Originally Posted By: spasm3
I want to try a henry, maybe in .22lr or .17.
I have always wondered how a tubular magazine is not a problem with center-fire rounds. Are the primers not sitting on the round under them? what if the rifle is dropped hard on its butt?
I recommend you find someone who will let you shoot one before buying. You may love it. Many do. But there are a couple things that you may not care for, and it would be good to know before buying.
First is the action is very rough. You may not notice this until you handle a nice lever action along side it. I was about to buy a Golden Boy .22. When I asked to handle one at a gun store, the salesman also sat a Browning BL-22 on the counter. He told me to work the action of the Golden Boy a few times, then do the same to the BL-22. I thought the Golden Boy was great until I picked up the BL-22. The difference was night and day. The Browning action was extremely smooth and light. It also has a much shorter throw. In comparison, the Henry now felt heavy and rough. It is also a longer throw. I ended up buying the BL-22.
The other item was pointed out to me by an old timer salesman at another gun store. He owns and has owned dozens of different .22 rifles. He has bought them for his sons and daughters, and now buys them for his grandchildren. I mentioned to him that I had gotten past the rough action on the Henry Golden Boy and wanted to add one to my collection. He asked if I had shot one yet, and I told him no. He strongly advised that I do. He said he bought one and ended up selling it because he did not care for the big drop on the rear stock. He found it very uncomfortable to draw up on, to the point that he felt he could not shoot it as accurately as he could most other .22 rifles he has shot.
I have talked to others who have absolutely no problem with this feature. And they don't care about the rough, heavy action because to them it is more important that the Henry is Made in the USA. you may agree with them. But I'd check one out first so you will know.