Henry mini-bolt accuracy??

[sawatzky]

I bought a henry min-bolt a few months ago for my daughter. I haven't gotten around to shooting it much till recently. What I found was that the accuracy is dissappointing to say the least. With American eagles it will group in the 12" range at 25yds. With thunderbolts it was down to about 8". Tried the federal golds yesterday and instant 6" group (only tried 3 rounds, too dissappointed to go on). Is this common with these guns or should I try some different ammo and hope for the best. Is there something I could try to make it better? I realize that it was not intended as a target rifle but if I try to teach my daughter to shoot with it, she may enjoy hitting the target from time to time as well. Cheers, sawatzky.

 

[bluebell]

I have a Henry Mini Bolt and have not had any reason to be dissatisfied with its accuracy. Has only been to the range twice and I have not yet done a real, serious grouping test, but it seems to have adequate accuracy for the offhand (standing) shooting my wife and I have done at 15 m and 25 m.
Was using different ammo than yours, but no .22 would be that ammo-dependent as to give the truly awful results you describe.
If you have not already done so, check that the bedding screw which fastens the receiver to the stock (underneath the stock) is not loose and check that the front and rear sights are not loose.
If those things are OK, I recommend that you phone Henry and speak with Tony Imperato (he is the company president, but regularly speaks to Henry owners - I know because I spoke with him when I called to say how pleased I was with the little rifle). I am sure you will be looked after.
Please let us know if the suggestions on things to check noted above solve the problem.
I will do a grouping test, hopefully next week and will post results. The many letters from satisfied owners on the Henry website do not indicate accuracy problems.