Henry Big Boy Steel

F

Freeloader Reloader

New member
Just bought my very first centerfire rifle, a Henry Big Boy Steel chambered in .357 Magnum. What a beautiful rifle. The craftsmanship is , in my opinion, superb! I absolutely am blown away by the stock, being a woodworker myself. The checkering is awesome and the finish...fantastic. I was flip flopping like an Obama, back and forth, as I pondered which rifle I wanted to buy. I knew I wanted a .357/.38, but I did consider the .45 Colt and even the .44 Magnum. I reload all of those calibers (and a few more) but I settled on the .357 Magnum due to the hundreds of rounds I already have loaded. It took about a week before I was able to take her out to the range for some exercise. I told my buddy I was already having problems with it before the first shot. He wanted to know what kind of problem so I told him "Every time I roll over in my sleep the darn thing pokes me in the ribs!" He got a kick out of that one. I shot about 150 rounds through it, mostly magnums. There was quite a bit of sight adjustment needed between the .38s and the .357 handloads but once that was done it was hitting pretty nicely at 50 yards. I'm 67 years old and discovered if I want to shoot further than that, I need some new optics...for my eyes. Cannot wait to get back out there.
 
Yes you picked a fine rifle-I have a Henry Goldenboy and have been wanting one in the same caliber you have.Once you own a Henry it becomes almost an obsession.Very well made in the USA and a warranty that is one of the best.
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This is with the Skinner Peep Sights rear and a Lyman Globe for a front sight.I am nearing 60 years old also and they really help with the target shooting.
 
I am considering getting a steel Big Boy, so any other comments pro or con will be greatly appreciated.
 
I picked mine up a couple of weeks ago. Even though I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet I really like the feel and balance so far. For me it's a very natural pointing rifle. I've been dry firing it and cycling it a lot using snap caps and the trigger is very nice and the action is smoothing up nicely. At first the trigger felt a bit gritty but it smoothed up pretty good after a lot of dry firing. I can't wait to shoot it but life just seems to keep getting in the way. Quality is excellent as is the finish, it's a keeper for sure. Will make a great companion for my S&W 627 for sure.
 
Worked with a .44 Mag steel Henry two days ago.
At 100 yards, the biggest impediment to accuracy was the white diamond on the sliding notch plate.

This is a longtime standard complaint of mine; that diamond creates enough glare to make it hard to define the bottom of the U notch in getting a consistent front bead placement in it.

Accuracy in four loads averaged around 4 inches for 5-shot groups at 100 yards, with a couple 240s coming in just under 4 inches for best groups.

The tube loading can be a shade more awkward than side- loading, but I can tell you that it's MUCH less wear & tear on my thumb during extended sessions than a side-loader. :)

No cycling hangups, only one brand showed sticky extraction.
Smooth otherwise.
Trigger decent.
Noticeably lighter than a comparable brasser.
Denis
 
Sorry, I do not.

I had several tight 4-hole spreads opened up by a flyer.
There's no doubt in my mind the gun could have shot tighter overall without that blasted diamond. :)

Normally I just black them out with a felt-tip pen, but these are not the old Marbles sights (identical, but Henry does their own now), and for some reason the paint on this one would not take the black ink. Stayed white & bright.

Did not have the right screwdriver along to remove the notch plate & reverse it to the all-black side, so had to shoot as it was.

With a scope, if you choose, I'm sure the rifle could do 2 inches or better all day long.
Denis
 
I'll be taking my Henry Steel 44 Magnum out to the range, later this week. This is my 3rd Henry rifle and if this one is anything like the first two, it'll be a shooter.

This will be the second year for Ohio's PCR (pistol cartridge rifle) during our Deer Gun Season. I'm anxiously awaiting to see how my Henry performs. :)



Bowhunter57
 
got a new henry big boy 357 and shot it open sights 25 and 50 yds with 1 inch groups. put a nikon bdc 2.5x10 and got 1/2 in groups at 50 yds. im really happy with my new family member.
 
This may have been one of the first bulls ever taken with the 30-30 Henry. I hunted with this rifle right after they first came out with it several years ago.

The distance was approx. 75 yards or so. Two quick shots through the chest organs downed the animal and one finisher to end it. I was hunting with 170 grain Power Point ammo.

Jack

 
I've been thinking about a steel version since I've got a Golden Boy .44mag and wwwwaaaaayyyyy too nice for me to take hunting. I do like the Skinner sight on my GB a lot though. These rifles are very hard to beat.
 
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