Henry Rifle Forums

I wanted to get the semi auto started off, so here's a few pictures of my AR-7.









It's a great gun. It doesn't get out much because it sits in my go bag. It's perfect for that application. I have recently acquired one of the Henry Repeating Survival Kit. It will be the perfect companion for the AR-7. I'll be posting more about the kit later.

I just received the same survival kit. As a backpacker and hiker it will go with me in my pack. As for the AR-7 I've always wanted one but just haven't pulled the trigger yet so to speak. A range report would be nice.

a good friend of mine has one and speaks highly of it ....

Here's a post I made elsewhere a while ago.

After some coffee, I decided to get out my AR-7. It hasn't seen the light of day in a couple of years.

I was looking over the posts in the semi auto section and see that I promised to post pictures next time I got it out. That post was almost two years ago exactly.

I am battling cabin fever and I got some sunlight to take a few pictures.

The whole package:



Inside the stock:



All ready to put together. Two eight round magazines included:



Here it is all set to go:

Does it come with a case?

No, it came in a pretty cool cardboard box with a handle. The pieces are inside the stock and the box isn't much bigger than the stock.

I haven't shot mine, I have often wondered what it likes best, my thoughts were probably a 40 gr high velocity ammo would be best but I haven't had time to test it yet.

I've never tested what it likes best. Every time I have taken it out, I just plink with it. It sure is fun to play with.

I have had mine for almost 4 years now. I really don't consider it a plinker because after 25 rounds or so the light barrel heats up and accuracy falls off.

I haven't found mine to be real sensitive to ammo, although I shoot mainly Federal Bulk through it as that is what was available. The key that I found is how you hold the rifle. When I first got mine, I had a tendency to put my offhand on the magazine. That is a bad idea which leads to many jams. It actually lead to deforming of the mags to the point where I could not go through a mag without a FTF. I ended up sending the rifle back to Henry and they replaced both mags. So I recommend holding the barrel nut with your offhand. While you are holding the nut be sure to periodically give it a twist to make sure it is tight, as the nut will sometimes work itself loose.

Don't know if anyone has seen the artile in American Rifleman about the Survival Rifle and Kit.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articl ... paign=0516

We saw an original pre Charter Arms version of these for sale at the Gettysburg show.

Sir Henry wrote:Does it come with a case?

This made me smile. The butt stock is the case.

Back in the 50's,I had an original Armalite AR-7. It was so-so with the ammo and retail,at that time was $49. I had since sold it off and in '74 purchased the Charter Arms version. Even though I am a huge fan of Charter Arms,I am sad to say that they managed to keep all the flaws of the original. I never could get a full magazine of ammo through it w/o a jam regardless of the ammo used.

When Henry came out with their version,it was obvious that they had made a number of improvements and with CCI mini mags it functioned flawlessly. A few years later I added their survival kit to their case and now have a perfect combination for canoe travel.

I take the precaution of using a carbiner clip to attach it to a life preserver in the canoe. Yes,I am sure that the gun can float but I tend to make certain that I have all bases covered.

Top Dog

Top Dog wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:11 am

When Henry came out with their version,it was obvious that they had made a number of improvements and with CCI mini mags it functioned flawlessly. A few years later I added their survival kit to their case and now have a perfect combination for canoe travel.

It is a survival rifle but I wonder, is it also strong enough as a regular plinker?
Can I shoot thousands of rounds with it ? I think about buying one because it is easy to take it with me on my motorcycle or bicycle when I go to the shooting range.

I am certain that the Henry Survival Rifle will go many thousands of rounds w/o a breakdown. One thing will wear and stretch a bit is the butt stock cap but that is easily replaced with a call to customer service which is second to none.

Just make certain that you make sure the that barrel nut is tight (not super tight) after a number of rounds. Just a quick twist is all that is needed.

I am super happy with mine.

Top Dog

It is a survival rifle but I wonder, is it also strong enough as a regular plinker?
Can I shoot thousands of rounds with it ? I think about buying one because it is easy to take it with me on my motorcycle or bicycle when I go to the shooting range.

As of yesterday I have fired 3006 rounds through mine with no damage or signs of excessive wear. Still not reliable with standard velocity ammunition but runs great with CCI Mini Mags both 36 gr and 40 gr.

Welcome to the forum from CT. Thanks for joining the conversation.

armycat wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:21 am

As of yesterday I have fired 3006 rounds through mine with no damage or signs of excessive wear. Still not reliable with standard velocity ammunition but runs great with CCI Mini Mags both 36 gr and 40 gr.

armycat wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:21 am

As of yesterday I have fired 3006 rounds through mine

that's the most I recall hearing being fired through an AR7 .... welcome indeed to our forum .... happy to have you join us .... do hope you will feel free to read and post often be sure to follow the link below and add your Henry rifle(s) to our community's total


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 54#p133454

welcome !!

Thanks for the welcoming comments.

I have a Charter Arms AR-7 which has always worked well for me with the right ammunition. I have read a lot of forums where people claim that AR-7s are crap regardless of who manufactured them. Comments like "will jam every three rounds", "made of plastic and pot metal, won't last 10 rounds". It seems a lot of negative comments come from people that have never used or owed one.

Just over two years ago I bought a Henry U.S. Survival Rifle H002B. I have tracked the type of ammunition used, number of rounds fired, malfunctions and anything else I though was relevant. I think it's a neat little rifle and enjoy shooting it.

As of today 3224 rounds fired, 90 FTF, 87 FTE, 25 misfires. Failure rate 6.3%. Majority of the FTF are attributed to one magazine. Like many semi-autos it likes some ammo and dislikes some ammo. Top three for me, CCI Mini Mag 36gr CPHP, CCI Mini Mag 40gr CPRN and Hornady Varmint Express 40gr LRN. Still waiting for something to break or wear out.

I'm tempted to buy a 10/22 to track the percentage of failures and see how comparible they are.

My Charter Arms AR-7 and Henry U.S. Survival Rifle.