cat_IT_guy
Member
At long last I got my newest Henry to the range. Its a big boy steel carbine in .357. Barrel is 16" long. Im not much of a photographer, but here is below its big brother, the big boy in 45-70.
The wood on the henry is really pretty. Very nice color and grain. The fit isnt as good as my 45-70. Theres a bit of a "lip" especially at the front end of the fore stock. Maybe 1/8th inch - enough to notice. The action is very nice and smooth - just like the 45-70 but with a shorter throw. The sights are ok - quick, but hardly precise. I think in time I'll either add a Skinner rear peep, as on the 45-70, or a small scope.
Shooting it was great fun. The weather was less than pleasant - 87 F and so humid that you could almost drink the air. Cycling was very smooth. A few times I had the gun canted on its side and it was difficult to chamber the round - maybe its a lever gun thing, or just mine - not sure. As long as the gun was upright, I had no issues with .357 rounds. .38, on the other hand, didnt like to cycle much. Now, the .38s I load are short - about 1.35", or at least 0.2"-0.25" shorter than most of the 357s I load. The .38s would often double feed (not sure on terminology, but new round would be all the way rear and another from the tube mag would get stuck, bullet up, preventing cycling. Not cool. I hope to try some longer bullets in .38s, as I like them for soft & cheap shooting fun.
As a handloading geek, of course I had to bring the chrono along. I compared each of the following loads, first out of my S&W 686 6", then out of the Henry. All velocities in fps.
Load #1: .38spl 125gr MBC over 3.2gr Bullseye
686: 788, 765, 790. Avg: 781
Henry: 1007, 947, 911. Avg: 955.
Load #2: American Eagle (factory) .357, 158gr Jacketed SP
686: 1295, 1289, 1293. Avg: 1292.
Henry: 1668, 1616, 1683. Avg: 1656.
Load #3: 158gr Hunter LRNFP over 8.4gr HS6
686: 1079, 1061, 1104. Avg: 1081.
Henry: 1394, 1416, 1386. Avg: 1399.
Load #4: 140gr XTP over 18.1gr H110
686: 1316, 1277, 1314. Avg: 1302.
Henry: 1731, 1722, 1733. Avg: 1729.
Load #5: 180gr XTP over 12.3gr 2400
686: 1186, 1133, 1132. Avg: 1150.
Henry: 1419, 1284, 1390. Avg: 1364.
Of the loads tested, Im really starting to like the 158gr with HS6. Its enough oomph that you know its a step up from a .38spl but isnt punishing and is quick, cheap, and easy to load. The 140 XTP seems like it will be tough to beat for top end out of a .357 carbine.
The wood on the henry is really pretty. Very nice color and grain. The fit isnt as good as my 45-70. Theres a bit of a "lip" especially at the front end of the fore stock. Maybe 1/8th inch - enough to notice. The action is very nice and smooth - just like the 45-70 but with a shorter throw. The sights are ok - quick, but hardly precise. I think in time I'll either add a Skinner rear peep, as on the 45-70, or a small scope.
Shooting it was great fun. The weather was less than pleasant - 87 F and so humid that you could almost drink the air. Cycling was very smooth. A few times I had the gun canted on its side and it was difficult to chamber the round - maybe its a lever gun thing, or just mine - not sure. As long as the gun was upright, I had no issues with .357 rounds. .38, on the other hand, didnt like to cycle much. Now, the .38s I load are short - about 1.35", or at least 0.2"-0.25" shorter than most of the 357s I load. The .38s would often double feed (not sure on terminology, but new round would be all the way rear and another from the tube mag would get stuck, bullet up, preventing cycling. Not cool. I hope to try some longer bullets in .38s, as I like them for soft & cheap shooting fun.
As a handloading geek, of course I had to bring the chrono along. I compared each of the following loads, first out of my S&W 686 6", then out of the Henry. All velocities in fps.
Load #1: .38spl 125gr MBC over 3.2gr Bullseye
686: 788, 765, 790. Avg: 781
Henry: 1007, 947, 911. Avg: 955.
Load #2: American Eagle (factory) .357, 158gr Jacketed SP
686: 1295, 1289, 1293. Avg: 1292.
Henry: 1668, 1616, 1683. Avg: 1656.
Load #3: 158gr Hunter LRNFP over 8.4gr HS6
686: 1079, 1061, 1104. Avg: 1081.
Henry: 1394, 1416, 1386. Avg: 1399.
Load #4: 140gr XTP over 18.1gr H110
686: 1316, 1277, 1314. Avg: 1302.
Henry: 1731, 1722, 1733. Avg: 1729.
Load #5: 180gr XTP over 12.3gr 2400
686: 1186, 1133, 1132. Avg: 1150.
Henry: 1419, 1284, 1390. Avg: 1364.
Of the loads tested, Im really starting to like the 158gr with HS6. Its enough oomph that you know its a step up from a .38spl but isnt punishing and is quick, cheap, and easy to load. The 140 XTP seems like it will be tough to beat for top end out of a .357 carbine.