November to December 2016 contest (Updated with the prizes)

[Jon4ta]

Any one want to judge? Would love to have a shot at that prize package.

[Hack]

Any one want to judge? Would love to have a shot at that prize package.

I disqualified myself because I won the last contest. So I'll volunteer to judge if that will help get more entries.

[CT_Shooter]

I disqualified myself because I won the last contest. So I'll volunteer to judge if that will help get more entries.

Hack, I'd love to hear from your old friend, Squatch. I'll bet there's at least one good Henry story in him. Tell him we miss him here.

[Hack]

Spoke to him yesterday. He was camping out in Western MD at Fort Frederick. He avoids technology (no smart phone, just an old flip phone) so he has no internet access. I expect he will be back on the forum when winter keeps him inside.

[Jon4ta]

Hack..only kidding..I won the chess board last time around.

[ditchparrot]

I'll judge, if people are needed to fulfill that role. As a professional journalist, it's sort of right up my alley.

[daytime dave]

That's a nice offer ditchparrot.

If any Judge would like to trade places, we can allow that with ditchparrot's gracious offer.

[daytime dave]

Only two more days in the contest. Enter soon.

[Jon4ta]

Really surprised more have not entered.

[DWD445]

My story of how I got a Henry

About a year or so ago, I decided since the kids were gone, it was time to invest in a few more firearms. Also while uncertainty loomed I figured it was time for a CCW !
During my search for a handgun, I stumbled across a Dan Wesson 357 6" at a local pawn shop.
I like revolvers and this one was priced right and looked really cool. Got a 22 Marlin at the same time. After I found a 9mm there also, another Dan crossed my path, my 445. Couldn't pass it up, the seller needed cash and $$ was good!!
Then on to feeding the new beast, quite pricey to buy loaded at over $2.00 a rd. So I had some loading equipment of my friend's and got dies to reload 445s, same dies as a 44 mag.
Work was good this year and I had a few bucks saved up, got to thinking about a rifle. Remembering an add I saw years ago in a magazine, I did some research on Henry Rifles!!
44 mag sounded interesting, not too heavy kick, but still feel it, I thought
Saw some at a gun show last spring and fondled/slobbered on a couple. GS that had them was not far away. A couple months later, I found myself still thinking about the BBS I had in hand. Went to GS and made a deal, the rest is history, I'm hooked. What a fun rifle to shoot

[tractortad]

My first Henry story-

I retired from the Navy in 2006 and moved to the southern Shenandoah Valley, VA where we bought about 50 acres at the foothills of the Allegheny Mtns west of Lexington and started building a log home. My wife had four miniature horses that kept her occupied and she wanted a place to watch them run around in a pasture. At that time we had a Daisy Red Ryder, a 10/22, and one single shot shotgun for firearms. A few years later, as she was driving into town, she had to stop when a 200 lb black bear crossed the road in front of her, stopped, and then stared at her for about 10 seconds before shambling off into the woods. When she came home she wanted to know what guns we had that would stop a bear if it ever went after her horses. I said we didn't really have one. She told me to get one. I bought a Ruger 357 mag GP 100 revolver. Had a lot of fun learning how to shoot that gun and decided I needed a rifle in 357 to go along with it. I looked at Henrys and thought that one of those would look good mounted over the mantle in a log home. Bought a brass Big Boy 357 rifle. I was hooked - as they say - I bet you can't just buy one...

During one of the first couple times we shot the Big Boy my youngest son was visiting from MA. He had never been into firearms and had never shot anything except his brother's Red Ryder BB gun. We took the Henry into the woods and set up some cans and water bottles about 20 yds away down in a big sink hole on our land. The Henry was not sighted in so we just kind of guessed at the buckhorn sight elevation. I shot first and hit one can out of about 12 cans and bottles lined up in front of us. I was having trouble seeing the buckhorn sight in the woods with my 60 yr old eyes. I reloaded the big boy (with 38 sp) and handed it to my son. He was a little hesitant and said he was only there to watch. I said try it you may like it. He took the Henry and shot it once, hit a can and said "wow". He then ripped off 9 more shots in pretty good succession, hitting 7 more bottles and cans, even "launching" a couple of bottles that got hit on the bottom and went about 6 ft into the air. After he emptied the Henry I stared at the targets, looked at him and said "how the h#$% did you do that?" He said "this thing shoots just like the Red Ryder". Turns out he's right - the Daisy Red Ryder has buckhorn sights and the same sight picture as a 357 Big Boy Henry. I guess he shot that Red Ryder a lot more than I thought he did. We re-stacked the cans, put up some more bottles, loaded the Henry up with 357 magnums and he did the same thing again - hitting 7 out 10 cans with magnums rounds. He really liked the magnums and now he was hooked on Henrys.

So all this has kind of started a family tradition for us. We,ve got three sons who all like to shoot Henry rifles when they come visit us here in the valley. We now have four Henry rifles and even my wife likes to occasionally plink with a Golden Boy or SGC at 22 targets and cans. At this point in life, it is really nice to shoot the Henry rifles with 2 or 3 sons on the firing line taking turns at taking out cans, water bottles, and the occasional pumpkin on a homemade range. I'm really grateful to that bear that decided to stare down my wife a couple of years back and get this all started....

[PT7]

Great family story, tractortad, and you have a great Henry in the H006M.

Thanks also for posting the "family tradition" started by your friendly & hefty black bear. It was good of him to "shamble off into the woods," let your wife come safely home, then she let you know she needed a gun to guard her horses.

[daytime dave]

The contest is ending at midnight tonight, but one of the Judges is having some travel this weekend. The winner will be announced Monday.

[Henry88]

1911ly - it is sad when we don't have pictures of these great outings. I took my other granddaughter shooting & 4 wheeling over the Thanksgiving weekend but did not take a camera. It is so much better to be able to visually see those memories. When will I ever learn?

He Steve,

I'm a dinosour with my flip phone, but even it has a camera.

[daytime dave]

Thank you to all who entered.

Good luck.

[Deadwood Dutch]

We have read over the different stories quite a few times and were impressed by them. The content and thought given by the different members was much appreciated.and they were all fun to read. It took a couple of days longer than planned to come up with a winner and I apologize for causing any suspense due to my schedule. But, after much consideration, we have chosen,
tractortad as the winner. Congratulations to him. Thank you to all who participated in the contest. Dave will award the prize package to him.

[1911ly]

Congrats Tractortad!

[PT7]

Glad to see that great "family tradition" story you wrote, tractortad, take the prize.
Double thumbs up for a wonderful read. Congrats!!

And to all the Judges.....you done real good, too, and you pegged the best for this month's contest.

We have read over the different stories quite a few times and were impressed by them. The content and thought given by the different members was much appreciated.and they were all fun to read. It took a couple of days longer than planned to come up with a winner and I apologize for causing any suspense due to my schedule. But, after much consideration, we have chosen,
tractortad as the winner. Congratulations to him. Thank you to all who participated in the contest. Dave will award the prize package to him.

[tractortad]

We have read over the different stories quite a few times and were impressed by them. The content and thought given by the different members was much appreciated.and they were all fun to read. It took a couple of days longer than planned to come up with a winner and I apologize for causing any suspense due to my schedule. But, after much consideration, we have chosen,
tractortad as the winner. Congratulations to him. Thank you to all who participated in the contest. Dave will award the prize package to him.

My thanks to all the judges - your checks are in the mail.

As it turns out, the bear/Henry saga continues - last week, the wife found some pretty good size bear tracks about 30 ft outside her mini-horse paddock. Needless to say, she is a little concerned (I think she has a bear phobia - been watching too much of that "Alaska the last Frontier" show on TV). Now she wants a gun stored over by her horse barn/paddock area (about 300 ft from the house) in case a bear shows up while she's with her horses. I tried to talk her out of it (well, kind of), but she was adamant, so I told her she could use the 357 mag GP 100 revolver. She said she'd rather have a rifle. I told her that storing a nice Henry rifle over there would rust it up. She said find one that won't rust. That woman loves those little horses. I think an all weather 45-70 might be in my future. Man I love bears....

This contest has been a lot of fun - and I truly appreciate the nice prize package that Dave has set up thru Henry, but if it's all the same to you all, I'd like that prize package to go to bandit1250 - he's had some bad things happen lately and it might cheer him up a little to get some Henry goodies for X-mas. Better to give than receive, right?

[Steve51]

Congrats to Tractordad! I also commend your unselfish gesture concerning your prizes.

Thank you judges!

These are the kind of people that make America great and make this a great forum.