I’ve had the jones for a levergun for a long time. As part of my personal economic stimulus plan, I decided the time was right to get one. A low cost one. A Henry.
Searching TFL, I noticed a familiar pattern. Those who owned ‘em loved ‘em. Those who owned Marlins and Brownings thought they were a little cheesy. Both parties are probably right. The tough choice was between the full size and the Youth model. I have grandkids approaching shooting age. I chose the youth model. It felt small and light. Like a .22 should.
It’s a low-cost rifle. Parts of it are cheap. The barrel band is plastic. Front sight is plastic, and too big for precise shooting (but it’s nicely hooded.) I don’t care. I put a scope on it. The receiver is grooved, so that was easy.
But the important part is…can it shoot? The answer is a big yes.
I grade a rifle two ways. First, does it bench rest well? IOW, can the rifle be made to shoot well? Second, how does it perform in the field? How well can I shoot it? I have owned rifles that I could shoot well at the bench, but not in the field, plinking or hunting.
First, the trigger is pretty good. Light, with just the faintest hint of creep. At the bench, it shot tight groups. I tried 3 kinds of ammo (Remington 36 gr. HP Golden Bullet, Federal 36gr. HP, and CCI Blazer 40gr. LRN) and it did well with all 3. Did best with Blazer, making a ragged hole at 25 yards, shooting from a bench with the scope.
When I removed the scope and shot it offhand with the irons at 25yards, the groups measured under 2 inches. Consistently. Not bad for an old guy wearing bifocals and shooting on his feet. Probably the best that could be done with a front sight that nearly covers a 4” bull at 25 yards. It gave me hope for good field performance.
When I put the scope back on, it held zero nicely.
Ergonomics were OK. I mean, its not a monte-carlo stock or a fitted pistol grip. It’s a kids model. But it felt good. It felt “handy.”
With the scope zeroed in, I took it to the field to plink and shoot “Whistle Pigs.” (Columbian Ground Squirrels. Think large hamsters. Kill zone is 1-2”.)
I started off shooting pieces of busted clay pigeons at 25-50 yards. I hit almost everything I aimed at. And when I missed, it was my fault. No bench here.
The Henry has a reputation for a smooth action, and its true. The snick-snack of the lever felt right. Ejection is positive, and it fed everything. I was channeling John Wayne in 3/4 scale.
Then a whistle piggy made the mistake of running past my field of view. When it paused, I hit it at about 40 yards. The rifle’s blooded.
The rifle and I made consistent hits on piggies at ranges under 50 yards. Moving out from there, I was hitting about 50%. For a small .22, that’s good. I can shoot that rifle well. The long hit was 108 measured paces. Close to 100 yards? More? I kid you not. Surprised me, too. I was using the duplex reticle, with the transition from fat part to skinny, as my aiming point. Turns out that’s about the right drop at 100 yards. Convenient.
So what’s not to like? Its small, its light, its handy, and I shoot it well. The next 3 shooting sessions confirmed my first impressions. I suppose I feel about this rifle the same way a serious bird shooter feels about his pet 28ga. That is to say, I like it a lot.
Searching TFL, I noticed a familiar pattern. Those who owned ‘em loved ‘em. Those who owned Marlins and Brownings thought they were a little cheesy. Both parties are probably right. The tough choice was between the full size and the Youth model. I have grandkids approaching shooting age. I chose the youth model. It felt small and light. Like a .22 should.
It’s a low-cost rifle. Parts of it are cheap. The barrel band is plastic. Front sight is plastic, and too big for precise shooting (but it’s nicely hooded.) I don’t care. I put a scope on it. The receiver is grooved, so that was easy.
But the important part is…can it shoot? The answer is a big yes.
I grade a rifle two ways. First, does it bench rest well? IOW, can the rifle be made to shoot well? Second, how does it perform in the field? How well can I shoot it? I have owned rifles that I could shoot well at the bench, but not in the field, plinking or hunting.
First, the trigger is pretty good. Light, with just the faintest hint of creep. At the bench, it shot tight groups. I tried 3 kinds of ammo (Remington 36 gr. HP Golden Bullet, Federal 36gr. HP, and CCI Blazer 40gr. LRN) and it did well with all 3. Did best with Blazer, making a ragged hole at 25 yards, shooting from a bench with the scope.
When I removed the scope and shot it offhand with the irons at 25yards, the groups measured under 2 inches. Consistently. Not bad for an old guy wearing bifocals and shooting on his feet. Probably the best that could be done with a front sight that nearly covers a 4” bull at 25 yards. It gave me hope for good field performance.
When I put the scope back on, it held zero nicely.
Ergonomics were OK. I mean, its not a monte-carlo stock or a fitted pistol grip. It’s a kids model. But it felt good. It felt “handy.”
With the scope zeroed in, I took it to the field to plink and shoot “Whistle Pigs.” (Columbian Ground Squirrels. Think large hamsters. Kill zone is 1-2”.)
I started off shooting pieces of busted clay pigeons at 25-50 yards. I hit almost everything I aimed at. And when I missed, it was my fault. No bench here.
The Henry has a reputation for a smooth action, and its true. The snick-snack of the lever felt right. Ejection is positive, and it fed everything. I was channeling John Wayne in 3/4 scale.
Then a whistle piggy made the mistake of running past my field of view. When it paused, I hit it at about 40 yards. The rifle’s blooded.
The rifle and I made consistent hits on piggies at ranges under 50 yards. Moving out from there, I was hitting about 50%. For a small .22, that’s good. I can shoot that rifle well. The long hit was 108 measured paces. Close to 100 yards? More? I kid you not. Surprised me, too. I was using the duplex reticle, with the transition from fat part to skinny, as my aiming point. Turns out that’s about the right drop at 100 yards. Convenient.
So what’s not to like? Its small, its light, its handy, and I shoot it well. The next 3 shooting sessions confirmed my first impressions. I suppose I feel about this rifle the same way a serious bird shooter feels about his pet 28ga. That is to say, I like it a lot.
