Henry Rifle Forums

On Monday the 22nd of October me and my better half went to the range. the last time I took my new rifle out it jammed shut for close to 1 minute then it released,I thought to myself this must be a fluke I put 75 shots through this rifle and after that first jam it didn't do it anymore.
Fast forward to this Monday my better half and I went to the range and I only put 40 shots through my new rifle. After the first 12 I started to have the seizing issue. My husband began to see what was going on. After that first 12, the rifle began seizing every third and fifth shot.
please keep in mind I am not rapid-firing this gun, and I even counted to five after every shot and it was still seizing shut. I have cleaned and lubed this rifle and I am still having this issue.at this point I am so done with Henry products I am ready to return this rifle and simply ask for my money back. I am going to make a call in to see if I can speak to the engineer and figure out what's going on before I just throw my hands up. How do you shoot a rifle that can't be shot? How do you hunt when the rifle refuses to shoot? This is a brand new rifle the second one sent to me and it is repeatedly doing the same thing. it is a beautiful rifle but I can't keep it if it does not function the way it's reported to function.

This is sad news, Dahlia. Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted after you talk to Henry. We know they'll give you a refund, but it would be so much better if you had a Henry rifle that you could trust. Good luck.

And this (all weather) gun is made for freezing blizzards on the top of mountains, or "in the thick" of a filthy tropical swamp?

You certainly want a firearm you could bet your life on. Contact Anthony Imperato at HRA.

RanchRoper wrote:Contact Anthony Imperato at HRA.

if you are using factory ammo, I most certainly agree .... going directly to the top is the way to go

I have a Henry All Weather in 45-70 and have never had an issue with it. I hope you get yours fixed and you get some satisfaction from Henry. Please keep us posted as to what happens.

2 problem rifles to the same customer? Anthony will make it right.

I’m trying to figure out exactly what you’re saying here. Are you getting stuck or sticky cases? If so, that’s normally an ammo issue. I don’t have a 45-70 lever gun, but I’ve got several 30-30’s. In the past I’ve found brands of 30-30 factory ammo that would cause sticky, or even totally stuck, cases in my rifles. It would be worse with my Henry than with my Marlins. I suspect the Henry may have a tighter chamber than the Marlins do. I learned to avoid certain brands of ammo and problem solved.

You know after reading your post Ditto I went back and re read the OP's original post. I need more info here also. Im not sure this is a Henry issue. Im also wondering about the ammo. Al

Good points.

The type of ammo I'm using is Remington, Herter's, Federal, and Winchester. The grains varying anywhere from 150 to 175, nothing crazy here.
After 10 shots the bolt seizes shut for up to a minute and then releases, in this time frame I cannot get the lever to operate until it wants too. Whether that means that the bolt is too hot and expands until it cools off and releases, or it's something else all together. It began to do this again and again after 3 shots then fourth no problem, fifth shot seize. At one point I counted to five after each shot, and the lever was still feeling very sticky and stiff.
It became a pattern 3rd shot seize, four, Five seize. Do this for forty shots and you would feel like me too.

Definitely seems heat-related, where the bolt assembly might be expanding more rapidly than the barrel (?). Had similar symptoms with my LR, and a completely new bolt assembly installation by HRA solved everything.

anthony@henryusa.com

Definitely seems heat-related, where the bolt assembly might be expanding more rapidly than the barrel

I agree and I believe I commented on this before. I suspect the bolt is hard chrome plated and this has added just enough material to cause it to bind in the receiver. Henry probably fit the bolts PRIOR to the plating and this is causing the problem.
If I recall It seems one owner commented on how he sent his AW back to the factory and it came back with a 'different' looking bolt.

Mistered wrote:

Definitely seems heat-related, where the bolt assembly might be expanding more rapidly than the barrel

I agree and I believe I commented on this before. I suspect the bolt is hard chrome plated and this has added just enough material to cause it to bind in the receiver. Henry probably fit the bolts PRIOR to the plating and this is causing the problem.
If I recall It seems one owner commented on how he sent his AW back to the factory and it came back with a 'different' looking bolt.

And this would explain why the second gun does it as well. Different rifle means the same factory bolt. Repaired rifle with different looking bolt (and fixed) means a different bolt to the stock one that you’ve tried twice. I also would get in touch with Anthony. He will make you happy!

You are going to have a VERY hot rifle shooting 40 to 75 rounds at a go, but if it starts seizing after the first 5 rounds, there is a bigger issue. Maybe try to get ahold of a laser thermometer and shoot the receiver and bolt for temps immediately after it seizes? If the bolt is way hotter than the receiver, I’d say that’s where the problem lies.

Are you 100% stuck on having an all weather model? Maybe the CCH or other finish could solve your issue (not that it should ever come to that!).

on my last rifle the bolt was never replaced. They only adjusted it, and that's when the issue got worse. After that point they sent me the new rifle, I wanted just a regular steel 30/30 but they sent me a brand new just off the line all weather. Now it's the same issue the old rifle used to seize open for a couple of seconds and release this one seizes for what feels like 20, seconds to a full minute. So at this point instead of the back and forth of the rifle from home to factory I am done with everything. I'm not saying Henry is a Bad Company by all means the customer service has been fantastic! I have just been receiving what I feel like has been a problem product. Couple with that the constant having to pay for more ammo just to have the same issue, and they have send my rifle back and send a shipping label we are both losing money at this point.

JEBar, can I have permission to send the Henry people the links to the all weather bolt seizing issue? I want them to see it's not just my issue.

I forgot to mention this has been going on since January of this year.

So what is your next step? Winchester? Marlin?

Not sure, I have to research and see what will be a good firearm for both deer and turkey.

So what is your next step? Winchester? Marlin?

This would be my direction. I don’t really understand the ‘all weather’ concept - been hunting and shooting all my life in ‘all weather’ conditions (with standard wood & steel) and a little extra oil up front and a little extra cleaning on the return trip keeps everything in working order.
As usual it seems a lot of manufacturers want to create a solution for a problem that does not exist and the ‘all weather’ seems to be one of those ‘answers’.