Henry BBS 44 Mag cracked my AR500 steel target

[Rugerfanboy]

I read all over the internet about guys asking questions about 44 Mag being able to hunt with this caliber. And if it has the capability to put a animal down. Sometimes....I wonder why there even considering this caliber to hunt with in the first place. But....then again....I have to remind myself that everyone has to learn one way or the other....and if they don't ask for other folks opinion....there never gonna learn.

Been down from work for a bit cause of hernia surgery and today I had to get outside and bang some steel. The Henry Big Boy Steel chambered in 44 Mag was rattling my cage....but I was having a blast and just couldn't stop. I have this 12"x12"x3/8" AR500 steel plate that I pretty much was only shooting at with the Henry Big Boy Steel cause that was the smallest plate I had and that's about all I can pick up due to my hernia surgery. I was shooting at it at 100 yards. Finished up or I should say ran out of energy due to my surgery. Well....I was putting everything up and cleaning up my mess and went down to recover the plate and when I unhook one of the hooks that I use to hang the target....I noticed the mount hole was cracked. After every range trip, I always check my steel targets for damage and the mount holes is one of the area's to inspect due to having a hole cut into the steel. The crack is not all the way threw the steel yet. Once....I get my energy level back up....I gonna try and repair this crack. Not sure of the route I'm gonna take...but it needs to be addressed before the target becomes to be junk.

You guys want to plug in some ideas on how to repair this crack...I'm all ears.

[JCN]

The 44 mag is on my list right after the 45-70 (and maybe the long ranger in 223). But yes, I'd love to have a Henry Carbine Big Boy Carbine in 44 mag. I think it's the perfect balance.

Thanks for posting the pics. Wheres the rifle?

[Deadwood Dutch]

.44 magnum, a great "brush buster" for whitetail deer and for black bear for that matter. I don't own a Henry .44 magnum, but I have two Marlin model 1894'S in .44 mag. and with Remington 240 grain or Hornady 225 grain they can get the job done. I hunted with one of them last season but didn't get a shot at a legal buck. But, in the past, when my shots were at about 50 yards and under, which is about it in the terrain where I have hunted since 1969, they dropped fast when hit with good shot placement. I hope you can get your repair done in the near future.

[Jdl447]

Ar500 is wear plate normally used in mining applications. It can be welded but it should be pre heated to about 350 degrees and welded with a low hydrogen electrode such as E7018 or
ER 70-S3. Ok enough with the technical crap. Just find someone with a welder, weld it, shoot it, if it cracks again repeat.

[Rugerfanboy]

The 44 mag is on my list right after the 45-70 (and maybe the long ranger in 223). But yes, I'd love to have a Henry Carbine Big Boy Carbine in 44 mag. I think it's the perfect balance.

Thanks for posting the pics. Wheres the rifle?

You won't regret buying a carbine 44 mag rifle. Wheres the rifle?...it's in the gun safe.

[Rugerfanboy]

.44 magnum, a great "brush buster" for whitetail deer and for black bear for that matter. I don't own a Henry .44 magnum, but I have two Marlin model 1894'S in .44 mag. and with Remington 240 grain or Hornady 225 grain they can get the job done. I hunted with one of them last season but didn't get a shot at a legal buck. But, in the past, when my shots were at about 50 yards and under, which is about it in the terrain where I have hunted since 1969, they dropped fast when hit with good shot placement. I hope you can get your repair done in the near future.

With the right bullet seated in the cartridge and the proper powder charge....a 44 Mag will put anything down and that includes a grizzly. But....any hunter knows shot displacement is the key here. These Henry Big Boy rifles chambered in 44 Mag are accurate right from the Henry factory. It only takes a little work to make these rifles extremely accurate. And the key to this success here is ammo...and I'm not talking factory ammo. Precision made handloads is the cats meow. There is not a skull or a heart that can get away from this ammo. A Nosler 300grain Jacketed Hollow Point....I've seen drop a deer and the exit wound was the size of a baseball. The Nosler JHP competition handgun bullets are a reloaders dream for hunting and self-defense.

[Rugerfanboy]

Ar500 is wear plate normally used in mining applications. It can be welded but it should be pre heated to about 350 degrees and welded with a low hydrogen electrode such as E7018 or ER 70-S3. Ok enough with the technical crap. Just find someone with a welder, weld it, shoot it, if it cracks again repeat.

Thanks for the info. I do have a welder and a torch. My mig welder...I don't think has enough amps to get a good penetration on the steel. I might just have to use the torch to heat the metal and then weld up the crack with the mig. To get a good weld....I'll try to grind out the crack some so that I can put down more metal. If it cracks again....grind some more and weld again.

[Sir Henry]

Great thread going here! I don't have anything to add except you now have me wanting a 44 mag.

[Rugerfanboy]

Great thread going here! I don't have anything to add except you now have me wanting a 44 mag.

Get you one...you won't regret it....one would not regret buying any Henry rifle for that matter. The only draw back is the 44 ammo is not cheap unless one reloads his own. Looking at Lucky Gunners website, I can't see how people afford those prices.

http://www.luckygunner.com/handgun/44-magnum-ammo

For instance, this 44 Special ammo is $2.29 per round....granted it's for self-defense....but that is just highway robbery in my opinion.
http://www.luckygunner.com/44-special-2 ... -20-rounds

[Sir Henry]

The ammo isn't cheap but I doubt I would be plinking all day with one like I do my H001's.