope.

Darryl
 
fingers284 said:
Your cheek weld is too high on the butt stock. When using irons or tang peeps a very small deviation in cheek weld can change your impact point many inches...even changing your posture will change the eyeball elevation as to how you look through the irons can cause enough to change to completely miss a computer paper sized target.

You can look through your back sight at any plain you want by changing elevations of your eyeball (raising or lowering your cheek weld).

You can make your rifle shoot to a 100 yrd POI with your back sight 1/2 way up the ladder just by changing your eyeball level.
You can prove this to yourself very easily in your house without going to a range...set your rifle on 2 stacks of books on a table, one stack under the bore and the other lower stack under the butt. Position the rifle so you have an aiming point ( mark on the wall will do but something further away out a window is better). Now with the sight where you have it now and a cheek weld like you used at the range position the rifle so it is sighted at the target you have chosen (use more or less books under the front sight/bore) Now without moving the rifle, lower your cheek weld 1/2 inch or more...the front sight disappears doesn't it...now, without changing your cheek weld raise your bore until you can see the front bead again...you have just increased your bore angle/trajectory many times more than what would be needed for a 100 yrd shot.
Now the next question you are going to ask is "how do I hit the target when my front sight is elevated much higher."...that is easily answered...keep your cheek weld-eyeball-front sight plain locked as is, now move your head and rifle as on unit until you have your original target line up...guaranteed in a live fire at the range situation if you did this you would shoot over a 100 yrd target easily using the supplied sights.
Click to expand...

If you don't change your cheek weld, how do you raise the bore to bring the front sight back into view? If you cannot see the front sight from a given cheek weld, the relationship between your eye, the rear sight, and the front sight won't change by adjusting the angle of the gun?

I'm picturing it as a line going through 2 points (eye and rear sight) and going above a third point (the front sight). Assuming the relationship between the eye and the rear sight doesn't change (and it shouldn't if you have the same cheek weld?) then I don't see how you can independently move the front sight into view?
 
Last edited:
fingers284 said:
Your cheek weld is too high on the butt stock. When using irons or tang peeps a very small deviation in cheek weld can change your impact point many inches...even changing your posture will change the eyeball elevation as to how you look through the irons can cause enough to change to completely miss a computer paper sized target.

You can look through your back sight at any plain you want by changing elevations of your eyeball (raising or lowering your cheek weld).

You can make your rifle shoot to a 100 yrd POI with your back sight 1/2 way up the ladder just by changing your eyeball level.
You can prove this to yourself very easily in your house without going to a range...set your rifle on 2 stacks of books on a table, one stack under the bore and the other lower stack under the butt. Position the rifle so you have an aiming point ( mark on the wall will do but something further away out a window is better). Now with the sight where you have it now and a cheek weld like you used at the range position the rifle so it is sighted at the target you have chosen (use more or less books under the front sight/bore) Now without moving the rifle, lower your cheek weld 1/2 inch or more...the front sight disappears doesn't it...now, without changing your cheek weld raise your bore until you can see the front bead again...you have just increased your bore angle/trajectory many times more than what would be needed for a 100 yrd shot.
Now the next question you are going to ask is "how do I hit the target when my front sight is elevated much higher."...that is easily answered...keep your cheek weld-eyeball-front sight plain locked as is, now move your head and rifle as on unit until you have your original target line up...guaranteed in a live fire at the range situation if you did this you would shoot over a 100 yrd target easily using the supplied sights.
Click to expand...
I’ve got the exact same sights on my 30-30 Henry , I have no issues hitting a 6 inch gong at 150 yards with the iron sights on it. They’re the same sights that the 45-70 has. Somethings off with the 45-70 , I’m thinking the front sight is too tall. Going off of responses I’ve gotten on a few Facebook groups it’s apparently a common enough occurrence with Henry’s and it’s been suggested I contact Henry and get a shorter front sight sent out. Fat lot of good that will do me in Canada though.
 
madtrapper143 said:
If your ammo is factory a more realistic velocity is around 1250 fps. My Marlin 1895 will not adjust high enough to shoot my 405 grain 1400 fps loads to POA @ 100m.Had to add a scope.

Darryl
Click to expand...
Ok well that gives me hope that my sights aren’t completely out to lunch. I have a scope and rail here I can mount and zero with the ammo I have. I bought three boxes of the 405 grain ammo on the assumption that it was the traditionally standard 45-70 load and should work with the rifle. Goes to show what assumptions can be lol although it wouldn’t have mattered as that was the only ammo available at the time I went to buy it.
 
Isobar1999 said:
Does anyone have a Henry 45-70 and have trouble with the rear sight not having enough elevation adjustment to get a 100 yard zero ?
I bought a new 45-70 and took it out yesterday to zero the irons and had to have the rear sight elevation maxed out and also the small rear sight insert raised right up and still couldn’t get enough elevation to get close to a zero at 100 yards.
I was shooting 405 grain Remington corelokt 1600fps ammunition.
I’m thinking it needs a shorter front sight.
It pissed me off as 45-70 ammo is not cheap and to find that the irons don’t zero at a pretty standard distance for 45-70 was frustrating to say the least.
Click to expand...

Not an uncommon occurrence, although I'm surprised that Henry would have the wrong sight on the rifle.

A lower front sight will fix that problem in a hurry.

Ted
 
I worked around the issue for now , added a scope. Got some good results today shooting it at 100 yards so for now going into spring bear season I’ll roll with the scope on. Next CERB check I’ll get a skinner sight ordered lol
 
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