Henry Long Ranger Reviews?
- Thread starter timberelk
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Trigger felt like it was about 3-4 lbs with a very little bit of initial creep
dsculley
Well-Known Member
The bad grouping could just be the bad trigger on the one mentioned earlier. When we got my son a Browning A-Bolt in 300 WM it would not group well. He was 16 at the time and was determined to find some ammo it would shoot. He wanted to do all the shooting. I finally got him to let me shoot one round and I immediately knew what the problem was. The next week we took it to our gunsmith for a trigger job. Trigger went from ~ 8lbs to 1 lb 4 oz. with no creep. Made all the difference in the world. My son went from 6" groups to 3 shots touching at 100 yds.
I would like to do the same to a long ranger but I'm concerned with finding a reputable GM that can work on lever action triggers and the trigger still be safe for rough hunting situations (would rather have a heavy trigger vs an unsafe trigger that may go off unexpectedly). However because the long ranger had a transfer bar, I don't think it is physically possible to have the gun fire UNLESS the hammer is pulled back and I wouldn't do that until right before I take a shot
johnnyk
Well-Known Member
I've seen the Henry's in one of the semi-local gun shops (Mackey's Gun's, Jamesville, NC) and my first impression was it was a newer Browning BLR. I was slightly impressed when I read "Henry" on the side. Not a big fan of Henry rifles, they are fine rifles, just not for me.
I do have a Browning BLR in .243Win that my father passed on to me. He bought it with the original 20" barrel and was never pleased because of the velocity loss. It's pre-1995 Lightening with the steel receiver & clip. He and I would target shoot together and he would complain about "that short barrel" and how it would be so much better with a 26" barrel. This all started years ago, pre-internet/cellular, and his search for a replacement barrel took a few years with having to correspond via "snail mail" and rotary phones.
He finally got lined up with McGowen Barrels (think they were in Texas then) and they agreed to re-barrel it for him.View attachment 87473. Man, was he happy!
My dad loved the .243 and Browning firearms. He killed a ton of whitetails with that rifle, before and after the barrel swap, and wore me out at the range. I was shooting a fairly new (then) Remington Sendero 7mm RemMag (blued) which was extremely accurate and he held his own with that lever action. Always a little competitive with each other, we had a lot of good times.
As you can see and probably tell by the photo, it's had some use....
View attachment 87474
but I can assure you it still shoots sub MOA. I recently shot some 90gn Ballistic Tips ahead of Vith N560, averaging 3237fps for 10 shots. Not sure if Dad had anything done to the trigger or if it's even adjustable. I would think it is by any gunsmith worth his salt. His breaks cleanly at 4lbs, and while not considered a light trigger pull it does break smooth and effortlessly with no creep.
Not 100% sure about the twist but I think it's a 1-10". I vaguely remember him slightly unhappy with not being able to get a faster twist from McGowen.
As I look back and reminisce about my Dad, 25-30 years ago he was way ahead of his time when it came to rifles and shooting LR. He talked to me so much about these things and I was clueless at the time. Glad I had a Dad like that. Think I'll go shoot that ole Browning!
JohnnyK.
I do have a Browning BLR in .243Win that my father passed on to me. He bought it with the original 20" barrel and was never pleased because of the velocity loss. It's pre-1995 Lightening with the steel receiver & clip. He and I would target shoot together and he would complain about "that short barrel" and how it would be so much better with a 26" barrel. This all started years ago, pre-internet/cellular, and his search for a replacement barrel took a few years with having to correspond via "snail mail" and rotary phones.
He finally got lined up with McGowen Barrels (think they were in Texas then) and they agreed to re-barrel it for him.View attachment 87473. Man, was he happy!
My dad loved the .243 and Browning firearms. He killed a ton of whitetails with that rifle, before and after the barrel swap, and wore me out at the range. I was shooting a fairly new (then) Remington Sendero 7mm RemMag (blued) which was extremely accurate and he held his own with that lever action. Always a little competitive with each other, we had a lot of good times.
As you can see and probably tell by the photo, it's had some use....
View attachment 87474
but I can assure you it still shoots sub MOA. I recently shot some 90gn Ballistic Tips ahead of Vith N560, averaging 3237fps for 10 shots. Not sure if Dad had anything done to the trigger or if it's even adjustable. I would think it is by any gunsmith worth his salt. His breaks cleanly at 4lbs, and while not considered a light trigger pull it does break smooth and effortlessly with no creep.
Not 100% sure about the twist but I think it's a 1-10". I vaguely remember him slightly unhappy with not being able to get a faster twist from McGowen.
As I look back and reminisce about my Dad, 25-30 years ago he was way ahead of his time when it came to rifles and shooting LR. He talked to me so much about these things and I was clueless at the time. Glad I had a Dad like that. Think I'll go shoot that ole Browning!
JohnnyK.Attachments
Unfortunately not, but it sure didn't help. This one had a bad barrel-chamber-something.
The worst trigger I've ever pulled was on a factory Ruger M77. It had to have been around 12 pounds (maybe more), but still shot under 1" groups @ 100. After replacing it with a Timney the groups went closer to .5".
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Keep it at the half cock and you'll never have to worry about it. I've got 1895's that live in the half cock safety off position and have since they were forced to start putting the damned safeties on them.
Liability lawyers apparently couldn't figure out that the half cock IS the safety.
No, you can't fire one without fully cocking it and releasing the trigger.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
The Browning BLR is like the old Remington 760. Neither levers or pumps are supposed to be very accurate and both prove the exception to the rule.I've seen the Henry's in one of the semi-local gun shops (Mackey's Gun's, Jamesville, NC) and my first impression was it was a newer Browning BLR. I was slightly impressed when I read "Henry" on the side. Not a big fan of Henry rifles, they are fine rifles, just not for me.
I do have a Browning BLR in .243Win that my father passed on to me. He bought it with the original 20" barrel and was never pleased because of the velocity loss. It's pre-1995 Lightening with the steel receiver & clip. He and I would target shoot together and he would complain about "that short barrel" and how it would be so much better with a 26" barrel. This all started years ago, pre-internet/cellular, and his search for a replacement barrel took a few years with having to correspond via "snail mail" and rotary phones.
He finally got lined up with McGowen Barrels (think they were in Texas then) and they agreed to re-barrel it for him.View attachment 87473. Man, was he happy!
My dad loved the .243 and Browning firearms. He killed a ton of whitetails with that rifle, before and after the barrel swap, and wore me out at the range. I was shooting a fairly new (then) Remington Sendero 7mm RemMag (blued) which was extremely accurate and he held his own with that lever action. Always a little competitive with each other, we had a lot of good times.
As you can see and probably tell by the photo, it's had some use....
View attachment 87474
but I can assure you it still shoots sub MOA. I recently shot some 90gn Ballistic Tips ahead of Vith N560, averaging 3237fps for 10 shots. Not sure if Dad had anything done to the trigger or if it's even adjustable. I would think it is by any gunsmith worth his salt. His breaks cleanly at 4lbs, and while not considered a light trigger pull it does break smooth and effortlessly with no creep.
Not 100% sure about the twist but I think it's a 1-10". I vaguely remember him slightly unhappy with not being able to get a faster twist from McGowen.
As I look back and reminisce about my Dad, 25-30 years ago he was way ahead of his time when it came to rifles and shooting LR. He talked to me so much about these things and I was clueless at the time. Glad I had a Dad like that. Think I'll go shoot that ole Browning!
One of the finest shooting varmint rifles I've ever seen was a friends old Browning BLR in .22-250. Even with open sights a coyote within 400 yards had a chance at any speed when Tommy whipped that thing out and he was almost as hard on prairie dogs with it out to 200.
So there is no concern for bump fire because a bump fire can only happen after you cock the hammer correct? So theoretically the trigger could be turned all the way down to 6 oz and be safe because you must cock the hammer back first which one would do right before making a shot in game?
Just want to make sure my rifle is going to be safe prior to allowing a gun smith to mess with it
WildRose
Well-Known Member
If it has a half cock position it's just not possible because the hammer is not in contact with the firing pin at all.
Even on modern revolvers there is now a plate that come up only when the trigger is pulled which then allows the hammer to strike it, then the firing pin, there is no other possible way for them to fire.
The Henry almost certainly has one or both safety features but it's been too long since I looked closely at one to say.
The 1895's for sure cannot be fired except from the fully cocked position but some older models could conceivably be bump fired with a sharp enough blow with the hammer all the way down.
