Henry AR-7 high round torture test?
- Thread starter cdncowboy
- Start date
Bulls Eye London - 10 in stock, $35.99 each.
Wolverine Supplies - shows in stock, $37.95 each.
With 11 out of 12 stoppages occurring with the same magazine I am blaming the magazine right now. Have read lots of reviews and forums where there seems to be issues with the magazines. I have read several reviews that have stated that these rifles prefer copper plated bullets which I will be testing soon.
I am far from discouraged. I believe all firearms need a break in and that was the intent of the first 100 rounds. My Daniel Defence had a horrible trigger out of the box, a hundred rounds later it was good to go.
I am far from discouraged. I believe all firearms need a break in and that was the intent of the first 100 rounds. My Daniel Defence had a horrible trigger out of the box, a hundred rounds later it was good to go.
Range Trip 2 - A little disappointed but not the rifles fault.
Purchased a set of Weaver 1" High .22 Cal Scope Rings for 3/8" Grooved Reciever so I could mount a Bushnell 3-9x scope I had sitting in the spare parts bin.
First disappointment, the hole on one of the rings for the clamp screw wasn't threaded. Not wanting to drive back to exchange it I threaded it myself. The scope had to be mounted around rear sight due to its height. A fixed power scope would provided a little more flexibility for mounting.
I got the scope zeroed and started testing different ammo for group size. I used a front rest but the group sizes were opening up and I seemed to be shooting consistently to the right. The trigger pull is stiff but I didn't think it would cause the poor groups I was getting. Then I realized the front scope ring clamp screw had backed out. Tightened everything up and re-zeroed the scope. Had time to fire two groups with CCI Mini Mags before getting kicked off the range. Groups were shot in an indoor range at 25m using a rest and each group consisted of 5 rounds. Groups were 1.27" and 1.18" centre to centre.
Rifle Reliability
Federal Game Shok 40 gr Copper Plated Lead Round Nose - 50 rds, no failures.
Remington Golden Bullet 40 gr Plated Lead Round Nose - 20 rds, three failure to feed.
CCI Stinger 32 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point - 20 rds, two failure to feed.
CCI Mini Mag 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point - 39 rds, two failure to feed.
All failures were with Magazine 2. I have ordered another magazine and hopefully it will be here next week.
Second Range Trip Summary
- Round Count - 129
- Failure to Feed - 7
- Failure to Eject - 0
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 5.4%
Totals
- Range Trips - 2
- Round Count - 225
- Failure to Feed - 12 (Magazine 1 - 1, Magazine 2 - 11)
- Failure to Eject - 7 (Magazine 1 - 0, Magazine 2 - 7)
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 8.4%
Failure rate was 12.5% after the first range trip, so it's coming down.
Purchased a set of Weaver 1" High .22 Cal Scope Rings for 3/8" Grooved Reciever so I could mount a Bushnell 3-9x scope I had sitting in the spare parts bin.
First disappointment, the hole on one of the rings for the clamp screw wasn't threaded. Not wanting to drive back to exchange it I threaded it myself. The scope had to be mounted around rear sight due to its height. A fixed power scope would provided a little more flexibility for mounting.
I got the scope zeroed and started testing different ammo for group size. I used a front rest but the group sizes were opening up and I seemed to be shooting consistently to the right. The trigger pull is stiff but I didn't think it would cause the poor groups I was getting. Then I realized the front scope ring clamp screw had backed out. Tightened everything up and re-zeroed the scope. Had time to fire two groups with CCI Mini Mags before getting kicked off the range. Groups were shot in an indoor range at 25m using a rest and each group consisted of 5 rounds. Groups were 1.27" and 1.18" centre to centre.
Rifle Reliability
Federal Game Shok 40 gr Copper Plated Lead Round Nose - 50 rds, no failures.
Remington Golden Bullet 40 gr Plated Lead Round Nose - 20 rds, three failure to feed.
CCI Stinger 32 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point - 20 rds, two failure to feed.
CCI Mini Mag 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point - 39 rds, two failure to feed.
All failures were with Magazine 2. I have ordered another magazine and hopefully it will be here next week.
Second Range Trip Summary
- Round Count - 129
- Failure to Feed - 7
- Failure to Eject - 0
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 5.4%
Totals
- Range Trips - 2
- Round Count - 225
- Failure to Feed - 12 (Magazine 1 - 1, Magazine 2 - 11)
- Failure to Eject - 7 (Magazine 1 - 0, Magazine 2 - 7)
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 8.4%
Failure rate was 12.5% after the first range trip, so it's coming down.
Last edited:
ipscgraz
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
You guys have gotten me curious.
I have a Charter Arms version and a Henry that I have never fired, although it was given to me a long time ago.
Going to have to give them a dust off and try them...
I have a Charter Arms version and a Henry that I have never fired, although it was given to me a long time ago.
Going to have to give them a dust off and try them...
Range Trip 3 - Another disappointment, but not the rifles fault.
I bought a spare magazine from a site sponsor. When it arrived in the mailbox I grabbed everything and headed to the range. Started shooting and went to use the new magazine and it wouldn't fit in the mag well. Pretty frustrated.
The metal on the top edge of the magazine on the one with the 3 on it protrudes too far from the magazine body preventing it from being inserted into the mag well.
Used my Dremel to grind it down a bit. The magazine on the right is the one that was modified. The bare metal is where it was ground down.
Third Range Trip Summary
- Round Count - 51
- Failure to Feed - 6 (Mag 1 - 0, Mag 2 - 6)
- Failure to Eject - 5 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 2)
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 21.6%
All Failures to Eject occurred with Federal Target 40gr Solid Lead Round Nose. Failure to Feed was split with three for Federal Target 40gr Solid Lead Round Nose and three for Remington Golden Bullet 40gr Plated Lead Round Nose.
Totals
- Range Trips 3
- Round Count 276
- Failure to Feed 18 (Mag 1 - 1, Mag 2 - 17)
- Failure to Eject 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9)
- Misfire 0
- Failure Rate 10.9%
I bought a spare magazine from a site sponsor. When it arrived in the mailbox I grabbed everything and headed to the range. Started shooting and went to use the new magazine and it wouldn't fit in the mag well. Pretty frustrated.
The metal on the top edge of the magazine on the one with the 3 on it protrudes too far from the magazine body preventing it from being inserted into the mag well.
Used my Dremel to grind it down a bit. The magazine on the right is the one that was modified. The bare metal is where it was ground down.
Third Range Trip Summary
- Round Count - 51
- Failure to Feed - 6 (Mag 1 - 0, Mag 2 - 6)
- Failure to Eject - 5 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 2)
- Misfire - 0
- Failure Rate - 21.6%
All Failures to Eject occurred with Federal Target 40gr Solid Lead Round Nose. Failure to Feed was split with three for Federal Target 40gr Solid Lead Round Nose and three for Remington Golden Bullet 40gr Plated Lead Round Nose.
Totals
- Range Trips 3
- Round Count 276
- Failure to Feed 18 (Mag 1 - 1, Mag 2 - 17)
- Failure to Eject 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9)
- Misfire 0
- Failure Rate 10.9%
Last edited:
Fussy mags, FTF's and FTE's killed the allure of the AR-7 for me. I even wrote Henry and said my mags were not functioning properly and they sent me two additional mags free of charge. Still had issues feeding the last round from the mag and occasional FTE's with the new mags. Sold it, bought a 70pss Papoose and couldn't believe how much better it was. As accurate as the other Marlin semi's I've owned, and never a fail to feed or eject. Ever. Awesome little rifle. Not to mention the stock was a reasonable size...
Range Trip 4 - A Good Day
Test a variety of ammunition for reliability and accuracy. All shooting was done in an indoor range at 25m from a seated position using a table as a bench. A front rest was used with the barrel nut resting on the rest. The rest did not touch the barrel. Four 5 round groups were fired using each type of ammunition. Magazines were loaded with 5 rounds and the same sequence was used, Mag 1, Mag 2, Mag 3 and then Mag 4. The rifle is fitted with a 3-9x scope which was set at 5x.
Group measurement included all 5 rounds and was measured centre to centre. Ammunition types have been rated 1 to 8 based on average group size. Velocities were taken from the manufactures packaging and may not represent the actual velocity from this rifle.
14 Failure to Feed occurred, 1 with Mag 1 and 13 with Mag 2. Throwing Mag 2 away would greatly improve the reliability of this rifle.
Ammunition ratings in next post since my tablet is crashing every time I try to put everything in one post.
Test a variety of ammunition for reliability and accuracy. All shooting was done in an indoor range at 25m from a seated position using a table as a bench. A front rest was used with the barrel nut resting on the rest. The rest did not touch the barrel. Four 5 round groups were fired using each type of ammunition. Magazines were loaded with 5 rounds and the same sequence was used, Mag 1, Mag 2, Mag 3 and then Mag 4. The rifle is fitted with a 3-9x scope which was set at 5x.
Group measurement included all 5 rounds and was measured centre to centre. Ammunition types have been rated 1 to 8 based on average group size. Velocities were taken from the manufactures packaging and may not represent the actual velocity from this rifle.
14 Failure to Feed occurred, 1 with Mag 1 and 13 with Mag 2. Throwing Mag 2 away would greatly improve the reliability of this rifle.
Ammunition ratings in next post since my tablet is crashing every time I try to put everything in one post.
Last edited:
Range Trip 4 - Con't
1) Remington Golden Bullet 40gr Plated Lead Round Nose, 1255 fps, smallest group 0.604", average 0.756", 4 FTF.
2) CCI Stinger 32gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1640 fps, smallest group 0.495", average 0.769", 1 FTF.
3) CCI Mini Mag 36gr Copper Plated Hollow Point 1260 fps, smallest group 0.643", average 0.816", 1 FTF.
4) CCI Velocitor 40gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1435 fps, smallest group 0.773", average 0.820", 1 FTF.
5) Federal Game Shok 40gr Copper Plated Solid Lead Round Nose, 1240 fps, smallest group 0.590, average 0.836", 2 FTF.
6) Remington Yellow Jacket 33gr Truncated Cone Hollow Point, 1500 fps, 0.645", average 0.872", 3 FTF.
7) Winchester T22 Target Standard Velocity, velocity unknown, smallest group 0.440", average 1.148", 3 FTF.
8) Federal Champion 36gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1260 fps, smallest group 1.189", average 1.397", no stoppages.
1) Remington Golden Bullet 40gr Plated Lead Round Nose, 1255 fps, smallest group 0.604", average 0.756", 4 FTF.
2) CCI Stinger 32gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1640 fps, smallest group 0.495", average 0.769", 1 FTF.
3) CCI Mini Mag 36gr Copper Plated Hollow Point 1260 fps, smallest group 0.643", average 0.816", 1 FTF.
4) CCI Velocitor 40gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1435 fps, smallest group 0.773", average 0.820", 1 FTF.
5) Federal Game Shok 40gr Copper Plated Solid Lead Round Nose, 1240 fps, smallest group 0.590, average 0.836", 2 FTF.
6) Remington Yellow Jacket 33gr Truncated Cone Hollow Point, 1500 fps, 0.645", average 0.872", 3 FTF.
7) Winchester T22 Target Standard Velocity, velocity unknown, smallest group 0.440", average 1.148", 3 FTF.
8) Federal Champion 36gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1260 fps, smallest group 1.189", average 1.397", no stoppages.
One group from the Federal Game Shok and one group from the CCI Stinger had a flier that was due to shooter error.
When this flier is discounted from the Federal Game Shok group the five round group size of 1.344" is reduced to a four round group size of 0.436". This reduces the group average from 0.836" to 0.609".
When the flier is discounted from the CCI Stinger group the five round group size of 1.187" is reduced to a four round group size of 0.792". This reduces the group average from 0.769" to 0.671".
For most of my future testing Federal Game Shok and CCI Stinger will be used and this will be my standard ammo for normal use.
Improving the trigger pull would improve the group size and getting rid of Mag 2 would improve the overall reliability.
Totals
- Range Trips 4
- Round Count 456
- Failure to Feed 32 (Mag 1 - 2, Mag 2 - 30, Mag 3 - 0)
- Failure to Eject 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9, Mag 3 - 0)
- Misfire 0
- Failure Rate 9.65%
When this flier is discounted from the Federal Game Shok group the five round group size of 1.344" is reduced to a four round group size of 0.436". This reduces the group average from 0.836" to 0.609".
When the flier is discounted from the CCI Stinger group the five round group size of 1.187" is reduced to a four round group size of 0.792". This reduces the group average from 0.769" to 0.671".
For most of my future testing Federal Game Shok and CCI Stinger will be used and this will be my standard ammo for normal use.
Improving the trigger pull would improve the group size and getting rid of Mag 2 would improve the overall reliability.
Totals
- Range Trips 4
- Round Count 456
- Failure to Feed 32 (Mag 1 - 2, Mag 2 - 30, Mag 3 - 0)
- Failure to Eject 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9, Mag 3 - 0)
- Misfire 0
- Failure Rate 9.65%
Quick trip to the range. Fired a few groups with Federal Game Shok 40 gr Copper Plated Round Nose, 38 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, and 31 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point. The 31 gr CPHP is rated at 1430 fps and there was a noticeable difference in the force of the action cycling.
Fired a total of 67 rounds and had 5 failure to Feed and one misfire.
Range Trip - 5
Round Count - 523
Failure to Feed - 37 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 33, Mag 3 - 0)
Failure to Eject - 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9, Mag 3 - 0)
Misfire - 1 Federal Game Shok 31 gr CPHP (Mag 1 - 1, Mag 2 - 0, Mag 3 - 0)
Failure Rate - 9.56%
Fired a total of 67 rounds and had 5 failure to Feed and one misfire.
Range Trip - 5
Round Count - 523
Failure to Feed - 37 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 33, Mag 3 - 0)
Failure to Eject - 12 (Mag 1 - 3, Mag 2 - 9, Mag 3 - 0)
Misfire - 1 Federal Game Shok 31 gr CPHP (Mag 1 - 1, Mag 2 - 0, Mag 3 - 0)
Failure Rate - 9.56%
wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
that 10% failure rate is brutal!
10% failure rate is brutal, but 42 of the failures occurred with Mag 2. If I stop using it the failure rate would decrease.
