Suggestions needed

[Oregontrail]

Need some suggestions going forward.
Recently purchased a Henry all weather side gate 357 rifle and topped it of with a leupold VX freedom 1 1/2-4x20 and Talley/Henry single piece mount/rings.
I have three other 357 mag rifles, new Winchesters from Japan and a Rossi
These are not scoped
Trouble is..
I can't get this new Henry to shoot anywhere near these other rifles. The Henry off the bench throws 130grain 38spl 6" groups at 50 yards and 158grain 357 mag about the same. It has been like this from the get go. Of course POI is different between the two rounds. My other 357 mag rifles shoot the same ammo 2"-3" at 50 yards with open sights
The scope on the Henry is torqued with the proper specs
I am by no means an expert in firearms , but am confident in my abilities as a shooter and had higher hopes for this new Henry rifle. It is beautifully made, fit and finish is awesome. Certainly don't intend to slam Henry in anyway shape or form they make great rifles
One thing I noticed, is the bore seems to have a texture unlike all my other rifles. Not shiny. Almost like the texture on the outside of the barrel, feels gritty when running a patch down. Is this normal with these rifles?
Maybe one of you have an all weather Henry and take a peek at the bore and let me know what you see.

As you all know ammo is at a premium right now, don't really want to spend the $$ to go out a sample other rounds if that is the case. Also I don't reload.
Any suggestions? I don't think I am expecting too much?

 

[Oregontrail]

Here are some photos. Best I can do with an IPhone

 

[Rockrivr1]

Have you tried a couple rounds just using the iron sights? That would be where I’d start. If the spread stays the same you know it’s the rifle. If the group tightens up you know it’s your scope setup.

 

[Atavar]

Have you called Henry?

 

[Oregontrail]

Yes, Taking the scope off will be my next move
Thank you

 

[wiscoaster]

I have a Henry Big Boy X in .357 / .38 Sp - which I think is basically the same platform, and I haven't noticed what you described about your bore, so I think it's worth an email or a phone call to run it past them. They're noted to be excellent wrt customer service, though not necessarily extremely fast. My rifle shoots .357 Mag like a tack driver, .38 Spec much less so (wider groups and about six inches off the .357 groups for same POA). It definitely has a preference for the hotter & heavier ammo.
View attachment 1037924
Have you done a bore break-in thing with your rifle? Maybe that's all the bore needs.

 

[dredd]

I also suggest wearing the barrel in a bit more.

I have a stainless barrel (45 Raptor) that loves being "dirty".
My groups tightened up nicely.

Then.... I cleaned it.
What the heck!?!?!?
My groups opened way up.

I continued to shoot it and my groups tightened up again.

 

[Skylerbone]

To the naked eye most OEM barrels look glass smooth, don’t be fooled by your eyes. This is my Henry .357 with about 600 rounds through it, freshly cleaned. Cobb rough compared to custom barrels. Still shoots mostly touching groups at 50 yards with a 2-7X scope.

EDITED TO ADD: photos also taken with an iPhone (8).



When photographing barrel interiors I use a white patch at the chamber area with a flashlight shining on it.

 

[Oregontrail]

Thank you all for the suggestions.
No I have not specifically followed any bore break in process. The first time out probably sent less than a dozen rounds down range then a cleaning. This is when I experienced the roughness sending a patch threw.
This weekend I plan to give it a go without the scope and if still experience the random groups I will give Henry a call
Thanks again for the advice!

 

[edwardware]

Sad to say. . . I've had two medium bore rifles that debuted with that performance. Neither was improved by any of the hundreds of rounds (fast, slow, short, long, jacketed, plated, cast, coated, bore-lapped, fouled, clean, etc) I threw down them.

Neither remains.

 

[hq]

The first time out probably sent less than a dozen rounds down range then a cleaning. This is when I experienced the roughness sending a patch threw.

If the manufacturer can't help you out and you're going to keep the rifle, why not consider fire-lapping it?

The procedure is pretty simple and has a high probability of smoothing up a rough barrel. All you need is 10-15 regular .38 rounds with lead bullets, the less powerful the better, and powdered kaolin. Heat up the bullets just enough for the wax on them to melt and dip them in kaolin to form an uniform coating. Then simply shoot them and clean the barrel thoroughly once you're done. Kaolin acts as a very fine lapping compound, polishing the barrel.

It can't remove heavy burrs like hand lapping, but it's cheap, easy and very effective (to a point) on most factory finished, mass produced barrels.

I've done this (among others) to my Marlin 1894C .357 lever action and while it wasn't that bad to start with, now it shoots approximately 1" groups at 50 yards with just about any ammo I care to feed it, including french Gendarmerie surplus .38+P(+) that's cheap but notoriously inaccurate. As a plus, it's very resistant to copper and lead fouling now.

 

[Oregontrail]

If the manufacturer can't help you out and you're going to keep the rifle, why not consider fire-lapping it?

The procedure is pretty simple and has a high probability of smoothing up a rough barrel. All you need is 10-15 regular .38 rounds with lead bullets, the less powerful the better, and powdered kaolin. Heat up the bullets just enough for the wax on them to melt and dip them in kaolin to form an uniform coating. Then simply shoot them and clean the barrel thoroughly once you're done. Kaolin acts as a very fine lapping compound, polishing the barrel.

It can't remove heavy burrs like hand lapping, but it's cheap, easy and very effective (to a point) on most factory finished, mass produced barrels.

I've done this (among others) to my Marlin 1894C .357 lever action and while it wasn't that bad to start with, now it shoots approximately 1" groups at 50 yards with just about any ammo I care to feed it, including french Gendarmerie surplus .38+P(+) that's cheap but notoriously inaccurate. As a plus, it's very resistant to copper and lead fouling now.

Thank you for this, I will certainly keep this in mind if it comes down to it.
We will see how it groups this weekend with the scope removed. If it does not perform I have hopes that Henry will help out given their reputation

 

[someguy2800]

Call Henry, I bet they send a call tag

 

[Oregontrail]

Well fellas as it turns out, I took the Henry out for another spin today. The results were far different, much better. 2" groups at 50 yards.
Same 357 ammo.
I had reset the scope with the proper torque and tracks very well. Also added a comb riser that greatly helped the cheek weld.
From disappointed to happy now!
Thanks for all your help