Red dot for Henry Big Boy?

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wiscoaster

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I have a Henry Big Boy X (.357 Mag/.38 Spec) I'm thinking of putting a red dot / reflex optic on. This rifle already has pretty good fiber-optic iron sights and I don't want to obsure them with a scope rail (for which the receiver is drilled and tapped). I don't have any experience with "mini" pistol-purposed red dots and red dot mounts, but I'm thinking this might be a solution as the mount would be low profile enough to allow me an clear view of the sights through the optic.

Any thoughts on whether or not I'm on the right track and/or alternate solution suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!!
 
It would probably be a great solution so long as it did allow a clear view of the sights - - - - - a condition I'd like to exist on my rifle as well. Plus, a small RDS isn't as bulky and, atleast in my humble opinion, more aesthetic. Especially on a lever rifle.
 
One issue I've run into with pistol type mini sights, is that you need a riser block to see through them. They are too close to the rifle. At that point, there is no hope of seeing the iron sights.
 
I wouldn't be averse to a red dot w/ a QD dismount so long as the base to which it attaches doesn't obstruct the sights.
 
Don't know how it would look, but I think you could get what you're wanting to do by using this style of of red dot and see thru rings...

prod_spseriesreddot.jpg

Though that would require a rail, so never mind...
 
I picked up a cheap low-profile Weaver-style rail that looked like it would fit the pre-drilled receiver, so if it's low enough the combination of the slot through the center of the rail and the see-through rings suggested above might do the trick. It was worth taking a gamble on a price of $7.99 for the rail. Some of the Sig Romeo red dots also come with see-through high-rise mounts, so they might work as well. All part of the fun!! :D
 
I would pick one or the other. I know pistols have taller sites available that will cowitness with a red dot. Not sure with the henry.
 
wiscoaster said:
I picked up a cheap low-profile Weaver-style rail that looked like it would fit the pre-drilled receiver, so if it's low enough the combination of the slot through the center of the rail and the see-through rings suggested above might do the trick. It was worth taking a gamble on a price of $7.99 for the rail. Some of the Sig Romeo red dots also come with see-through high-rise mounts, so they might work as well. All part of the fun!! :D
Click to expand...

I'm interested to see how it works. Most of the mounts I saw for them weren't very low profile, but if you found one that is that works, that could be the ticket.

One other thing I like about that style of red dot... purely as an aesthetic thing, I think they look better on more traditional rifles. Due to their size/length, they look more like a traditional scope and as such look less "out of place" on a non-MSR style rifle to me.
 
The Picatinny rails I have on my Henry's are cut out in the center so if there is no optic the iron sights can be used.
 
I have not been a big red dot sight fan . But I was convinced to try the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 or my AR. I love it and think it would be a good option for a lever gun
 
BigBL87 said:
I'm interested to see how it works. .
Click to expand...
I had to do some minor metal removal on the bottom of the rail to make the center channel clear, but it's going to work. Now I have to figure out where my Sig Romeo5 is, because that's the optic I want to use, but I think it's currently mounted on an AR upper that I have in storage.
 
BigBL87 said:
Don't know how it would look, but I think you could get what you're wanting to do by using this style of of red dot and see thru rings...

View attachment 972398

Though that would require a rail, so never mind...
Click to expand...

I have an Ultra Dot like those Millets on one of my lever guns. I'd definitely prefer a quick detach mount to a higher set of see through rings.
 
The Weaver rail worked out fine, but I ended up going with my Sig Romeo-MSR on its low-rise mount as it's just a hair lower profile, and after trying both it was the one that turned out to put my line of vision right in the center of the glass without having to compromise on my cheek weld (or resort to a cheek riser). I had to give up on quick detach to make both sight systems workable, but it's not like that's a big deal, something I'm going to have to swap out in the heat of battle or something. I'm happy and I only had to resort to a bare minimum of swearing to get the project finished.
View attachment 972676
 
wiscoaster said:
The Weaver rail worked out fine, but I ended up going with my Sig Romeo-MSR on its low-rise mount as it's just a hair lower profile, and after trying both it was the one that turned out to put my line of vision right in the center of the glass without having to compromise on my cheek weld (or resort to a cheek riser). I had to give up on quick detach to make both sight systems workable, but it's not like that's a big deal, something I'm going to have to swap out in the heat of battle or something. I'm happy and I only had to resort to a bare minimum of swearing to get the project finished.
View attachment 972676
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
CraigC said:
I would not compromise cheek weld and would strongly suggest a QD mount over anything you can see "through" or under on a conventional rifle.
Click to expand...
I wish ... can't be done on this setup. Any mechanism giving me QD capability will obscure the iron sights. It's either one or the other. I carry a hex wrench and can remove the red dot in under a minute. That's "QD" enough for me. ;)
 
The QD mount is in case you 'need' the iron sights. If they're obscured with the red dot in place, it doesn't matter. There are QD mounts that replace the base you're using right now.
 
CraigC said:
... If they're obscured with the red dot in place, it doesn't matter. ....
Click to expand...
Yes, of course, I came back to edit my post realizing I misspoke and you're too fast for me!! :D What I meant to say is that w/ the red dot mounted, any base that enables QD functionality has too high of a profile. It both obscures the iron sights when mounted (irrelevant when using the red dot, of course, as noted) but more to the point raises the direct line of sight through the red dot too high to use a proper cheek weld. I might be able to resolve the whole thing by using a micro-dot pistol optic, but I don't want to spend that much..what I've got now works well enough. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
 
Thanks for your research and the links. The first one linked doesn't mount on a Weaver rail, per one of the Q&A. The second might work, though it's labelled as a Pic mount (so kind of depends - I'd be taking a chance). One of the review comments complains about iron sight obstruction. The base I have on there now adds an eighth of an inch rise as close as I can measure. The linked Midwest base is 3 mm rise per the same review. So that's about the same as I have now. If I knew for sure it mounts on a Weaver, it should work. I know the Weaver rail I have on the receiver now works with the iron sights; I made sure it does; so I don't want to change out that part of the system. Ah, the joy of rifle sighting!! All part of the fun. ;)
 
I've got a Burris fastfire 3 on my .45-70. It's mounted on a rail Henry sells. Without the red dot, the sights can still be used just fine through the rail. The fastfire has one big screw for the quick dettach design, but as the screw protrudes and the slot is wide, a knife blade could easily be used to remove the optic in the field.

Whether or not this particular red dot will hold up to the battering of .45-70 loads I cannot yet say as I've shot the rifle very little since installing the optic. (It's so easy to get distracted by other guns :D)
 
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