U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- In 1996, when Louis Imperato and his son, Anthony Imperato founded Henry Repeating Arms to honor the Legacy of Benjamin Tyler Henry. Their goal, like that of Mr. Henry, was to produce quality lever-action rifles “Made in America and Priced Right”.
“Henry Repeating Arms takes its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, the inventor who patented the first repeating rifle in 1860, known as the Henry rifle. There is no affiliation or lineage to Benjamin Tyler Henry or to the New Haven Arms Company, who sold the original Henry rifle from 1862 to 1864. Anthony Imperato secured the trademark to the Henry name in 1996.”
Their first (and most successful model) was the Henry Golden Boy, a rimfire lever action that “brought out the West in you”. Over 1 million Golden Boy rifles have been sold. The Golden Boy was followed quickly by a “replica” of the original Henry in 44-40 and 45 Colt calibers and the Henry Big Boy which was ideal for brush hunting and cowboy action shooting.
Today, there are more legacy model Henry rifles than I can count, all of which feature the iconic tubular loading magazine, which has become characteristic of Henry firearms. Then, in November 2020, the company issued a press release informing us all that in response to popular demand, ALL centerfire Henry rifles would now feature a side-loading gate on the frame, in addition to their tubular loading magazine. Our legacy Henry rifles just became more valuable and the newer models guaranteed that Henry Repeating Arms would continue to be one of the leading long gun manufacturers in the U.S.A.
Jim has always been a cowboy at heart, having harvested his first whitetail deer with an old Winchester lever-action rifle in 1965. When Henry came out with their Golden Boy, he was first in line to get one. Ever since he has loved Henrys and has been motivated to obtain more of the rifles that are “Made in America or not made at all”.
Shortly after the announcement that all centerfire Henry’s would feature the side-gate loading feature, they introduced the steel-frame, side-loading gate 410 shotgun with an Invector choke, the Henry H018G-410. I decided that we had to get one, not just for our “collection of Henry’s”, but for small game hunting and home defense… not to mention the fun of busting clay pigeons with a 410.
As one can see in the title picture, the H018G comes in two versions: one with iron sights and one without. We ordered the one without iron sights and it arrived just before Christmas. This is one gun that will be my favorite and Jim will have to ask me nicely to borrow it.
The laser-engraved checkering on the dark straight-grained American walnut furniture is superb. It is both functional and beautiful. The wood to metal fit is excellent. It is too bad that some of the other manufacturers can’t do the same.
The Invector full choke included with the shotgun ensures that this gun will deliver a 40-inch spread at 40 yards. Because we wanted to have a more open spread for trap shooting, we ordered a modified choke which delivers a 40-inch spread at 35 yards. Between the two chokes, we are set for busting clays, hunting small game, and home defense.
Home defense… that may sound a bit strange when referring to a diminutive 410 shotgun, but with Winchester PDX1 rounds, this gun is ideal for folks who don’t want the excessive recoil from larger gauges, yet still want the stopping power of a shotgun. Rather than take our word for it, go to the YouTube channel of the Kentucky Patriot for field demos of the PDX1 rounds from a 410 at self-defense distances and you will be a believer. Steve’s channel is https://youtu.be/OjhoJ1TcJfc.
The H018G shotgun has a thick non-slip ventilated black rubber recoil pad which reduces the “felt-recoil” to almost nothing. It also has sling swivel studs, but we are not sure why, as few folks are going to put a sling on a 410 shotgun. However, the studs are there, in case you want/need them. The gun is drilled and tapped for a Weaver 63B base mount in case you wish to mount a scope for turkey hunting.
Our test gun cycled flawlessly, loading each new round from the magazine after ejecting the spent hull. No hesitation, no hangups, no glitches… everything functioned perfectly. The side-gate made it easy to reload “on the fly”, while the tubular magazine permitted rapid unloading when necessary. This Henry was accurate and fun to shoot, like all Henry firearms.
Specs
Model Number: H018G-410
Action Type: Lever Action Shotgun
Caliber: .410 Bore
Magazine Capacity: 6 rounds – 2 1⁄2” shells (only)
Safety: Transfer Bar
Barrel Length: 24″
Barrel Type: Round Blued Steel
Receiver Finish: Blued Steel
Rate of Twist: Smooth Bore with Full Invector Style Choke
Length of Pull: 14″
Rear Sight: None
Front Sight: Brass Bead
Scope Mount Type: Weaver 63B
Stock Material: American Walnut
Buttplate/Pad: Black Ventilated Rubber Recoil Pad
Overall Length: 42.75″
Weight: 7.54 lbs
With an MSRP of $983, this Henry is competitively priced with other shotguns on the market, except it is better.
The Clarys:
Jim is a retired USAF Scientist and a combat veteran from the Vietnam era. Mary is a retired NICU nurse who shot F-Class competition before injuring her back. Between them, they have over 100 years of experience in hunting and shooting. They have published over 800 articles and reviews, many of which can be read on AmmoLand News.
Even though you say this .410 lever action in competitively priced there are us that are on a fixed income that cannot afford the price. So even though I would love to own one there is no way I can afford to buy one.
Would it hold 7 rounds if it didn’t have the tube loading feature, which would seem to sacrifice capacity for “a feature”.
too short chamber
would consider if it shot 3″ shells
too expensive for most people.
Yep! I was forced to buy one from a Turkey company because of the price. Nice firearm but like cars now, only for the rich and famous.
Nice! But priced way out of my league.