New Henry break open single shot rifle

CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 13 June 2017

I have been searching all of the usual sources for the last 6 weeks and so far nothing. I thought about calling Henry directly.

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 13 June 2017

The steel models are shipping now and have been since May, the brass ones will ship starting July. There have been no trial balloons to test the market, they are shipping.

Gary

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CBA Member

David Reiss posted this 14 June 2017

Gary is correct, I had called them and got the same answer. Really waiting to put my hands on one.

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 14 June 2017

Gary;

Where did you get the info that the steel rifles are actually shipping now and have been since May? I e-mailed Henry yesterday and the answer was only this summer.

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CBA Member

Dale53 posted this 14 June 2017

For those that haven't heard of these:

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/single-shot-rifle/

It's a shame that these don't come in a good edible small game caliber (like 25/20). Guess the demand would not be there, but just thinkin'...

FWIW

Dale53

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 14 June 2017

I'm with you there Dale53. Or 32-20, 38-55, 32-40, 30-30, 357mag. I'm a soft touch for rimed single shotters anyway.

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Standard Member

Rich/WIS posted this 24 March 2018

Have seen three in the last two days. One in a LGS to my south, a 308 for $425 and two in an LGS to my north in 243 0r 223 for $380. Rifle looked nice , handled well and had very nice wood with modest figure, with the 223 having the best wood . Only issue was the trigger, had a weird pull, almost two stage. Squeeze and it would move and then stop, and a harder squeeze would finally get it to break. If it had not been for the trigger either the 243 or 223 would have followed me home.

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Standard Member

OU812 posted this 24 March 2018

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/single-shot-rifle/

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Standard Member

OU812 posted this 24 March 2018

I do not like.

How about a single shot design built using a High Wall or Low Wall receiver and heavy octagon barrel chamber in 327 Magnum.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 24 March 2018

Cabelas has had a few 243s available on line. 85-100 gr bullet at 1200-1400 fps would make a rather nice fun gun. I must admit that it would totally lack nostalgic appeal however.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 19 April 2018

It looks as though the 223s and 308s are both becoming available. I have been looking for a receiver sight before I jump in but I have not found anyone who makes one yet.

Jim

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 20 April 2018

I just ordered a 308 from Cabelas. They have some other calibers in stock also.

The rifle will be here in plenty of time for the Groundhog shoot.

Jim

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 20 April 2018

Does anybody know what the twist of the 223 is?

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CBA Member

beagle6 posted this 20 April 2018

The twist is 1in9 for the .223. I'm still trying to find one in 44 Mag.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 20 April 2018

Cabelas has all calibers in stock but the 44 mag. They will take back orders on the 44 mag. I haven't found many other retailers stocking the single shot yet. I think either sportsmans guide or sportsmans warehouse has some but I don't know about the 44 mag.

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 21 April 2018

Thanks Beagle6.

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CBA Member

frnkeore posted this 21 April 2018

I'm curious...... For the guys interested in this rifle, Will the main shooting be off the bench and has anyone owned and shot a break-open rifle before?

Frank

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CBA Member

beagle6 posted this 21 April 2018

I have a Ruger Blackhawk in 44 Special and I like the Idea of a companion rifle. I doubt it will ever see a 44 magnum cartridge but if need be I can load the magnums with 44 Special dies. Been doing it for years with 357 cases with 38 Special dies. Probably just use it for plinking. Years ago I had a break open 22 Hornet.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 21 April 2018

Frank,

Here is my story. I was raised with a 22lr / 410 over and under as my first gun. Later I carried a 12 gauge single barrel. Break action guns just feel good in my hands. I have shot a H&R 223 and a H&R 204. They were good enough for coyotes but not for prairie dogs.

I may use my Henry as a back to the basics deer rifle or I may just take it for walks in the woods. I would like to put a peep sight on it but won't be willing to do any drilling and tapping. My fall back sight probably will be a 1X muzzle loader scope.

Basic and simple but with good wood; that is my goal.

Jim

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CBA Member

frnkeore posted this 22 April 2018

Thank you, Jim. As I said I was curious.

I'm a die hard single shot guy and I've had a H&R 45/70 and still have two Savage 219's. One a 30/30 and the other, a re-chambered 22 Hornet, to 22/3000 R2.

They are great off hand and hunting rifles with their ejectors but, I don't like them for bench work. For me, they are a real pain to shoot off the bench.

Frank

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 26 April 2018

Cabelas just called. My rifle is in. Maybe I'll have a picture to post tonight.

Jim

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 26 April 2018

Will be awaiting a full report with eager anticipation

R.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 26 April 2018

Here is the picture first:

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 26 April 2018

Ok I can see I reduced the resolution too much but you can see the quality of the wood, the cut checkering and the blue on the barrel. The wood is the biggest strength of this rifle in my opinion. The action opens very smoothly. It has one of the hardest cocking hammers I have ever used. Perhaps that will smooth out with use.

The rear sight is visible right in front of the scope base. The front sight is a nice brass bead. My eyes no longer allow the use of open sights. Screw placement on the barrel is the same as the H&R. Hence there is a Williams peep sight available. I think it will require a taller front sight so I elected to put on a scope. The rings and scope tube need to allow mounting the scope well back. This scope is the Pine Ridge 1X muzzleloader scope. It has a lot of eye relief.

The rifle as shown weighs 8# 2oz. I will attach another better picture.

Jim

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 26 April 2018

Here is a better pic - I hope. BTW my first load for this rifle will be a PB 311291 loaded over approx 11 gr of Trail Boss. I am looking for a muzzle velocity of 1,000 fps. Look out Groundhogs.

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CBA Member

tlkeizer posted this 27 April 2018

Greetings,

Pretty wood.

TK

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CBA Member

Coydog posted this 27 April 2018

Is this going to take the place of the H&R Handi rifle? That is what it is looking like.Also look like Henry is take up some other company guns that they stop make also. Have anyone else see that?

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 27 April 2018

Taking some pages out of old Bill Ruger's play book.

R.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 27 April 2018

Very similar including scope base and Williams WGRS. Can not be a coincidence. I do find the choice of calibers a little curious.

Personally I am anxious to see a 20 gauge. The nice wood will be tempting on a shotgun.

Jim

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CBA Member

erj145 posted this 01 May 2018

You did just fine on the wood. I have a Henry single shot in 308 like yours inbound from Cabelas. I hope I do as well as you on the wood. I already have a .44 Mag. brass already that I am very pleased with. The wood is very nice but not spectacular. I have seen a steel single in 308 that had wood that was xx or better. It already had been purchased otherwise I would have snapped it up. Henry is like that: the wood you get a strictly luck of the draw.

Like yourself, my eyes don't function well with open sights. I already have a Weaver #82 base, a Vortex Crossfire 1x scope, and a Williams WGRS aperture sight and am undecided if I want to mount glass or aperture on either of my rifles or possibly both.

I will be very interested how well your new rifle performs with cast bullets. That is my intended use for both of my Henry rifles. I don't hunt anymore so punching holes in paper is my primary interest.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 01 May 2018

erj145

Very similar paths! I am hoping to get to the range this afternoon to try mine out. Perhaps I will have something useful to report later. My initial load will be very mild - a 50 yard plinker load.

Have you shot your 44 mag much yet?

Jim

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CBA Member

erj145 posted this 01 May 2018

I have shot my 44 with a cast load (245 SWC over 8 gr. Unique). @50 yards. Very pleasant to shoot and reasonably accurate limited by my eyes and open sights. I was planning to put the WGRS sight on it but am now leaning toward the 1x Vortex scope. When my .308 arrives i will probably mount a Leupold 3x scope that I have been saving for a special occasion. Scoping these rifles might demonstrate the accuracy that they are capable of rather than guessing with iron sights. The younger version of me would definitely choose a receiver sight but those days are gone. I hate to ruin the classic appearance of these singles with scopes but they are meant to be used not just looked at.

Mike

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 01 May 2018

Mike

I just returned from the range. Here are the results: Aiming point = 3 1/2 ", group=1.2": aiming point = 4" (corner hold), group=1.35"; aiming point = 2 1/2", group=2.3". Obviously being able to see is key. My load was 11 gr of Trail Boss behind a 311291 PB bullet.

Take aways: I need more magnification. 1X is not enough for targets. 11 gr of Trail Boss was ample. I am going to try 10 gr next. There is a nasty catch in the trigger. I read about it on line also. It is like a second notch on the sear halfway through the pull. This is decidedly not a target trigger but I am not sure if one could find a gun smith to clean it up SAFELY. A hammer extension is a necessity.

All in all it was a successful inaugural trip to the range. I am sure there are a number of powders that would work just fine for what we are doing. Now if I can just find a 3X straight tube scoe myself. I have an old K3 but it has seen all of its better days.

Jim

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 02 May 2018

Jim,

Great shooting. especially for first time out with new rifle, new load and a lousy trigger.

Always a pity to have a nasty trigger on an otherwise good rifle.

I have found that an aiming point consisting of a hollow black square of the right size I can shoot almost as well with low power scopes as with higher powers. Centering crosshairs on the right size square white aiming point is easy. Not as good as making concentric circles with a set of match smallbore sights but better than trying to put fat crosshairs on anything else.

John

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 03 May 2018

John,

Thank you. I have an older Leupold 4X laying around. That may have a long enough tube to work.

These are nice rifles. I keep hoping one of our skilled members (of whom I am decidedly not one) will do a trigger job on one of these so the rest of us can go to school.

Jim

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CBA Member

erj145 posted this 08 May 2018

I took delivery of my 308 SS on Friday. I am not sure, but the wood on mine appears to have been cut from the same parent blank as yours. I am pleased. The trigger also has that same "gritty" feel that you described. My Brass 44 SS had the same issue but seems to have improved with use. I think this issue may be part of the design ( lawyer proofing?) aggravated by the high cocking force of the hammer. I mentioned it to Henry CS on a survey site on Sunday and the reply yesterday was an offer to ship it back to them for repair at their expense. I am not sure that I will as I have not even fired my rifle yet and usage may "cure" this annoyance as it did on by Brass 44.

One thing evident is that Henry stands behind their product and is extremely proactive in making things right. So refreshing!

Mike

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Standard Member

JeffinNZ posted this 08 May 2018

Agree about small game cartridges. .25-20, .32-20 options would be good. Too much drop on the stock for the calibres offers also. No good for scope mounting and the .45-70 will slap the shooter something terrible.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 08 May 2018

My local dealer for Henry, Harlem Gun Center in Eggertsville, NY has Henry single shots in .223 and .308. Their buyer is monitoring customer interest and will stock 45-70s next.The pictures from Scearcy in this topic are not an exaggeration. I have handled the Henry single shot and they are impressively well made and have highly figured walnut stocks with sharp checkering. The rounded top of the butt pad is very functional, nicely done and comfortable to shoulder. The .223 has a fold up open site and the barrel is drilled/tapped for a Weaver base. The hammer is nicely knurled for good thumb traction when cocking and opening/closing the action is butter smooth. These are very nice rifles of the finest American production. I will repeat, they are nicer than Browning.

My personal opinion is that they are very under priced for the fine quality.

I'd recommend that if you get this Henry in 45-70 that a longer 4" eye relief shotgun scope like the Bushnell 1.5-4.5x or 2-7x would be ideal with the 45-70 recoil and the typical range 45-70s are used hunting Deer/Bear.

Gary

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Scearcy posted this 21 May 2018

I'll be going to the range again today with the Henry. My plan is to do a little Groundhog shooting. I have been dry firing the rifle some the last couple of days. I catch the hammer as it falls since I don't know if repeated dry firing would damage something. Anyhow the trigger is gradually improving with use. It still has the rough spot halfway through the trigger pull but the final break is improving quickly.

Jim

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CBA Member

pathology101 posted this 21 May 2018

I have seen some at my the mom and pop gunstore that I do business with. They have several all in .243. They probably shoot well but nothing to look at.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 22 May 2018

If I can find a sale on a 243, I will probably buy one. I have been shooting a 243 in the registered matches and it has been a pleasant surprise. With a little work you can obtain accuracy that rivals the 30 calibers.

Jim

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CBA Member

erj145 posted this 25 May 2018

Jim,

I have been trying to install scopes on my 2 Henry SS rifles. Learned the hard way that the Weaver #82 base is too long for my choice of scopes. In desperation I went to E-Bay and found a base that works very well. It is shorter than the Wvr 82 and the ring spacing is better. I don't know who the manufacturer is (probably China Inc.) but it is distributed by Northwoods of Fairmont MN. The ring position is perfect for mounting my Leupold M8-3x scope on the 308 Win with excellent eye relief. I am using Burris low Z-rings that have Just enough scope clearance over the hammer. For most scopes perhaps the medium height rings would be a better option.

Just passing my info along to save other members the frustration of mounting glass on the Henry SS.

Mike

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 30 May 2018

The weaver base is not ideal. I just bought an Williams FP-H&R to mount on my 308. It won't fit unaltered but the required machining is not too bad. While I am supervising my gunsmith buddy (coffee in hand) I think I will have him cut a couple of more grooves in the base also. It is very difficult to mount any scope larger than a straight tube on it.

The Williams FP will require a taller front sight so this is beginning to look like an all summer project.

Jim

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Standard Member

shootcast posted this 03 June 2018

Now that the Henry’s are out there I hope to see some shooting in the Break Open Postal matches.

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CBA Member

Scearcy posted this 06 June 2018

I just put a receiver and a globe sight on the Henry. The front sight may not be tall enough. Only range time will tell.

Jim

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Scearcy posted this 30 August 2018

I am back 12 weeks later. I shot 2 groups with jacketed bullets and 18 gr of 4759 (the Joeb test). The groups were between 1 1/2 and 2 inches. The trigger on this little beauty is awful. Has anyone been brave enough to do a trigger job on yours yet?

Jim