AR-7 info/pic thread!

I saved up my pennies and bought one in 1963. I was running the river a lot and didn't want to loose the 22 pump that my grandfather had given me. The AR7 was perfect.
One thing I remember about it that I didn't like was trying to adjust the rear peep sight. Loosen the screw, wiggle a tab of metal about, tighten the screw and try again. After getting it set, I never touched it again.
One winter in Montana the plastic butt cap split. I drove the 118 miles to Great Falls and went into a store called 'The Paris'. Don't know if it still exists. Down in the sporting good area I ask the man behind the counter and he took off for too long. When he came back he had a replacement butt cap for the AR7, but I had talked myself into buying a S&W Model 28 with 6 inch barrel. $86 bucks, that was an expensive trip.

For comparison with a Marlin or Ruger 22, well I have had some over the years and like some or most of them but the little AR7 holds a soft spot in my heart.

I've had three over the years. An original Armalite, a Charter Arms and a new (this year) Henry. The two early ones were accurate and reliable and I wish I'd kept the Armalite.

The new Henry is well made and is also accurate and reliable. The stock is slightly beefier than the older guns and has room for two spare mags in addition to the mag in the gun.

The only nit I have to pick is that the plastic front sight is easy to move with finger pressure, so you need to mark or glue it after your initial sight-in.

Years ago, a friend of mine traded a Ruger 10/22 for one of those things.

It jammed.

A lot.

Just get a 10/22 and be done with it.

The Charter arms version had a lot of problems. The new Henry version is reliable. While they are light and self contained, they still have a crummy trigger.

Is that a Tactical Solutions Cascade?

I have the Henry version
It works and is surprisingly precise

Trigger like a staple gun, though

I've owned a couple of the Charter Arms versions in the 70's and 80's Neither of them were reliable. Tried lots of different ammo but they still jammed almost once a mag.

Got red of them both and never looked back.

I've had a CA version since the late 70's or early 80's. Relaible, once I found it's ammo preference. Resaonably accurate.

For over two decades it was my Jeep gun, until an incident convinced me I needed a little more horsepower.

I still keep it in my emegency backpack that I toss in my pickup when I head out.

Just for comparison. Here's the AR-7 with it's replacement.

I have a multi colored stock late 60's armalite ar7

I had one, jammed constantly. Sounded really weird, like someone thumping a drum. Pretty much pointless IMO.

I've owned four original Costa Mesa Armalite AR7's. I never bothered with the Charters or later, as the reputation of, and experience with, the originals, has always been first rate. I have given two as gifts to relatives, and keep my early brown stocked one on display with my 007/Bond stuff. The other one is a work in progress, as some fool ground off the rear peep for some reason (but the price was right at the gunshow). Never had a problem with any of them, and shoot 5-6" groups at 50 yards, which I think is pretty good. ........................................................ [/IMG]

I bought one of the new Henry's earlier this year. Like another poster above said, the front sight is a plastic blade that is pretty much useless. It did jam a few times also. Long story short, after a few trips to the range with it, I sold it and wondered, why didn't I just get a 10-22.

I think it was the novelty effect that suckered me in. So, my advise is pass on this and just get a 10-22 unless you can find one of the original Armalites.

I had the Charter Arms version. It functioned well enough, with the right ammo, but the sights were by-guess-and-by-gosh trial an error, with no way to get a repeatable setting. A 6" group at 50 yards sounds about right; it was in no way accurate enough for use as a "survival" gun for hunting small game. The Marlin Papoose is a much better choice, if you want a compact, but accurate, camping rifle.

I had a Charter Arms version back in the 90's, was accurate and fairly reliable with the factory metal magazines, but I bought a couple of the Ramline 25rd magazines and it hated them, constant jams.

I bought the Charter Arms "pistol" version NIB in the spring of 1981. It always reminded me of a broonhandle Mauser.

Is that a Tactical Solutions Cascade?

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No, it's a GA Checkmate.

So they are really THAT bad! *Newer ones anyway*.

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Mine runs great, using Henry magazines and HV ammo.

If Eureka40 had trouble and didn't contact HRA to resolve it or do any troubleshooting on his/her own, I don't know how much you should read into the "review".

Go check out the endless threads on RFC about the Henry survival rifle if you want a lot of reviews. Henry generally makes guns that work on the first try, and will rectify any problems with the guns as they age or if there is a rare manufacturing defect.

It would certainly be nice if Henry were to update the design, at least use better more modern plastic, maybe add a rail mount for modern optics to the top, etc.

I had an Armalite, a Charter Arms, and a Henry Survival version.
Every single one was junk I would not trust to operate under survival conditions.

Isaac-1 said:

It would certainly be nice if Henry were to update the design, at least use better more modern plastic, maybe add a rail mount for modern optics to the top, etc.

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You haven't seen the new one? Henry re-did the tooling and the reciever has a rail on top. The stock is beefier and is poly instead of styrene. It's WAY better than the late Charter/early US/Henry guns.

No I had not looked at the recent ones, just the announcement when they said they would start producing them and I think it had a photo of the old style

For what it is designed to do, that 5-6" at 50 translates to 2-3" at 25, and that is "rabbit accurate". In a survival setting, SEEING a rabbit in the wild beyond 25 yards is not easy (unless there is snow, and the rabbit is another color). If I were a downed pilot, I'd be real sparing of my ammo, and wait for a close, insured shot. Same with defense against an armed enemy. Stealth, stalking, and a close range shot to the noggin. Then you can use HIS gun...............

I don't collect take down guns for survival but the only thing I would rather have than a Savage 24 would be a sat phone or a Zebco 202...