Henry ar-7 Survival rifle

[Vern Humphrey]

"I ended up buying a 16" barrel .22 bolt rifle instead, even though it is not a takedown gun."

/\ This, great advice

.
A normal .22 bolt action can be turned into a take down rifle simply by unscrewing the stock screw and separating the barreled action from the stock.

But permit me to beat a dead horse -- rather than ask what rifle is best, I would try the candidate rifles. And I would try using it as I intend to use it under the intended conditions.

 

[35 Whelen]

A few years ago Gun Test magazine tested the Henry, the Springfield M6 and another that escapes me. The Henry won. But I'm like you, the stock feels weird...size-wise WAY out of proportion to the rest of the rifle.
35W

 

[firemanstrickland]

well, personally, it doesnt matter how it feels, if we were gonna be all comfy in a survival situation we wouldnt be surviving. second, trust me, i would LOVE to just TRY IT, everybody keeps saying that, if i could try it i wouldnt be on here asking how the rifle is............think about it. Its hard to just run up to the gun store and say hey! gimme that gun im gonna go shoot it and if i like it i might buy it, not how it works, and no, i dont know anybody that has one. and thank you whelen 35, atleast ONE person understands what im talking about. a 12 ga. is NOT the survival firearm of choice

 

[Russ Jackson]

I never cared for the AR7 clumsy and you look like a tool at the range putting it together. I liked the old nylon Remington 66 but for some reason they stopped making them. Ruger 10/22 with a bullpup stock is an option. My new favorite is the Walther G22. Some people slam them but those who actually own one love them. Why did Remington stop making the 66,76 and 77?...Russ

 

[Geno]

VH said:

A normal .22 bolt action can be turned into a take down rifle simply by unscrewing the stock screw and separating the barreled action from the stock.

But permit me to beat a dead horse -- rather than ask what rifle is best, I would try the candidate rifles. And I would try using it as I intend to use it under the intended conditions.

Accurate on all points. I particularly agree with put it to the test. IMVHO, there is no carbine that will come even close to a TC Contender (especially the 1st generation) with a 16.25" barrel chambered in .22LR match. It comes in at a small 30" OAL, and disassembles easily enough.

Even though the thread is in the rifles section, I'll go a step further and say that I seriously doubt that for equal money, any other .22LR ever has, or ever will exceed the capabilities of the TC Arms' Contender pistol. Specifically I refer to one with either an 8" or a 10" barrel, chambered in .22LR match. Given that the Contender pistol still holds the world record for accuracy at 500 yards, it is safe to say that if you miss the intended target when firing a TC Arms' Contender...it isn't the Contender's fault.

Do as you like...but Vern is correct. See what fits you regardless of mark, model, configuration, price, etc. Then go use it. I am speaking from experience here. As recent as 8 years ago, I used to go on 3 and 4 day wilderness survival outings on my own. I carried a .22LR for hunting, fishing gear (some line and some hooks), and a .45 ACP for personal defense. This doesn't sound so hard until I disclose that I did such trips in 0 degree temps...in a tent.

Talking about surviving 3 days on your own is one thing...doing it is another...doing it in 0 degree temps (and not counting windchill factor)...them's justified braggin' rights! Living to boast of it, and have all your appendages is yet a higher level.

For me, if I were leaving immediately, to do this 3 or 4 day winter outing, I would take a Contender carbine, with a 16.25" stainless steel, chambered in .22LR match, mounted with a fixed 4X rimfire scope, and sporting the following buttstock: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=913778

Let us know how it goes when you put the rubber-to-the-road and try your intended gear out. You'll know soon enough if you made the right choice. Oh, and by the way, I had zero, zeeeeero outside form of communication...no radio, no cellular phone...not even flares. Hades, I didn't even have a heat-source! If my backside was self-imposed cut-off from humanity.

Geno

 

[firemanstrickland]

ok, here is what i got......I finally found one of the henry survival rifles, i didn't get to shoot it but if the comfort level is all you have to go on you don't have much, i mean yeah, its no AR but its not that bad, its definitely manageable. besides, its not for competition shooting, i think i will be buying one very soon.

 

[Domino]

As far as compact .22LR's go, its hard to beat the Marlin Papoose. I did a thread a while back on mine that the OP might be interested in...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=559044

I modified mine to allow buttstock storage and fitted it with both iron sights and a low powered scope. It fills that role perfectly as far as I am concerned.

For your purposes though, I tend to agree with others here that the a break down 12 gauge shotgun will be a better survival tool if you can afford the space for ammunition. I have a Stoeger Condor Outback that seems to fill that niche pretty well but you would probably be just as well served with a H&R single shot.

My Stoeger...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=541119

If you want to be able to store more ammo then look at the "Survivor" that is in .410/45 Colt. You could use the .410 for small game and the .45 Colt for larger game and you could carry more ammo than with a 12 gauge.

 

[firemanstrickland]

I have absolutely no intention of taking any big game or wing shooting in a survival situation, so......that limits me to small game that is not moving, i want to keep my weight down,.........so.......the 22. is perfect

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Of course, if one wanted to go a different way, an M1911 with a 28 lb recoil spring could shoot .45 Super (close to a .41 Mag, ballistically) along with shot cartridges, and a .22 conversion kit would go a long way. Throw in a few flare rounds for signaling, and you'd have a pretty good survival package.

 

[natman]

My experience is with the earlier Charter Arms incarnation so there's at least a theoretical chance that the Henry has improved.

The Charter version was a cast pot metal, cheap stamped steel paperweight. Great concept, poor execution. Wouldn't fire, wouldn't feed. Do a search on "Worst gun ever" and you'll find the Charter AR-7 mentioned in every thread.

If you are depending on one of these for survival, put the muzzle in your mouth and hope it goes off, because you are DOOMED.

 

[chanroc]

I just bought the newer Henry version last month and took it to the range for the first time last Friday. Not sure what was causing it, but it was jamming every other round with Winchester bulk ammo. I ended up unscrewing the barrel and putting it back on. No love there. Then I switched to a brick of CCI Blazers - FLAWLESS. Not sure what makes CCI different, but they fed perfectly and were accurate. I'll stick with my 10/22 for my everyday stuff/pinking, but the Henry works just fine...as long as you stick with CCI ammo.

 

[artee]

I have an AR-7 by Charter Arms. I've had it over 17 years. I'll speak on this example. I would never have set out to get one, even if it was briefly issued under Curtis LeMay. I did a job, was expecting cash, and got SADDLED with this thing...

That should show my state of mind. I wasn't fulfilling a fantasy or getting a long lust fulfilled...but, I have kept it, all these years.

35 Whelen and JFrame have pretty well summed it's handling qualities. As I write this, it's laid across my lap, to help me remember. The "stock" is LARGE. It isn't a "scaled down" rifle, like almost every ".22 auto" made. But, the receiver and barrel are small and overall, the rifle is very weird to "handle". I usually wrap my non trigger hand around my trigger hand on the pistol grip. There is no forestock. Sometimes I shoot it with my thumb and forefinger on the barrel/receiver nut. It doesn't seem to cause the gun to shoot to a different POI. With the typical mini size barrel of a .22 LR, and NO forestock, it's WAY too light up front. The barrel is Aluminum with a STEEL liner, I believe. It really handles more like a stocked pistol than a carbine. That's the best comparison.

Sights. MY Charter Arms has a grooved top on the receiver that LOOKS like it could take a tip off type .22 scope mount. It isn't made for that, and isn't high enough to even try. It's just a "glare reducing" platform. I've seen reviews of the HENRY product that show a scope and a red dot in .22 type mounts. GOOD IMPROVEMENT to the design. On the other hand, it wrecks the "packs into the stock" type concept, and leaves you with a bulky optic waiting to get smacked or be a big lever for something to push against and bend some part of the gun, mounts, or scope during storage. And this rifle will mostly live in storage. The issue sights. Nice unprotected front post It's plastic. It's also dovetailed into a ramp. The front sight is therefore adjustable for your windage. The rear sight is a piece of thin sheet steel held by a screw into the rear of the action. The "end piece" of the action has a shallow grove the width of the sight sheet for it to ride in. This makes it hard but not impossible to angle the aperture sheet to the side for adjusting windage on the rear sight. I think the designer had in mind windage adjustments would be made on the front post. The aperture sheet has a slot the securing screw goes through, so the height of the aperture can be slid up and down. Looking at mine, from the securing screw center to the top of the slot is 3/16 inch. (I measured from the center of the large flat head screw to the top of the slot.) I don't know how far below screw shaft center the slot goes, but it could be as much as 2/16th inches more IF the bottom of the slot is JUST even with the bottom of the securing screw head. I'm not loosening it and losing my zero just to find out). The sight radius is 20 1/2 inches. So, every .005 inch you drift the front sight or raise/lower the rear aperture will move your point of impact 1 MOA at 100 yards. It is a hit and miss proceedure, not "Click Adjustable". But, with a measurement of your POI on target, and a 6 in caliper or 1 in micrometer, you can dial the rifle in very quickly on the range.

Accuracy and Function: It's a jammer with many types of ammo. Mine like's Remington Bulk "Golden" 36gn HPs. With what it likes, it runs very well. Be prepared to test/search a bit for what runs well and hope it likes it for accuracy. Speaking completely off memory back about 3 years, it fires a mag full into about 1 1/2 inches at 25 yards. Not match grade, but that is offhand or sitting at 25 and 50 yards with the Remington Golden Bullet Bulk HPs. The trigger is typical of most .22 LR semi autos. It sucks just as bad, but no worse. The light weight of the rifle, and position of your supporting hands doesn't help you. Needs work and practice on your part. The safety is nicely positioned and the bolt handle can extend outward about 9/16 inch for easy grasp or pushed in and secured for storage (and is still useable in the stored position).

Storage: Just pulled the gun apart to "store" it in it's stock. Bad memories resurface! Pulling the buttplate off the buttstock is an ABSOLUTE MOTHER. It's on there but good. I always worried about using something to pry on it for fear of breaking the stock. The barrel comes off the receiver. Everyone has seen the movies where the assassin assembles his "take down" sniper rifle--that's an AR-7. (What a LAUGH!) The barrel has a molded "hole" it fits into, as does the receiver and the magazine. The receiver CAN NOT be stored with the magazine in the receiver. You must remove the magazine for the receiver to fit in it's "hole". At least in the Charter Arms, you can not store an extra magazine. Having written that, I'm pretty sure I've seen reviews that suggest two magazines can be stored in the Henry. I'd bet it was an assumption that wasn't tested by the writer, however. This would be a hard rifle to put together if you were cold.

My biggest gripe with the rifle is it came to me with the stock busted. The forward portion that splits to accept the receiver is way thicker on the left side than on the right. Like about 3 to 1. My thinner, weaker right side was "split" from about the back of the trigger guard rearward and upward for an inch, than angling back forward toward the bottom of the safety. A nylon thumb screw comes from the bottom of the pistol grip through the grip into the bottom aft of the receiver and pulls it downward and rearward into the stock. I fixed the broken stock with epoxy and it's held all these years. But this is a weak area of the design. A somewhat "oversize" piece of Styrofoam or piece of wood should be made to fit this recess in the stock when it is stored "collapsed" to keep this area from being broken by the camp stove that get thrown on top of it with the sleeping bag on top of it that you have to jump on the trunk to get to close.

That was a mouthful to write. I have no idea how this area of the stock broke, but broken it ruins your day. While my epoxy repair has held 17 years, the rifle is a range queen. Never seen hard use or continuous storage in a trunk or under a snowmobile seat or other tough spot.

 

[OcelotZ3]

Ok, I am very involved in my SAR unit here at home and we like to be ALWAYS prepared, well, i want to take it the next further. If i happen to be the one who gets disorientated and have to spend a few nights out, i would like to have more than just my xdm to try and put food over the fire

Interesting, I've been involved w/SAR & Mountain Rescue for 21 years and we are NOT allowed to carry any firearms unless we are part of a posse. We are all deputies but not the level of carrying deputies... It must be different where you are at.

I know you said "I'm just asking about firearms", but on a field SAR mission I would carry other items vs. a firearm; they would be much more useful in many more situations, especially given equivalent weight. Extra water alone would extend your time out by days...

 

[jmorris]

receiver CAN NOT be stored with the magazine in the receiver. You must remove the magazine for the receiver to fit in it's "hole". At least in the Charter Arms, you can not store an extra magazine.

The henry comes with two and the reciever stows with one in it. The other has its own spot in the stock. The one I have rattled a bit so I stow it with a tooth pick beside it. Crude but works and I've used the pick for more than stopping rattles. Come to think of it a spot for an extra leatherman would be nifty.

 

[Nail Shooter]

Why not just get the best the first time around? Marlin Papoose, end thread....
You're welcome. Regards,

Nail

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I picked up an Armalite Explorer AR-7 off the used gun rack at a gun shop and a Charter Arms Explorer II AR-7 pistol at a pawn shop. Both were used. One was about forty years old and rode hard and put up wet and abused by the previous owner. Both initially gave a lot of the problems mentioned in the "AR-7 is a POS" threads. But the problems I have had, have been with magazines, an easily replacable part.

I have heard only good about the new Henry version.

The original Armalite (Costa Mesa) AR-7 rifle requires the magazine be removed from the receiver to stow in the stock, but the Henry stock allows the receiver to be stowed with a magazine in place, plus one in its own compartment.

My AR-7s are picky about ammo. The rifle prefers CCI Stinger and the pistol prefers Winchester SuperX. Both gag on bulk pack or flatnose. But for an emergency use gun, premium ammo is a wise investment anyway.

Magazines have always been the weak point of the AR7. The feed lips can get sprung or bent, and without a good magazine as a model, straighting the feed lips can be a problem.

The magazine catch hole on very well used magazines will usually be enlarged, causing misfeeds unless you cup your off hand to hold the magazine up (which for me is a nature hold on the rifle).

Newer magazines have an outside spring to prevent the top cartridge from tipping up and misfeeding. Also the feed ramp is the tab in the front of the magazine, and can be bent to either cause or correct feeding problems. Yeah, a gun that requires tweaks and fitting to feed reliably can be more trouble than it is worth (or be a hobbyists' dream range toy).

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I have a Henry, it's done me well but took a good amount of 'familiarity' time with it.
I super glued a thin strip of nylon onto the inner back side of the mag well to take up some slack there, use CCI MiniMags and it's been 100% since.
it does take some getting used to aim for precise shots but if you have the barrel snugged down good it's quite accurate.
I've lost 2 .22LR rifles in river canoe capsizes it's somewhat comforting to know this one I can't lose. I still tether it to cross brace though, wish I had done that to my Ruger and my Glenfield. both good utility .22LR's I lost.
I trap the French Broad River in Western North Carolina. killed a 4 point w/my Henry near a cornfield. knocked it's noodle out at 25 yds or so.
best eating deer I've ever taken I believe. fat.

 

[s23246g]

I too have picked up the Henry and thought it felt odd in my hands. I have owned the Marlin Papoose for about 20 years now, and I love it. I own the wooden stock version, and have drilled out some extra space under the butt plate for extra ammo and a small survival kit. I have seen some people say that if they scope it, they would have to find another case, but I am able to fit mine inside the case with a full size scope just by moving it backwards a little and fastening the velcro straps in another spot. I highly recommend this rifle. Now I just wish they would make higher capacity mags for it again. I had a 25 round plastic one when I first got the gun, but it finally gave up the ghost last year, and I haven't been able to find any for sale. I broke down and bought a few ten rounders instead.

 

[Onmilo]

I would choose a Browning Auto .22 over anything mentioned as a "dedicated" survival rifle.
Even better would be an Auto .22 in stainless steel or hard nickle with a set of synthetic stocks.

Are you listening Browning!!??