Henry Rifle Forums

Just received the new Big boy 45 colt today. Overall it seems good but I have to contact Henry about the brass tube. It’s chewed up at the bottom edge by the plunger and it causes to hang up when I install it. Also the foregrip and the stock don’t seem to match. I don’t know if is a big deal. What do you all think?

Different gun, similar concern: When I notified Marlin about a finishing issue on the forearm of my 336W, it sent me new forearm and stock (hardwood). The stock and forearm did not match. But, the finish is fine. Over time and waxing (about a year or so), the difference is getting harder to notice. I guess it is character unless all parts are made from the same wood. It has started to grow on me.

congrats on your 45 .... looking forward to your range reports and use observations

Its hard for me to tell in a picture but if your not happy with it I would contact them. It needs to satisfy you as you are the owner. Don't let RR's horse badger see this picture he will be jealous of that horse. This horse is lookin pretty shiny RR. Al

I’m not worried about the wood. It’s growing on me. Henry called and they are sending a new brass tube. The only thing that worries me now is that it won’t feed the 275 grain round noses. It feeds 270 semi-wadcutters fine though.

so long as the bullet is within specs, it should feed just fine

On the wood matching: back in the day the goal was to have all the wood look the same. For example, I've refinished the stocks of a Model 31 Rem. and a 141 Rem, and the wood underneath that varnish stain finish they used back then looked nothing like when they were new when I was done, but it had a lot more character, differences in color, and more distinct grain. I suspect Henry isn't always using wood from the same rough blank for stocks and forearms of each rifle, but they should be pretty close.

The 275’s are crimped to the crimping groove but measure 1.64. Do you think that’s the reason why? Another thing I could try is putting more than one round in the tube. Maybe the spring in the tube is not throwing the single round back far enough, just a thought.

your Henry should function smoothly no matter if you have a single round in the magazine or have it filled to capacity .... or for that matter, anywhere in between .... if it isn't, I believe you should get Henry customer service involved

Yeah I sent them an email letting them know the oal of the rounds(1.64). We’ll see what they say about it. I’ll keep all posted.

What JEBar said.

Hidden Mortimer wrote:Yeah I sent them an email letting them know the oal of the rounds(1.64). We’ll see what they say about it. I’ll keep all posted.

for reasons of liability, Henry's attorneys can't allow them to officially sanction firing anything but standard factory ammo .... I suspect that they will respond that their firearms are made to handle ammo that meets industry standards .... as you are probably aware the SAAMI Overall Cartridge Length for 45 Colt is 1.600" .... in the real world, I find it interesting that being 4/100th of an inch over could make a difference ... such a small difference could be made up by crimping at front edge of the crimping groove

I have a 41 45 colt and a 357. I have found that when the 1.6 length is exceeded that bullet shape will dictate if it will function at an over the 1.6 oal. My 41 will function but if I exceed the 1.6 it doesnt cycle as well as if they are at 1.585. Im not sure what Henry will tell you but I am betting they are going to come back with a factory ammo related answer. Al

For all I know, the replacement tube might fix your feed problem. If it's sticky down by the business end, it might be causing unseen problems. But, I've never loaded anything beyond 1.60.

Yeah I find it odd that the bullets won’t feed. They don’t have an overly large meplat. When it hangs it’s not like it’s wedged in there, I can actually move it with my finger but it won’t come out unless I remove the lever and move the bolt back. At first I thought it was maybe the large loop that was throwing off the timing or something, so I put the original back on but it still did it. Then I fed it some semi-wadcutters and those feed good so it’s left me wondering.

While handling the rifle today I noticed the wood to metal fit on the stock. Would you be concern with that on your Henry rifle? This is my first Henry so I can’t compare it with others. How do your rifles compare?
98C2704AD4BE.jpeg[/attachment]



And just as we suspected. This is Henry’s answer:

We do not recommend hand-loaded ammo due to greater risk of possible variations/errors and safety issues, in the case of improper reloading. SAAMI calls for an OAL of 1.600” max; use that dimension.

Big Boys chambered for .45 Colt can use any reputable brands of the standard or +P factory loads with standard profile bullets (round-nose, flat-nose, and hollow-point), and with up to a maximum projectile weight of 260-grains.

Our rifles are not designed to handle over-260 gr. bullets, as feeding/jamming, premature wear and failures could result. Also, the twist rate was designed to stabilize bullets up to 260 gr., but heavier bullets will suffer accuracy issues.

We recommend that owners experiment with various reputable, higher-quality brands of the appropriate type and caliber of SAAMI compliant cartridges for the rifle to see which work best, and then try to stay with them. These would include, but not necessarily be limited to, brands such as: Winchester, Remington, Federal, Hornady, and CCI.

yep, no surprise on the response to the ammo question .... as to the stock fit, I wouldn't be happy it but that is a call that's totally up to you

My BB 45 Colt LOVED Winchester 250 gr LFN. I would not be happy with the wood fit either. I would send the pics to HRA and let them comment.

I just looked at my new BBS in .357 model H012MR. It looks exactly like yours. It doesn't really bother me, but I'm interested to hear what Henry says about yours. I guess it would be nice if it was a little better.

I just sent an email to Jeff from Henry. I’ll update tomorrow after he responds. No fly zone, is your henry strictly for plinking or do you also hunt with it? Just asking because I see your avatar been from Arizona. Just wondering what you use it for here in Az. I plan to take mine on a hunt somewhere east of us. Don't know when or where yet.