Henry Rifle Forums

Reading all the range reports, it was time to break out the Big Boy 357 Carbine... especially since it was the subject of such an interesting post recently. I gathered up some of the 357 LSWC ammo I had loaded specifically for the Henry, and headed down to the range. After testing the ammo to see where it hit, (2" high at 25 yards) I held at 6'oclock and fired 12 rounds for a group. I was VERY pleased with the performance of both the reloads and the Henry. I have to give a lot of credit to the Skinner Sights... Old Eyes and Skinner Sights are a great combination! I chose the Gold and Black combo to compliment my Carbine, I think they not only perform well, but they accent the Henry well.

The proof is in the shooting... Here is my 12 round group, I'm really happy with it. You can't ask for much more that this when you have a Broken Ol Marine behind the trigger, and it's nearly 100 degrees out. There was no Smoke in my eyes, but I was sweatin like a pig. I wasn't crying, but my eyes were watering.

Oh yeah, the Carbine is a Favorite, fun to shoot and accurate, beautiful to boot. I get nothing but compliments on the setup. After warming up testing the ammo, I loaded up and shot offhand at my fun targets that STAY on the range. The wife was going to toss some old frying pans. I hung them from an old real estate sign frame, they swing and dance. I shot 24 rounds as fast as I could lever the action and didn't miss once. That Skinner sight combo and the fast recovery with the heavy octagonal barrel make for a deadly combination. The pans hang about 30 yards from the point on the deck where I was standing. A comfortable shooting distance for the Carbine... easy shots every one. I had pulled 50 rounds for the range trip, but the combination of the heat and the stress on my back and knees were too much, so I called it quits and headed in. Tomorrow's another day, as someone famous once said.

Good shooting. I like that outdoor range too, looks like a great place to shoot.

Some fine shooting out of that Big Boy. Nice range report on a great rifle - makes me want to get ours out and find some frying pans....

Great report and great shooting, Marine. I really like that Black Gold Skinner on your Henry, too. Very classy.

Our club range allows paper only shooting and that really limits the kind of fun plinking such as you were doing. I really think that popping metal targets would be loads of fun with a lever gun or even a pumper. Going to have to see if I can rig something up in the yard, maybe with those quiet 22 LR loads.

way beyond nicely done .... your group was outstanding ....

The backyard range is nice... I can extend to about sixty yards if I stretch it. When I was competing in police pistol, I had a formal 2 lane practice range set up, with marked positions at 3, 7, 15, 25, and 50 yards. I had barricades at 25 and 50 yards. It was great to walk out and get in a practice session before I left for work, or knock out a few 50 yard line sessions whenever I had a half hour free.

Once I stopped competing, I pulled up the hardware for the barricades, and gave them to an up and coming shooter to set up HIS practice range at the family farm. I explained how to use the post hole diggers and use the holes as forms to pour your flush distance markers.... just repaint them when the weather erodes the paint. Much easier than moving markers to mow!

I was about to start on a 100 yard lane last year when I fell and shattered that femur. Don't know that it will happen now... unless publisher's comes thru with several mil. I'll have someone build the berm then. Lol

Agree with all the comments so far, Marine. Great shooting, and a really cool-looking range setup there.

I also enjoy shooting black steel targets better than anything else. The movement and clangs make it so much fun!!
As soon as I get the new Skinner peep sight set up on my Big Boy .357 carbine, and get it sighted in, I'll look forward to some metal target shooting, too. I have a blast shooting those targets with my SGC in .22LR......the Big Boy will definitely make louder music to my ears!

Enjoyed your range report a lot.
PT7

Man, I'd love to shoot some metal with my Big Boy .357. I envy you, BOM!

Here is a pic of the range in the Good Ol Days; this was taken from about 60 yards...
You can see the 25 and 50 yard barricades, and the NEW Berm that we had recently completed.
More importantly, you can see the Signature Tree of the range, just to the right of the 25 yard line barricade, it has that crook in it.
ANYONE who shot the tree, was permanently banned from the range. We added the second lane and barricades shortly after this pic was taken.

Here is a closer look, still back in the Good Ol Days. That tree lasted until recently until the bugs got to it and a hurricane came thru and the high winds snapped it off. I left the stump.

I can see the "range ban" for shooting that beautifully twisted tree, Marine. For a number of years, we grew a braided fig, which had 3 trunks with about a 5" circumference. Cannot remember exactly how we lost it....I think age did it. But those unique growths are really neat to have. This fig tree was almost six feet tall, and grew well in a very large pot. That allowed me to move it outside, weather permitting. Inside it mostly enjoyed the sun at a bay window in our dining room. Always a cool conversation piece amongst dinner guests. And it provided some "indoor shade" during many late afternoons.

Very cool photos, taken back in the "Good Ol Days," of your special tree!

That is a beautiful wooden case that Big Boy sleeps in. What kind of wood and did you make it yourself?

Steve,

Cherry, and yes.
Check out the build along...
http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2932