Review of Henry Repeating Arms .22 Long Rifle Survival Rifle
Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 3:04 pmReview of Henry Repeating Arms .22 Long Rifle Survival Rifle
USCCA Gear Review
by Cody Alderson
Henry Repeating Arms .22 Survival Rifle
United States Concealed Carry Association
USCCA - -(AmmoLand.com)- Maybe you own a cool AR-15 variant based on Eugene Stoner’s original design. Stoner also had his fingers in another design, that of the AR-7. Henry Repeating Arms owns the rights to make this neat little survival rifle that started out at Armalite just like the AR-15 did.
This little gem of a rifle breaks down into components that fit neatly inside compartments built into the buttstock. It comes with two 8 round magazines and is the perfect backpack rifle for those who just want to have something to harvest small game in an emergency situation.
No it’s not a bear gun, but it will make it much easier for an injured or lost person in the woods to be able to harvest an emergency food source. It may even deter some bigger animals that are getting too nosey about you being lost and/or injured in the woods. And for packing a gun in a Bug Out Bag, this one won’t take up much space or add much weight. (Always remember to securely stow Bug Out Bags that contain firearms).
Another plus for this little rifle is that it is just plain fun! It’s cool for the youngsters, and it fits them too. It can be stowed just about anywhere, and when properly broken down it is waterproof. Henry Repeating Arms makes them in black (as shown here), silver, and camouflage.
The AR-7 saw military service as a pilot or crew survival rifle from about 1959 til now. It has been made by different manufacturers who each had their own ideas for some subtle changes. Though it could be used as a last resort firearm for defensive purposes, the .22 Long Rifle caliber is much more suited for harvesting small game. That’s not to say that the caliber is incapable of killing a human being. Far from it actually. My dad used to slaughter 1500-pound bulls with a shot behind the ear from a pistol chambered in .22 Long Rifle. Yes, he had the muzzle right up to the skull with the little .22 Long Rifle revolver, but it worked just fine.
At two and one half pounds, this version of a survival rifle can be packed pretty much under any parameters of gear weight and space requirements for outdoor adventures. Being that the rifle breaks down into parts that can be stowed in the waterproof buttstock, there isn’t a problem of trying to locate individual components when needing to put the gun together in a hurry. Everything is in the buttstock. No separate, uncased components when the gun is broken done as may be the case with other rifles of this class.
The only thing that could possibly be lost is the bolt handle that could possibly fall out before the rifle is put together. Once the barrel is screwed into the receiver, the bolt handle cannot fall out. Without the barrel in place, the bolt can move far enough forward that the small bolt handle could slip out. Even if it did, a round could be chambered with an improvised handle if, by chance, the bolt handle did fall out and was lost. Not a big deal at all, and just confirmation that we all need to have training and experience with every tool that we may have to use. And training begins with an owner’s manual and some practice.
I liked the black buttstock version of the Henry Survival rifle. All of the other components were black coated Teflon with the magazines finished in what appears to be bluing that is a deep black color. The camo may be great for the woods in the northeast where I live, and the silver may be good for its higher visibility under other circumstances. But I like the black one that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb under many more circumstances and scenarios whereas the silver or camo versions might. Owner’s choice though, and we have three of them.
The magazines are easy to load, and they can be stowed loaded in the buttstock. The barrel and receiver are Teflon coated, giving them a nice dull black finish. Overall the gun is 35 inches long when put together, and only 16 1/2 inches broken down with parts stowed in the ABS buttstock.
The three main parts were put together in a flash and very easily without the need of any tools other than a human hand. Pop the flexible buttstock pad off of the back, pull out the receiver and barrel, screw the receiver into the front of the buttstock with the wing nut that cannot fall out, push the barrel into place, screw the barrel nut down tight, and it is ready to go.
The barrel is steel covered in Teflon coated ABS. This keeps the overall weight manageable, and is appropriate to the intended use of this firearm. Don’t think that the barrel is a liability in the least for it is capable of handling tens of thousands of rounds over the life of the weapon. The front sight on the barrel is a blade sight.
With both the barrel and the receiver being Teflon coated, the little Survival Rifle is incredibly weather resistant. Clean and oil this rifle properly, and there won’t be a worry about any rusting of the components while they are stowed in the buttstock. And the Teflon is great to keep the gun working flawlessly under survival conditions when it is put together for use.
With a range of 100 meters (109.36 yards) and the intended purpose of the rifle, the rib to mount a scope on the top of the receiver (as shown above) may not be used much. However it is there for the real enthusiast of this little rifle who wants to use it more for fun than survival. I suppose that if there is any problem with this rifle, it is that it will be left put together and shot at every opportunity instead of being put away in a Bug Out Bag. That’s okay. They aren’t that expensive so buy two of them. At a manufacturers suggested price (MSRP) of $245.00 for black or silver, and $310.00 for camo, this means that they should be found for quite a bit less in the better gun stores. I’ve found that some MSRP’s are high as compared to the street price of many products, especially guns.
I can load standard or high velocity rounds in the Henry Survival Rifle, but I prefer Federal’s Gold Medal Target ammo. At 1250 feet per second velocity, I don’t expect any issues with the gun’s action cycling. To ensure reliability of the action, I wouldn’t choose to shoot subsonic .22’s since they just don’t have the oomph needed to reliably cycle the action.
Using Federal’s Gold Medal Target loads and Sentry Solutions lubrication products on this rifle, I don’t expect any reliability issues. That’s what we are going to find out next week when I share the results of my range time with this remake of the AR-7 by Henry Repeating Arms. From the classic Golden Boy line to the lever actions, Big Boys, or Acu-Bolt, Henry Repeating Arms has a fine line of U.S. made rifles. Not just put together in the U.S., but all of the parts are made here in America.
In fact the president of Henry Repeating Arms, Anthony Imperato, promises that, “Henry rifles will only be made in America, or they won’t be made at all.” Benjamin Tyler Henry created the design for the first decent lever-action rifle. Abe Lincoln owned one. There are even photos of him holding his Henry rifle.
Now the Henry name and legacy is in the hands of Anthony Imperato. In communication with the man, I have found him to be a man of his word. He has gone way above my expectations of any manufacturer that I approach about doing a product review. I suppose this is why the reputation of Henry Repeating Arms is held in such high esteem among their customers. Plus with their headquarters being in Bayonne, New Jersey, any of us could look him up if he gave us any trouble! Just kidding folks.
Seriously though, you can’t go wrong with owning any Henry rifle. In fact I hope that I do something worthy enough one day to have someone get me a personally engraved .30 .30. Yep, you heard right. Henry rifles can be custom engraved. Got a grandson or granddaughter reaching a milestone? You can get an heirloom piece that will be cherished for many generations by simply visiting the Henry Repeating Arms website at www.henryrepeating.com
Visit United States Concealed Carry Association a www.usconcealedcarry.com .
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