Was given a Henry Survival Rifle - Anything I need to know?

[Ranger30-06]

My grandfather gave me a brand new Henry Survival Rifle (.22lr that collapses completely into the stock). I like the gun because its very light and seems like an awesome backpacking gun. Now being so light and all, what's the average lifespan of these guns? Is it something I need to take extra special care of? How accurate are these guns? Thanks guys!

 

[CountryUgly]

They are total junk and you need to rid yourself of that thing now. I'll PM you my address and you can send it to me and I'll make sure it is properly disposed of.... Honestly they are no less durable than any other .22lr. A little cleaning and lube once in a awhile and it'll last a lifetime. It's basically the same thing as the AR-7 Survival rifle that pilots carried so google that and you will find all you could ever want to know.

 

[rcmodel]

The Armalite AR-7 design has been made by various companies through the years, and have a spotty reputation for reliability.
I have no experience with the Henry version, so I can't comment on them.

Prior to Henry making them, some work fine, and many others don't work at all.
The magazine is one weak link, and if yours feed properly, then don't abuse them.

Accuracy is not target level, and neither are the sights, but both are fine for what the rifle was designed for.

BTW: The AR-7 was never a GI issue pilot survival rifle.
Armalite hoped it would be, but it never turned out that way.

rc

 

[CountryUgly]

BTW: The AR-7 was never a GI issue pilot survival rifle.
Armalite hoped it would be, but it never turned out that way.

rc

I learned something new today, thanks RC. I was actually referring to it's popularity as a bush pilot / backpacking gun but I was under the impression that it was an issue weapon also. I've had several variations of this gun over the years and the Henry has been by far the better rifle inside 50 yards it was accruate enough for small game hunting, reliabilty was average being it was picky about ammo and the mag that came with it fit and feed well for the most part.

 

[whetrock]

My Henry survival rifle refuses to eat most brands of bulk ammo with any degree of consistancy. To be honest I don't shoot the rifle too terribly much any more and have been told they are pretty reliable with the higher velocity 22 ammo such as CCI stingers, Velociters and Aguila Super Max's but I've never ran any through mine so I can't say. I do know, however that these are some pretty nifty rifles that never fail to impress other shooters with their portability and stowing ability. I like mine for what it is and have noticed that Henry has introduced a slighlty different newer genration of these rifles.

 

[AJumbo]

I have fired maybe a dozen of them (never owned one- I fully accept the crushing weight of my 10-22...) and have only seen two that functioned reliably first time, every time. Most of the others were cured by a thorough cleaning, correct lubrication with a quality lube, and inspection/replacement of the magazines. Even with those steps followed, you may have to test several makes of ammo, since they seem to be sensitive to what they'll feed. There are worse weekend projects to have, for sure!

 

[highlander 5]

I had the AR 7 made by Armalite and recall it to have been a fun little rifle for what it was intended for. IIRV my rifle's biggest fault was when it got real dirty it would go full auto. Fortunately at the time I was in thw wilds of Maine where no one really cared if you had such a problem. Oh I bought the rifle after seeing it in a James Bond movie "From Russia with Love".

 

[Fremmer]

It doesn't come with toilet paper.
Hey, you wanna survive, right?

 

[Ranger30-06]

Thanks for the help guys. I have a bunch of high velocity .22 stuff lying around because it's very accurate in my .22 revolver, so I'll try that stuff. I probably won't get to shoot until next week because they shut down my home range so I have to travel 20-30min now to get to a decent range

 

[DM~]

I had at least 3 of the Charter Arms versions, two of them broke one ear off the plastic stock quite easily. All three jammed a bit, but would run fairly well with ammo they liked. I also had 1 or 2 of the pistols that used the same action, with the same comments about ammo.

DM

 

[4sixteen]

Mine shoots Stinger ammo quite reliably (but the owners manual states that hyper velocity ammo isn't recommended). I'm doing so at my own risk.

 

[Ranger30-06]

Does anyone actually own the Henry version? The reason I ask is because while they are all essentially the same gun, Henry (as far as I know) makes excellent guns, especially rimfires. I honestly have never heard more than one or two bad things about Henry's, which is why I wonder if this particular AR-7 variant is better than the others. Hmmm...

 

[MCgunner]

I had two of the things, Charter Arms vintage, sorry. Recently sold one of 'em to my SIL cause he wanted it. They're about 1" at 25 yards accurate (don't set the world on fire, but good enough for woods survival hunting), have a CRAPPY trigger that can't easily be improved because of the way it's designed, but do float if the issue stock is used, are light, come apart and go together easily, and are handy as a backpacker's insurance or canoer's/kayaker's insurance gun. I bought mine originally because it was so easy to take on motorcycle trips.

If it jams, work on the feed ramp built in to the magazine, bend it out or in until it's feeding reliably. I've also read to slightly bevel the chamber mouth if necessary, though I didn't have to do that on either gun.

I still have an old Charter Explorer 2 pistol, built on the AR7. Have a 6 and 8" barrel for it. I don't shoot it much. It's about as accurate as the rifle and has the same crappy trigger. I just bought it because it was cheap, 70 bucks new. It's at least reliable. I've had worse, have worse .22 handguns from the past. I also own MUCH better stuff, so I hardly ever shoot the thing. It is kinda cool in a Mauser broomhandle sort of way to look at.

The design of the gun is the same in the Henry and the main gripe I have with it is the trigger. It CANNOT be improved because of the way it's designed. I'd have to show you by taking the side plate off, hard to describe, but trust me, I bought a half dozen triggers (cheap) and screwed 'em all up trying. One actually turned the thing into a full auto....OOOPS. The Charters are NOT that bad. Some have had problems, but if you have half a yen for things mechanical, they're so simple, they're easy to figure out and DIY on. The number one reason for jams is the magazine ramp angle. The feed ramp is on the magazine. That is easily fixed with a pair of needle nose (Leatherman) and a little experimenting.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Someone could make a better rifle now, with all the polymers and lightweight metals, but it would cost an arm and leg. If you look at the design for its time, it was innovative, and practical enough for the intended purpose. I have an original Armalite made gun, and it works fine, and is able to stay on the black of a 50 yard bullseye pistol target easily. I do not shoot a lot of rounds at a time, but if my rifle is clean, and I'm just popping 50 or less, I never have reliability problems. Isn't that what is was designed to do?

 

[bigfatdave]

I have the Henry version, and it works.

Ignore all the bellyaching about the older versions.

You do, of course, have to work within the limitations of the design.

Mine likes Henry magazines, so I ordered extras
Mine likes CCI minimags, but will cycle Fed550 bulk. It will cycle most ammo that isn't "sub sonic" or "standard velocity" just fine
The extremely lightweight barrel wasn't designed for magazine dumps or even particularly rapid fire - it will heat up quickly
The sights are actually not too bad for basic needs within 50 yards, but it isn't a target rifle
The barrel nut should be checked every few magazines, I've just developed the habit of checking it when I reload every magazine (I do that with my Papoose as well)
The barrel nut shouldn't be put on with gorilla strength, it won't help it stay snug and will just damage the threads.
You should mount the barrel the same way each time, there is some minor slop in the design
The trigger isn't very good, but you can learn to work with it

 

[mac66]

The Ar7 is cool little rifle that is a lot of fun to shoot when it works. It is a close range plinker and not much else. The stock is pretty wide and bulky and takes up a lot of room in a pack but is pretty good for packing away in the trunk of a car. I've carried one in an RV for 30 years.

It is one of those niche rifles that is cool to have buy not used very much.

There are some aftermarket stocks for it and if you could find one used might be worth while to enhance it's compactness. I bought a stock off of Ebay about 20 years ago for mine and it makes it a pretty small package with the pistol grip removed.

 

[bigfatdave]

some of the aftermarket stocks are interesting, but be SURE that anything you buy is compatible with the Henry version, there's an AR7 specialty place out there that has a lot of non-Henry compatible stuff, partly because HRA had to do some real changes to get a better-working gun.