Henry .22 Survival Rifle

[Brokensj]

http://www.snipercountrypx.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=1840

I am looking for real reviews of this product. My dad has showed them to me as a kid I remember. I have yet to see them in person or fire one. I've also heard of the reliability issues but Henry fixed it to be a pretty solid rifle from what reading I've done.

I understand this is not a high end rifle and I do not have high hopes and crazy dreams of 300m shooting, but it would be a nice little camp rifle from what it weighs, how small it packs and the price.

Can anyone give me 1st person review of this rifle?

 

[ROCK6]

I was less impressed by the AR7 that I handled (it was a Henry as well). I decided on the Marlin Papoose...doesn't have the nifty buttstock storage, but it's still compact, 100% more reliable and very accurate.

ROCK6

 

[Bill Siegle]

I used to own one of the Henrys and it was a great shooting rifle. I simply had too many 22 rifles so I let it go. The issue with the design's reliabilty usually could be solved by holding back the bolt when assembling the gun, that way the barrel would fully seat itself in the reciever. I would say get it

 

[August West]

I have zero experience with the Henry but quite a bit with the original Charter Arms. Unless Henry has improved it greatly it is a complete POS, jam o matic, very crude sights with no option for optics. It is with out a doubt better than no gun but there are lots and lots of much better options. Chris

 

[Horn Dog]

I had one of the old Armalite ones. Sometimes it would fire off two shots with one trigger pull. Not a bad rifle, but as has been posted by ROCK6, the Marlin Papoose is a better rifle.

 

[g123]

I like the Henry Mini Bolt better. The fire sites are outstanding and it is much more accurate.

Geoff

 

[bacman99]

the only thing I dislike is the bulk of the stock. It seems to me, in order to make the room needed for the barrel and action they made the stock a little on the large side.

 

[jackknife]

I have zero experience with the Henry but quite a bit with the original Charter Arms. Unless Henry has improved it greatly it is a complete POS, jam o matic, very crude sights with no option for optics. It is with out a doubt better than no gun but there are lots and lots of much better options. Chris

That was my experiance with it as well.

I also tried the Marlin papoose, and was a bit disappointed in it as well. Ammo picky and some jamming issues. It got a little better after the second visit back to Marlin, but I have zero patience with unreliable guns of any sort.


On the other hand I've had zero problems with either the Malin 39 mountie I bought 30 years ago, or the Marlin 39TDS I picked up about 15 years ago. I'm a dedicated rimfire shooter, and I shoot a thousand rounds a month. I only have repeating actions, no semi-autos, exept for a Remington speedmaster. That's the only semiauto that has been extremely reliable.

 

[Anrkst6973]

Had one of the old 70's models that was apparently unkillable so I jumped at the new ones when they appeared..very unreliable, 2 shots if youre lucky then it overfeeds and jams. Its been worked on but that did not fix the jamming issue. I hear good things about the lever action models and the Mini Bolt tho. (manual actions there) I also have a "WoodChuck" from Rogue Rifle (in Oregon no less!) Single shot but absolutley reliable.

 

[DWK2]

I have one and have had very few jamming problems. The accuracy of my Springfield M6 is MUCH better. Nonetheless, the Henry will take squirrels at archery ranges.

I bought the Henry for fun, sort of on a whim. With that in mind, it's fine. However, it wouldn't be my choice as my primary rimfire.

DancesWithKnives

 

[wolfenhawk]

http://www.snipercountrypx.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=1840

I am looking for real reviews of this product. My dad has showed them to me as a kid I remember. I have yet to see them in person or fire one. I've also heard of the reliability issues but Henry fixed it to be a pretty solid rifle from what reading I've done.

I understand this is not a high end rifle and I do not have high hopes and crazy dreams of 300m shooting, but it would be a nice little camp rifle from what it weighs, how small it packs and the price.

Can anyone give me 1st person review of this rifle?

Well man, I've had one for a few years now(The blued version, not the satin.) that I picked up in a pawn shop in near new condition. I got it right after I purchased a canoe. I wasn't so sure about it at first when I realized how light the barrel is. But it shoots straight and I like the peep sights on it. I've not had any problem with jamming either as long as I keep it clean and use good ammo. With practice you really can put it together in less than a minute. It's the only semi auto .22 I have now and I'm very satisfied with it. I can't think of a better camp rifle too own. You can mount a scope on it, but there is no place to store it in the stock and that defeats the purpose of the rifle in my eyes. Good luck.

 

[wolfenhawk]

Had one of the old 70's models that was apparently unkillable so I jumped at the new ones when they appeared..very unreliable, 2 shots if youre lucky then it overfeeds and jams. Its been worked on but that did not fix the jamming issue. I hear good things about the lever action models and the Mini Bolt tho. (manual actions there) I also have a "WoodChuck" from Rogue Rifle (in Oregon no less!) Single shot but absolutley reliable.

I have a heavy barrel chipmunk from rogue rifle. Most accurate rifle I've ever owned.

 

[cssims]

I have one I purchased in '06. It works and some ammo does not work well in it. Stick to CCI and you shouldn't have any problems. Remington Thunderbolt caused alot of problems for me. I've since acquired a Ruger 10/22 and will not go back to the AR-7. Mainly due to the fact that I can get bigger mags vs. the 8 rounders for the AR-7. Don't get me wrong it's a good plinker, but reloading so often takes the fun out of it.

 

[Bolt-action bultema]

My grandfather has 2 of the original production models. I have shot both extensively. They shoot well, the stock is bulky but comfortable (since there is no forend, the big stock helps you get a solid platform), and the whole thing floats. It cycles a 30 round magazine (which does exist at gun shows) with no problems and keeps the same zero (although its no match rifle) when disassembled. The marlin papoose IS a more reliable gun, but so is a 10/22 with a 16 in barrel and without the watertight storage for the action, the detachable barrel looses its allure for me.

A friend of mine has the Charter Arms version, and it is a total piece of crap. Loose fittings, inferior sights, rattles in the stock. The old Henry brand is the way to go.

Keep in mind, however, that if you want a scope mounted on your rifle, the AR7 looses ALL of its appeal as there is no way to keep it on the action when disassembled. You cant go wrong with a Marlin, Ruger, or Remenginton Nylon 22 if you decide against the Henry, and a 10/22 with the butler creek wire folding stock and a nice short barrel is not too bulky, and easy as cobbler to shoot.

I like to cary my Savage Camp in 22 mag over 20 gauge as a survival rifle. The variety is nice, as I much enjoy the taste of bird to squirrel, and rabbits can dodge that 22 shot if they are running, but a no 4 3" 20 shell WILL get them. The camp is also available in 22/410 and 223/12, all 3 are good combinations. If I have a rifle with me, I want it to be able to get the job done.

I hope you find what you need, but NOTHING has the same cool factor as the Henry, but Look for an old one in good condition if you want to be truly satisfied.

 

[Brokensj]

Yeah, I'm really iffy on this. I wanted the ar7 for the fact that it was good enough to shoot rabbit, and squirrel and close ranges but had the benefit of folding up big enough for my pack. I would just go with a smaller rifle or my 20g, but i dont wanna be throwing around a damn rifle all day on a trail or in my raft

Not sure what to make of it. I would buy it hands down if it was a bolt action. I'm not worried about scopes or long rang shooting....just the ability to pack down and shoot. If it jams every 1000 rounds....so be it, but i dont want a rifle thats gonna jam to the point of annoyance

 

[August West]

Yeah, I'm really iffy on this. I wanted the ar7 for the fact that it was good enough to shoot rabbit, and squirrel and close ranges but had the benefit of folding up big enough for my pack. I would just go with a smaller rifle or my 20g, but i dont wanna be throwing around a damn rifle all day on a trail or in my raft

Not sure what to make of it. I would buy it hands down if it was a bolt action. I'm not worried about scopes or long rang shooting....just the ability to pack down and shoot. If it jams every 1000 rounds....so be it, but i dont want a rifle thats gonna jam to the point of annoyance

My choices would be to shorten the barrel on a single shot 20 gauge, within legal limits of course, or one of the youth size 22 bolt guns. I had a chipmunk that was a tack driver, also CZ makes a youth size bolt gun, judging from the accuracy of my 452 I would probably look at the CZ first. Chris

EDIT: Not sure about legallity in your area but another option is a 22 pistol. Ruger makes several models that would be perfect, I have a ruger 22/45 with Tactical Solutions aluminum upper reciever that is very light and very accurate. With a red dot sight or scope it is plenty accurate for rabbits and squirrels out to 50 yards with a rest, I also like the Browning Buckmarks and they are easy to mount optics on as well.

Several pistols, the ruger 10/22, single shot shotguns and virtually all of the youth size bolt guns, IMHO are all exponentially better than the AR 7 no matter who made it. Chris

 

[bhoff]

Mine jams and is finicky. I keep it in storage on my boat.