Henry 44 steel rifling

U

USMC Vet

New member
I am mulling over the idea of buying a Henry steel in 44 mag, and am looking for some first hand knowledge on the Henry rifling. At my LGS a few weeks ago, I examined a 44 steel model. It looked to me as if it had micro groove rifling. I personally have never had much luck shooting lead out of micro groove barrels, and it is causing me to shy away from it. Anyone know for sure ? Has anyone had good luck with lead in the Henry.
thx for your help.
USMC Vet
 
The Henry big boy 44 MAG has a 6 groove barrel. I am assuming that the Steel model should be the same. You should be fine with harder lead bullets.

Hope this helps
 
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Only marlin had microgroove barrels. The current crop of Marlins in 1894 and 1895 all have ballard rifling. I do not know that Henry has Ballard rifling, but I do know for sure it does not have a microgroove barrel. I've heard mostly good things about the Henry.
 
Standard ("Ballard") specs* for .44 caliber barrels only call for grooves that are nominally 0.0025" to 0.003" deep. MicroGroove specs* call for grooves that are nominally 0.0015-0.002" deep.
It is very difficult, with the naked eye, to tell the difference between 'Ballard' rifling and 'MicroGroove' rifling. ....Because there isn't much.
*(I refer not so much to SAAMI specifications, but what actually gets produced by firearms and barrel manufacturers.)

The problems presented by Marlin's MicroGroove rifling aren't really related to groove depth being "too shallow", either. It's the fact that bore diameter is often within 0.001" of standard bullet diameter, or OVER bullet diameter.

Regardless... Henry does not use MicroGroove barrels. For that matter, neither does Marlin (and hasn't, with any center-fire cartridges, since 1998).

Typical bore and groove diameters, just for reference:
MicroGroove: 0.428" bore / 0.430" groove (or, with Marlin model 444s, 0.429-0.430" bore / 0.4315-0.432" groove).
Ballard: 0.424-0.426" bore / 0.429-0.430" groove.
Cheaper barrels (such as on H&R 1871, Rossi, and Taurus rifles) can be anywhere within either range. I know of at least two .444 Marlin H&R Handi-Rifles that are "Ballard" rifled but slug at 0.430" bore / 0.432" groove. So nearly nothing commercially manufactured will engage the rifling in any useful way. Bullets from those barrels show substantial and clear evidence of "skidding" across the rifling. :rolleyes:


So, what I ended up doing there, with my unplanned babbling, was point out that you should forget about 'MicroGroove vs Ballard' and just buy quality. Henry qualifies.
 
Thanks for putting "Ballard" in quotes, what a grammar site calls Scare Quotes, added to indicate doubt or use of a euphemism for a less complimentary term.

I have read and looked and asked around and have not been able to determine what rifling plan real Ballard rifles had.
I conclude that Ballard Rifling is a term of advertising art by Marlin to mean "not Microgroove."
 
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