Thoughts on the Henry AR-7?

That rifle, made by several different manufacturers, may have caused more hate than any other rifle. The term jam-o-matic might have been invented for it.

I understand Henry owners are happy with them, but many, like myself, are so mentally scarred by previous editions they wold never consider touching that model. lol

An alternate might be a Marlin Papoose which has an excellent reputation.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

A friend gave me a AR-7 and it was basically a single shot. It was the worse firearm I have ever owned. I finally sawed it into pieces and threw it away because morally I couldn't sell it. lol

I would go with a Ruger 10/22 takedown.

The Henry AR-7 weighs about 8 ounces more than than the classic ArmaLite or Charter Arms editions of the AR-7. Most of that is in beefing up the receiver and adding a Weaver Tip-Off 3/8" riflescope rail to the top of the receiver.
The Henry AR-7 magazine is diffferent from the classic ArmaLite or Charter Arms AR-7 magazines. I bought two of the Henry style magazines and they are an improvement in reliability over the admittedly old used ArmaLite and Charter Arms magazines I have.

So. My thoughts on the Henry US Survival Rifle edition of the AR-7? It is slightly better than the ArmaLite original and much better than most Charter Arms copies. None of them would be my choice as a first or only .22 rifle, but my AR-7 went along on trips to the mountain when my primary arm was a centerfire rifle or a shotgun and taking a full sized .22 was not convenient.

My suspicion is that when Eugene Stoner developed the AR-7 at the ArmaLite division of Fairchild aircraft company, he developed AR-7 using the military issue M24 aircrew survival weapon .22 LR cartridge (40.5gr FMJ round nose, loaded a step above .22 LR commercial high velocity). On several trips to the mountain when I have taken my AR-7, I have fired all five magazines successfully with CCI Stinger hollowpoint and CCI Minimag copperplated round nose. Remington Thunderbolt ("Thunderdud") and Golden Bullet ("Fool's Golden") have been real disappointment as have other brands especially the loose bulk pack ammos. Standard velocity (1000 to 1100 fps) don't general the recoil impulse to operate my AR-& reliably. Some people have opined that if the rifle wont work with crap ammo or less than high velocity ammo, it's a crap rifle. But I get near 100% reliability and good accuracy with CCI MiniMags CPRN which is better to me than saving pennies per cartridge.

Has Henry done anything to keep the barrel nut from unscrewing itself?

Had the Charter Arms version. Absolute garbage.

I have an older Charter Arms AR-7. It is 100% reliable with CCI minmags. It does not like cheep bulk ammo. I would also recomend the 10/22 takedown as a first rifle.

I got the original AR7 in 1965 down at college and it surprised me with its accuracy and it worked ok with the Winchester Copper plated Super X of the day. I shot it in California in Monterey County in 67 and sent it back to Grandparents in NJ while in VN in 1968. Then I came home after two tours in 1970 it had disappeared from my old grandparents with no suspects . I bought another , a Charter Arms in 1980 and it was a jamomatic POS ! I found a cherry Armalite AR7 in the late 90s and carried it in a back pack around the Sierras and it shoots well and I have along with it the old factory scope mount and a 3/4" Weaver Elpaso 4x scope.

Well, the biggest issue, as noted above, is that it is an AR-7.
That's a whole pile off issues (as noted above).

Because of the design, what you have a short length-of-pull stock on a pistol. Your supporting hand pretty much has no where to go but upon the shooting hand. This makes for an odd "triangle" to poke the stock to your shoulder. The buttplate is designed to optimize for the storage strategy, not for shouldering. So, it can feel a tad strange.

That strangeness continues as the rear sight is also closer to your eye than it would be with a pistol, which changes the sight picture some.

These are not insurmountable issues. They are just unique to the AR-7 and want some adaptation to get to familiarity. The package, though, does not much endear itself towards getting in the number of repetitions wanted to really get familiarity. Which tends to not endear the platform to folks.

Is it great? It can be. Is it a dog? It can be that, too. If you have the niche this fills, it will do that handily. Cool thing about firearms, it's not one-size-fits-all.

I've had AR-7s from Armalite and Charter Arms.
All worked fine with Stingers and other hot .22s.
I've never even tried them with milder loads.

I've never had anything from Henry, though.

I used to look at them when I was shopping for a rifle when I turned 21..I ended up with a Norinco SKS instead.

In that same "survival" genre, the Aero survival rifle has been in my sights for awhile but I hear they also can have FTF issues, albeit that often goes away with use. I may abandon that little niche altogether in favor of a Ruger PCC.

Off topic a little, bit the 24F also used to catch my eye as a simplified survival rifle.

If you want something to stick in a boat that you don't care about (the rifle, not the boat) I would consider but not recommend it. After using it, the new smell degrades quickly so that bastard utility won't be an issue. Mine is a Henry, its been shelved awhile. The barrel nut did stay secure in limited operation. It does require a Panda-like diet and there are still occasional FTFs and FTEs and the marriage of the two. More simply, there are better ways to depart with money (and perhaps recoup it in the future) unless you are after it's uniqueness.

If you want something different, it is that. Like a Chauchat, Krummlauf or Apache Pistol the AR-7 guns are a unique idea with a well-intended purpose in mind… but like it’s firearm brethren above they’re pretty famous for not working out too well.

It is easily stowable and floatable, so if you find one that is reliable it does have utility beyond just slinging lead.

My experience has not been good with the older ones at all, to the point they’re not even worth me thinking about. (And I’m a desert rat in my SxS, and a boater, both areas where the AR-7 could’ve been ideal .)

Hopefully you’ll find one that is reliable .

Stay safe.

I had an Armilite AR 7 ages ago the only problem I ever had is it would go full auto if really,really dirty. Bought it after seeing it in From Russia with Love,thought it was a movie prop till I saw it in a Shooter's Bible.

I don't shoot my Henry much but it's a neat conversation piece. Hangs on a wall in a SHTF bag. It works reliably, as others have noted, with a little snappier ammo, MiniMags being my choice.

Aside front the front sight needing to be glued in to stay put, mine has been okay. It runs reliably, and it fits up its own butt, so it can stay. But it's an emergency rimfire rifle, so it's not that great.

gobsauce said:

That's precisely what I'm after. I like buying odd things. I have a tube fed bolt action shotgun. 5+1 capacity. It's weird, it's odd, it's unique.

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The heart desires what the heart desires…

Here! From Michigan, with…well, here.
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...nk&utm_medium=gun.deals&utm_campaign=datafeed

It’s your birthday! Enjoy it!

gobsauce said:

you are an enabler!

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You’re welcome!

A few years ago I added an original Armalite AR-7 to my Bond Collection. I don't shoot it very often but when I do it's a really fun, accurate, and reliable rifle. I think the Henry versions are very good and at an MSRP of $250 you could do a lot worse. I paid more than that for my Armalite which was $50 new.

I have a well used Armalite AR-7. Which I got new in 1971. With better ammo I never had any FTF or FTE . THe new Henry mags can be fitted to use. It is my boat gun and Grandkids like it.The only 22 cal rifle I have that is not a . Shoots well for what it is.

If you're thinking of buying one, you
must keep in mind what they were
intended for. They're for sure NOT a
target rifle, and NOT a rifle for blasting
a brick of ammo every weekend and
doing one magazine dump after another.
What they ARE is a much better alternative
than cobbling up a rambo spear when
you're at the back of nowhere sans a
proper firearm and your ninja sword
and blowgun are in the closet at home

It's definitely not a target rifle but for the average shooter they can hit better with the AR-7 than they could with handgun.
If I want to do a lot of plinking with cheap ammo I have a Marlin 60 and a Remington Nylon 66 I salvaged as abused gun shop/pawn shop orphans.
For good looks and show off I have a early 1960s Marlin 39A Mountie with a 1950s all-metal and glass Weaver B4 riflescope (before they went plastic).
If I am going somewhere where a full size .22 rifle is not convenient but having a.22 rifle might be comforting (like if I breakdown in the mountains), I take my AR-7.
Magazine dumps? You miss with the first shot, game disappears in the underbrush. I was taught one shot, one kill.