Henry rifles. Any thoughts?
- Thread starter Skitt
- Start date
YES, I have a Henry Big Boy in 45 Colt and the 357/38 model which is a loaner for guest hunters. First off, my needs and usage are not the same as other people on this site, so please factor that in. But, for what I use them for, they are an Excellent choice. My hunting situation changed so I had to adapt to the situation or I could just give up perhaps the best hunting spot forever. So, I Adapted. And now I use my Henry Rifle and several revolvers as a close range Rock Chuck Varmint guns.
I live in SW Idaho and in places, has the very best Rock Chuck Hunting almost anywhere. The density of the population is off the scale. The average Chuck is about 12-15lbs, with some going 20lbs. This over growing is what happens when poisoning is not allowed and the hunting land boarders the "no shooting" Snake River Birds of Prey area. So, the surrounding farmers are overwhelmed with marauding Rock Chucks from this protected area. The chucks literally boil out of the ground at times. Average Daily harvest per hunter is about 75. Annual harvest over 1,500 and not even a dent in the population.
However, the hunting area has several new bordering housing developments and all of the sounds gets funneled down the canyon towards them and a small town. Until last year all was well, but complaints of sound pollution from several thousands of rounds from 243, 22-250, 223 and 308's hit a fever pitch. Anyway, the compromise worked out by everyone was to go to pistol rounds only. It is not a law or anything, just neighbors agreeing to get along type of thing.
So, my primary close range rifle I went with the Henry in 45 Colt with a 1.75 x 6 Leupold VX3 (Attached bottom pic). I was very lucky to find that the load of 9.0 Unique and 250gr lead flat points were sub MOA at 100 yards in this rifle. I also use 8.5 Unique 300 Grain and get 1.5 inch groups and those hit very hard. Trust me when I say that it is just as Explosive to shoot a rock chuck with a 45 colt to about 125 yards as it is to hit one with a 243 at 200 yards. It will send them about 10 feet in the air if shot correctly. The 357/38 is a lot quieter but with 125gr HP, it sends them flying a little less, but a lot more "red flag". Both guns have round counts over 1,500, without any issue. They are much faster to shoot then bolt action rifles, and if you stumble in a group of 20+ chucks in the open, it is easy to pick off at least 7 before they disappear down their holes. The goal here is not to wound anything, but to exterminate, so there is no overkill.
Most of the hunting is done using shooting sticks, but a few spots we have a bench to shoot from. When the shooting is done for the day, the fields look like a battle grounds. But all is cleared away in less the 24 hours, as the chucks are dined on by the bald eagles and all of the other raptors from the birds of prey area. What the birds don't eat the coyotes and the chucks themselves finish up.
The weight issue with the Henry is about the same as the other varmint rifles. I know that 11+ lbs rifles are a lot to carry if deer/elk hunting, but for Varmint hunting it is kind of a light setup. I kind of have a policy that if you are going to whine about having to carry 20lbs of hunting gear (gun, ammo, spotting scope, water) on flat land, you best stay back home and bake cookies or knit or ????? The things people whine about in forums is amazing.
Sorry for the long wind answer, but I am more then happy with the Henry's. My advice, buy it and enjoy. They work in the REAL WORLD.
I live in SW Idaho and in places, has the very best Rock Chuck Hunting almost anywhere. The density of the population is off the scale. The average Chuck is about 12-15lbs, with some going 20lbs. This over growing is what happens when poisoning is not allowed and the hunting land boarders the "no shooting" Snake River Birds of Prey area. So, the surrounding farmers are overwhelmed with marauding Rock Chucks from this protected area. The chucks literally boil out of the ground at times. Average Daily harvest per hunter is about 75. Annual harvest over 1,500 and not even a dent in the population.
However, the hunting area has several new bordering housing developments and all of the sounds gets funneled down the canyon towards them and a small town. Until last year all was well, but complaints of sound pollution from several thousands of rounds from 243, 22-250, 223 and 308's hit a fever pitch. Anyway, the compromise worked out by everyone was to go to pistol rounds only. It is not a law or anything, just neighbors agreeing to get along type of thing.
So, my primary close range rifle I went with the Henry in 45 Colt with a 1.75 x 6 Leupold VX3 (Attached bottom pic). I was very lucky to find that the load of 9.0 Unique and 250gr lead flat points were sub MOA at 100 yards in this rifle. I also use 8.5 Unique 300 Grain and get 1.5 inch groups and those hit very hard. Trust me when I say that it is just as Explosive to shoot a rock chuck with a 45 colt to about 125 yards as it is to hit one with a 243 at 200 yards. It will send them about 10 feet in the air if shot correctly. The 357/38 is a lot quieter but with 125gr HP, it sends them flying a little less, but a lot more "red flag". Both guns have round counts over 1,500, without any issue. They are much faster to shoot then bolt action rifles, and if you stumble in a group of 20+ chucks in the open, it is easy to pick off at least 7 before they disappear down their holes. The goal here is not to wound anything, but to exterminate, so there is no overkill.
Most of the hunting is done using shooting sticks, but a few spots we have a bench to shoot from. When the shooting is done for the day, the fields look like a battle grounds. But all is cleared away in less the 24 hours, as the chucks are dined on by the bald eagles and all of the other raptors from the birds of prey area. What the birds don't eat the coyotes and the chucks themselves finish up.
The weight issue with the Henry is about the same as the other varmint rifles. I know that 11+ lbs rifles are a lot to carry if deer/elk hunting, but for Varmint hunting it is kind of a light setup. I kind of have a policy that if you are going to whine about having to carry 20lbs of hunting gear (gun, ammo, spotting scope, water) on flat land, you best stay back home and bake cookies or knit or ????? The things people whine about in forums is amazing.
Sorry for the long wind answer, but I am more then happy with the Henry's. My advice, buy it and enjoy. They work in the REAL WORLD.
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