Henry Rifle Forums

Had been wanting one of these for a while, but all the local haunts that carry Henry were out of stock. Working out of town for a few days, and had some time to kill yesterday evening. Spied a small gun shop while driving, in & figured it'd be as good a place as any to hang out for a bit. Saw the rifle on the rack as soon as I walked in, immediately thought "please be a .357"... and it was! As you can see, it's a looker for sure.
Got to shoot it today, and there's a lot to like. Handles great, and I like how it balances shooting offhand. Stock is not only pretty, but comfortable & fits me well. Best I can tell it's all high quality materials, and they're put together very well. Showed some good accuracy potential, though the two things I don't like so much will be a hindrance until addressed.
Those two things are the sights & the trigger, & I'm sure neither is a big surprise to anyone here. Knew all about both of these things before buying, so not going to call them "complaints"... they were expected. That said, they'll have to be dealt with to really bring out the full potential of the rifle (in my hands, anyway).
The trigger is actually pretty crisp, just too heavy at almost 7 lbs. Sights are functional, just not my cup of tea. Tough to get real precise elevation adjustments, & I really do better with a rear sight closer to the eyes.
So that brings me to the request(s) for advice.

First, does anyone know a source other than Grainger for the spring that'll help reduce trigger pull weight? They're out of stock right now... not a huge deal to wait, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if there are alternatives.

Second, has anyone added the Skinner rear peep that fits the Henry SS/NEF/HR? Interested in knowing if/how you had to address the front sight after adding the Skinner rear sight.

That is one sharp-looking .357 SS! Glad you found it...sometimes those small gun shops come through.

Only one thing. You said the stock was "pretty." Nope, it carries absolutely beautiful wood and grains on the stock and forearm. I'd say this Henry is a "keep-the-eyes-on-looker." After shooting it, I'd suggest that a special wall hanging would be a good place to keep it.

Hope the Skinner iron peep will work out okay. That is a quality sight, and will also look great on your rifle.
Looking forward to see how it all comes together.

Congrats again.
PT7

Welcome to the forum, Wolfman - congrats on a nice looking 357Mag Single-shot - one of the nicest guns for the money that can be had, IMO.

We have Henry singles in 44Mag and 45-70 and added the Grainger springs to both - best mod on the planet for a Henry single - it dropped the trigger pull to around 3.5 lbs on both rifles and makes them much easier to cock.. The Grainger springs come in a pack of ten, so I have a few extras - send me a PM with your address and I'll send you one - no charge - it would just sit around and collect dust here.

We also have a Skinner peep on the way that we will try on one of our singles, but it isn't the same one you are looking at - it's the Skinner "Low-Pro II" which is actually designed for the Browning SA-22. It's a peep sight that can replace the original sight in the dovetail slot - we're curious to see if it works in a Henry single - if not, well, we have a Browning SA-22 that it will go in...

wolfman wrote:Had been wanting one of these for a while...

Congratulations on your new Henry and welcome to the forum from CT. Glad you joined us.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Supposed I did undersell the looks just a bit , that stock really is a beauty. Henry must have a good source of walnut; haven't seen one of the single shots, either in person or in photos, that was fitted with a homely piece of wood.

That's a generous offer tractortad, will send you my address shortly. Hope that in the future I can return the favor in some fashion!

Just checked out the Low-Pro II... sure looks like it's about the same height range as the factory sight. If so, ought to be plug & play with the factory front. The Skinner rear sight looks pretty low too, but will of course sit in a higher plane being on the thick portion of the barrel. Imagine it'd just about have to be paired with a higher front. May give the Skinner folks a call tomorrow & see if they have a recommendation. Scoping isn't completely out of the question, but would really rather keep the weight, balance, and handling characteristics of the rifle as-is.

.
Welcome from the TV Oregon. You got one with really good looking grain in the wood!

wolfman wrote:...

That truly is a beautiful piece of wood. Remarkable for a standard grade gun, in fact.

If you want to preserve the balance, weight and handling, give some consideration to a red dot. This is one of the advantages of a red dot on a single sot or lever gun.

@tractortad - looks like I haven't yet graduated to PM access... if you're comfortable with the idea, email me at bluemoongreg@gmail.com & I'll send you my home address.

Dang, I wrote a warm welcome and posted it, only to have it go into a forum black hole! Anyway, WELCOME to the forum!

You've found a great place, as you've already learned. Free advice, free springs, profuse praise for your woodgrain, it doesn't get any better, does it?

Welcome!

Welcome Wolfman...beautiful rifle. Continue to enjoy a great forum!

Wow... thanks to you all for the friendly welcomes!

PT7 got me to thinking (uh-oh). This isn't the first time a small, "hole in the wall" type gun store has turned up an item that couldn't be found at the big places, or even online. Not much space at this one, but it was stuffed with walnut & blued steel- a rarity these days. The plastic fantastics have there place too (including my safe), just don't want to see the old school stuff disappear from the brick & mortar establishments.

Apparently this rifle had been there a while. Card in the box was dated August 2018. If Henry starts at zero for each new offering (don't know if they do or don't), the serial number would indicate it was the 10th single shot in .357 Magnum to come off the line.

welcome indeed, delighted to have you join us .... as others have correctly noted, that is one fine looking Henry .... looking forward to your coming range and use reports as you come to know it better .... please take a look at our How Many ? thread (link below) and add your beautiful 357 to our community's total



http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 729#p85729

Welcome Wolfman. I have one of the 357 Single Shots also. The wood on yours is definitely nicer than mine is. Generous offer by Tad there and you will like the results. I have a Burris 2 x 7 x32 on mine so I cant help you with youre choice of sights. But I do like my 357 and I have shot about 300 rounds thru it so far.

She's been added to the tally!

JEBar wrote:welcome indeed, delighted to have you join us .... as others have correctly noted, that is one fine looking Henry .... looking forward to your coming range and use reports as you come to know it better .... please take a look at our How Many ? thread (link below) and add your beautiful 357 to our community's total



http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 729#p85729

Replaced the factory springs with the Grainger spring tractortad was so kind to send. Went from a five pull average just under seven pounds to a five pull average just under four pounds, & feels worlds better. Still very crisp, with no creep or gritty feeling. Will get out to the range in the next couple days to check on the firing pin strikes.

I have a 357 on its way. And Tad was super nice to offer a trigger spring so I should be good to go sometime next week. Any suggestions as to bullet weight preference in the rifle?
Thanks and good shooting,
Dave

d.l.h. wrote:I have a 357 on its way. And Tad was super nice to offer a trigger spring so I should be good to go sometime next week. Any suggestions as to bullet weight preference in the rifle?
Thanks and good shooting,
Dave

Welcome to the Forum, Dave! Two new members in the same thread! Definitely start with 158 gr in that 357. Are you reloading or buying off the shelf? You won't find it to be picky, but 158 gr and up seems to be the sweet spot.

Welcome again! Look forward to hearing your first impressions and seeing a range report! Bonus points for pics!

d.l.h. wrote:I have a 357 on its way. And Tad was super nice to offer a trigger spring so I should be good to go sometime next week. Any suggestions as to bullet weight preference in the rifle?
Thanks and good shooting,
Dave

Welcome from the Show-Me-State, Dave.
Congrats on your Henry .357.

Although all of the Big Boys are cool, curious to know what model you chose?

I agree with ESquared on the 158gr and up ammo. I mostly shoot that, too. Although I've found there are some target rounds I've liked in either 130gr or 142gr. I don't reload, so it gets to be a tad spendy to shoot JHP deer hunting ammo all the time. Plan to use either Hornady or Black Hills when I get to the hunting woods in the fall at my son's-in-law 40 acres. For the outdoor range times, I mix target rounds with some of the hunting ammo. Nice pattern for me.

Enjoy that new Henry, and your wanderings through the HRF.
PT7

I have a 357 on its way. And Tad was super nice to offer a trigger spring so I should be good to go sometime next week. Any suggestions as to bullet weight preference in the rifle?
Thanks and good shooting,
Dave

Thanks for the great reception and info on the 357 SS. I will surely keep the board informed of my experience and send a pic or two.
Dave