Henry .22 mag questions and more...

I'm getting the itch to buy one and as I recall a couple of folks here have them and carry them on the line. How would you rate them as far as durability and accuracy? They look pretty rugged. Will yours shoot MOA at 100 yards, or pretty close? Not much info out there on accuracy, especially scoped. I like the idea having a 11 more rounds to lob at a fox I missed the first time, and I just like lever guns.

Thanks,
Greg

Just don't get a Henry. I have trouble with the hammer spring being to light, = misfire.

I like mine, but I haven't spent much time trying to shoot MOA further than 40 yards. Shatters bottles good at 50 yards...I need to shoot it more. If you get one and you want to scope it, but the hammer spur on it so you're not fighting the scope to let the hammer down or pull it back.

My experience: never again! Lots of better options on all fronts.

I have a henry 22lr and haven't had any issues yet and it shoots a good pattern.....

A - what do you suggest for options. Many of us think of buying a mag. - but the jury is still out on Brand.

Like CCK I have the Henry 22LR. It is a very accurate shooting gun. I had to pull the stock and wash the oil off the working parts to get it to shoot when it got cold. But I
would like to have the same gun in 22 mag. Someday.

I have said it before I really like my ruger model 96, and they are still out there. It shoots really well to 125 yards with 30, 40 and 50 gr. hollow points. You will have to shop to find one but I do see them on gunsamerica.

I like my new Marlin 22 Mag with tube magazine,walnut too.

So is that like a full choke pattern or modified?

My old M 57 Marlin shoots some loads into 3/8" at 50yds, but literally sprays other loads, even bullets hitting the target sideways! Never seen such a temperamental rifle, but it's great with the right offering.

allow me to refrase.....shoots a tight group

LOL ^^^^^

I have a Savage 93 that shoots better than I can......FWIW

Never found one. Said "F it" and I had a .17hmr on the shelf and it got some use. Then I just stuck with the .22lr and a .223.

LIke you said, jury is out on a "good one". Some love every brand, and just as many hate...every brand.

As said the jury is out, Ruger's model 96 is nice, if you can find one and are willing to pay the price. Quite a few good tackdriving bolt guns out there in mag, but I don't really like a bolt gun and it doesn't sound like you do either. Bought myself one of Rossi's new circuit judges in 22lr/22mag it is a nine shot revolving rifle, with interchangeable cylinders so you can shoot either 22lr or change cylinders and shoot 22mag. Sweet little gun, but mine wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn (rather each individual chamber in the cylinder would group nicely, but nowhere near where the other chambers grouped, you could shoot three cylinders worth and have about six really nice tight groups on a 24" target) I sent it back and they are sending me a new one, should be here next week and we'll see how it shoots.

Let us know how it goes Bearcat. The gun store here just got one in .22LR/.22Mag.

Thanks for the input guys! Matt, why did you hate your Henry so much and is that from a recent experience? I found a Ruger M96 for $478, which isn't all that bad. Probably some cheaper ones out there. I like the looks of the Henry over the Ruger but would take performance over looks any day. My Remington 597 is a tack driver but the magazines suck bad. I have sanded them, polished them worked graphite into them, tinkered with the springs, etc. and they still miss feed pretty much every few rounds. I'll hang on to it hoping that Remington fixes the problem but in the meantime I want something that cycles fast and goes bang when I pull the trigger. I like the lever guns and have a Browning BL22. If they made a 22 Mag in that gun I would buy a couple of them. One to shoot and one to look at.

I have the Ruger 10 -22M and love it

Those things are dang expensive now a days! I should have bought one when they first came out.

I've got a CZ512 semi auto in 22 mag. I've been real happy with it so far.

Akpp, pm lil bit on here she was selling a scopes model 96 on Facebook

Thanks John I will. Glad to be back home?

Ruger. Not scopes

Roger, Ruger. I tried to look lil' bit up but can't find her in the directory.

OGS : How is the trigger ? A web review gave the trigger poor marks.

I paid about $460.00 for my model 96 but have no remorse, once I got by the thing feeling like my 10/22 and remembering to cycle the lever I love it. I have felt better triggers but have shot 10 shot nickel sized groups at 50 yards. At a hundred any error could be me more than the gun. This gun definitely has ammo preference however the cheap winchester dyna points shoot better than all others. It will not shoot the 33 gr plastic tip bullets well at all. I bought a couple extra rotary magazines which I really like and can keep an extra loaded in my pocket. When I first got the gun it would misfire about every 8 or 10 shots. Took the firing pin out which was very simple and found a small burr on the edge. Touched it up with emery cloth and have never had it misfire since. I have only taken 2 fox with it but sure liked the performance of the 22 mag. and the lack of fur damage. The 50gr. HP really hits them hard. I have been out calling hoping to try it on a coyote.

these guys make some nice ones if you cant find a ruger, and you could prob find one in the same price range as the ruger on gunsamerica or gunbroker.

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/M...olded-Rifle.asp

AKpp- recent as a few years back. Bought tons of different ammo and could never get a tight group. Gave up on it after spending quite a bit on ammo and no luck on it. Could have been the exception, but kills me still.

Gotcha, thanks Matt. Scott, I like that Magnum Research. A little spendy, but nice none the less. Definitely worth further research. Hup, got your text, I'm going to FB LIL' BIT.

My dad has a Ruger 10-22M, nice gun, but the price of them nowadays in unreal. I to have a Remington 597 in 22M, don't buy one, as akpawpincher said, they are tackdrivers if you like a single shot, but the mags suck. If I was buying an automatic I would go with the Magnum Research, but they don't offer any with open sights, so it is a scope only show with them. For the price they get out of them they should at least come with sights.

Couple other options I like are my Winchester 9422 magnum and win 61 magnum pump. Both excellent guns.

I made a deal on a Ruger 96. I figure if it doesn't work out or I don't like the trigger or something I can sell it and keep trying. All I want is a reliable gun with a decent trigger that will hit a golf ball at 100 yards and isn't a bolt action or single shot....lol! Nothing against either of those but a quick follow up shot, sometimes followed by another and another and... well, you get the idea. I've looked at pretty much every .22 lever gun, pump, and semi auto... I really like the looks of the Henry and may have to get one just to have one... someday.

Well if you ever want to part with the 96 let me know. I'm looking for one.

Stumper I have the 9422 and if it wasn't for the fact that it was the first gun I ever bought I would get rid of it, it shoots a nice pattern at 100 yards, have tryed different ammo , took apart and cleaned reall really well, next step is new glass on it , but I never could get it to group well with iron sights ( that's why it had a scope on it now) do I doupt that helps, gonna have to have a smith look at the crown.
But am glad to see someone has one that shoots.
I am in the process of looking for a new gun , just can't decide 22 mag , 22 hornet or wait for the 17 hornet

One of my buddies just ordered a CZ in .22 hornet. I love that cartrige but it's more than I need most of the time. He reloads so he can tinker around and find a good bullet/ powder load that won't open up a fox yet give a little more reach. The .17 hornet looks interesting too. Wish they made them in lever guns!

You can put tech sights on them if you want open sights without a smith. I'm also sure it would be cheap to run it through a mill to cut a couple dovetails.

I second the if you ever want to sell it contact me, I would definitely be interested in a second one.
Bob

why wait for the 17 hornet?? come to the store I can sell you one today.... savage model 25.... and the ammo...

sold one to a friend and he shot racoon with it...
100 yds he said there was no exit hole, and the racoon was basically a fur stuffed with "jello" when he picked it up... small hole in, no hole out and a mushy center.

I am glad you said racoon.

These are my 2 trapline guns,.. Winchester & Henry lever actions in 22 magnum. I just think these are the best rifles to carry on a machine,... short, narrow, light, holds lots of shells, accurate, (altho I don't shoot golf balls). The Winchester did have a mis-fire issue when I first got it (well, I found it leaning against a tree in the Brooks Range),... but finally got that fixed. The Henry has never mis-fired, but it has had some issues with not ejecting empty shells at times,... still does that on occasion. One thing I would recommend with these is to not leave an empty case in the chamber,.. that's usually when I have had trouble with the Henry not ejecting it,... they seem to get stuck after it sits in there for a day or two. 22mags kill good out to 100 yards+, & don't do hardly any damage. I know I've popped a few fox & coyotes out to close to 150 yds & dropped them dead. I've shot everything with 22 mags,.. marten, fox, otters, lynx, coyotes, wolverines, wolves,... drops them all,...







here's a few examples,...

Love the beagle! I have the same Henry, I like it!

CZ makes some nice 22 mags. I bought the 455. You can switch the barrels out with an allen key if you want a 22LR or 17HMR but that isn't why I bought it. I wanted something accurate. It will shoot 1 inch groups with most of the CCI stuff. The best ammo i have tried is the CCI 40gr Gamepoints. They group under an inch at 100 yards with a 7 power scope. There is a huge difference in 22 mag ammo consistency. I tried at least 16 different kinds of ammo in mine. Most were "good enough" group wise and some were not worth shooting. I would love to have some sort of semi auto in a 22 mag but nobody makes one that is reasonably priced. You guys that have the model 9422 mags do you know anywhere I can buy open sights for one? I took mine off to mount a scope on it and cant find them. The scope is now on my CZ. I liked the open sights on my 9422 LR but for some reason decided to put a scope on it.

I shoot the 40 grain Gamepoints out of my 597 for the same reason. Very accurate... when I do my job. My Ruger 96 should be here in about a week. I'll let ya know how that works out.

I have a Remington 597 in .22 LR and it has the worst trigger I have ever pulled. And agree that mags are shaky at best. Do you guys that have them have issues with the trigger?

I replaced the hammer on my 597 mag with a Volksquarten after market target hammer. Made a big difference. Trigger pull is around 2.5 to 3 lbs. If I could fix my feed issues I would be a happy camper. I ordered yet another magazine last week. I just keep hoping I'll get one that works ok. Just a crappy design. Gun shoots fine when it feeds right... which rarely happens. The other issue I have is when it gets real cold and damp the action gets a little slow and sometimes the trigger fails to reset... thus the search for the perfect, always functional, fast shooting, tack driving, .22 mag of my dreams... a lever action?... It never ends...lol!

Like Ty said, a semi in 22 mag. would be nice. Any opinions on the most accurate brand/model ?

Some web articles give the 17 hornet decent reviews.

Find a keltec dealer and get your name on the waiting list for their RMR-30. I Have their pmr30 and its very accurate and trouble free.
link
This will be an awesome pack gun with telescopic stock and being so light weight.

I have read a lot of good about the CZ 512 auto loader in 22mag. I have not talked to anyone with one but have my eyes on one in the future

AKPP, send your 597 back to Remington. Mine would misfeed all the time so I gave up and sent it in. They worked on it and told me to use the metal mags only. Mine works great.

I may very well end up doing that. I have the metal mags and haven't had any luck with them. The one that works the best won't take more that four rounds without sticking, then the hold open engages with one round remaining. Sometimes it just pushes one up past the chamber and the bullet strikes the edge of the chamber and stays there. I don't think there is anything wrong in the gun itself (other than cold related issues once in a while), I just can't find good magazine. And trying to load the mags in a hurry always results in a cartridge jammed inside between the round below it and the side of the magazine. They would do better making a five round single stack mag with a decent spring and metal feed ramp.

Wolverinebait,
Great post! I don't know how I missed it! I see you use your guns like I do... as tools...lol! Drives my dad crazy. He babies all of his guns and frets when he gets a scratch. I use them for walking sticks, clubs, paddles, shovels, bad mitten, and once in a while I shoot something...

X2 They are a tool not a show piece

Ha ha,.. yep, exactly. It's not like I go out & try to ruin things,... but they don't make any money hanging on the wall,...

Stumper :

Many of us have been following Kel Tec for years - especially the PMR-30. As one guy said - they are a proto type company, not a gun manufacturer. They just can't seem to produce guns and get their act together. Time will tell I guess. Based on their track record - lots of time.

They are worth the wait. It blows my mind that they put out 4000 plus guns a week and still cant keep up. I like the fact that they are made in the USA.

Little off topic, I see you guys talking Semi Auto Magnums, never seen one listed at Cabelas or Wholesale Sports.

Is there anywhere to buy Bulk ammo for the .22 magnum (like the .22 LR with boxes of 500+ shells)

Those Kel-Tec's look like something the seals would carry.

TheFurTrapper the largest volume I have ever seen was 250 rounds from Cabellas. I sure hope Cabellas sells ammo up here in Anchorage at there regular retail price

I agree Kusko and I would prefer a longer barrel. I like the pmr-30 , but I am still holding off to see how they do longer term.

In regards to Henry rifles - the word is they got impacted by Sandy and guns are scarce until after the 1st of the year. Difficult time for them considering it's their busy Christmas season.

When I started seriously looking at the Henry's a few weeks back I saw that the website stated that they had been damaged by Sandy. It is a bad time of year for that!
Got a new magazine for my 597, It feeds good but only holds five rounds (advertised as eight) and the hold open kicks in with one round left. At least I can get 4 shots off. This is the fourth magazine I have ordered. I shot a dime size group with it at 30 yards while testing the magazine. Too bad it has hiccups. My Ruger 96 should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope that works out. My buddy just got his CZ .22 hornet(bolt). Real nice gun!

Savage has a new model 42 which is a newer model 24 with two options 22lr/410 0r 22wmr/410, it's ugly as sin but would be handy.

Ya love my 24 in .22 mag/ 20 ga

I have a 24 in 17hmr over 12. I tried using it predator calling but it just didn't work out. Part of the problem was that the 12 gauge barrel shot a full patten low and left. Trying to remember which barrel to select and then to either hold over or dead on depending on which barrel I was using was aggravating and the strain became more than I could bear. I missed three foxes in less than a half hour and it became a safe queen after that. The first time I carried it into the field I called in a pair of reds. I lost situational awareness when the adrenaline kicked in and shot high with the .17 barrel on the first one, and it was too far for the 12 gauge. Had another one run in on me before I could reload the .17 barrel and of course shot low with the 12 gauge barrel. I reloaded and walked back to the truck and when I got there I saw another one standing in the tall grass about 60 yards away looking at me, and I missed it with .17 barrel. That would kill the average mortal! I drove home with my head hung mighty low, gave the gun a thorough cleaning and put it as far back in the corner of the safe as it would go...lol
Absolutely true story.

The 24 brings good money on the used market - unless you figure it's better "safe" than sorry. Then again it sound like you are already sorry.

I will sell it eventually. I am going to put see through mounts/ scope on it and see if I can dial it in a little closer. With the fixed barrels if you get one that doesn't put both in the point of aim it's about all you can do. I like the whole concept and as a rabbit/ptarmigan blaster it would work fine if I can work out the point of aim issues. The .22 magnum/ 410 model 42 would be a great camp meat gun.

If your model 24 has a dovetailed rear sight buy a marlin folding rear sight and replace your rear sight with that that way you can fold it down and use like a shotgun or flip it up for the rifle thats what I have on my 22lr/ 20gauge and it works great. I had one of the newer 24's that was a 223/ 12 with synthetic stock and it was a POS nowhere as good as the older ones so I got rid of it. That RMR-30 kel-tec is a sweet looking gun, to bad it will be slim to impossible to get...............

Nothing sucks more than buying a new gun and finding out it doesn't shoot right for a person or that it just isn't going to do the job you intended it to do

CCK : Was the newer 24 a p.o.s. in terms of accuracy , quality or what ? The older ones are sure sought after and even the newer model you mentioned sells for quite a bit.

Kel -Tec's problems go beyond supply issues, they have had numerous problems with their guns. It's all on the Web. However, they are innovative and I like what they are doing. Just hope they can get it all figured out .

I bought it new in the 90's, it was very heavy and the trigger was horrible. The 223 was accurate enough if you had something to rest the gun on and then use all your strength to pull the trigger. It was also forward heavy with a plastic stock, I traded it for one of the older 24's with a 22 mag/ 20 gauge which I regretfully sold but I still have my other one that I carry on the line.

I bought one of the newer synthetic stocked lead pipes. The .17hmr barrel is reasonably accurate but not nearly as accurate as my model 93. It's pretty rough inside in the rifling and gets dirty quick. I stoned the trigger sear and got the pull down to around 5 pounds with a little creep. The gun is generally a clunker. I read up on it before I bought it and knew it had some short comings but thought I could make up for those with skill and intellect. I guess I have shortcomings too...lol! It seems I almost always have the wrong gun in my hand when calling (shotgun when I need a rifle, rifle when I need the shotgun) and I thought it would fill the bill. Now I just want a good always functioning fast cycling .22 mag. I can live with the misses when I get beat fair and square.

Those home done trigger jobs can be tricky, I worked on the trigger of my 10-22M and will occasionally get a three shot burst!

Yeah, I was afraid to take any more off. I had read on the internet (must be true... right?) where it could be taken down to around 2.5 lbs, but with my caveman skills I quit while I was ahead.

My 10-22M is less than a lb. Too light for a semi auto!

Does JARD make a trigger group for the .22M? Nice triggers but pretty pricey.

My 10/22 m had a volquartzen trigger in it.about 2.5 lbs. I swapped into my regular 10/22 before selling it.

My model 96 arrived last night. Looks like brand new. Was told it hasn't had more than a few magazines shot out of it. I haven't shot it yet but I tried the trigger. A little funky but not too bad. Much like my 10/22 trigger. A little slack then you get the actual trigger pull. I'll shoot it in sometime this week. Came with a BSA scope and a bunch of extra magazines. I'll upgrade the scope eventually and I'm trying to find a used stock for it so I can beat the bushes with out messing up a nice gun (back to the gun is a tool philosophy). Thanks to Hup for steering me towards it. Hope he isn't expecting a finders fee... That .17 Hornet sure sounds interesting...

Nice!!!!!

Now you guys have me haunting gunbroker and the like for a Ruger 96, my 94-22mag feels somewhat ancient in my hands now.

I have the Ruger 96 as well, love it. Just wish i could find one in 22mag to match.
They are compact, sleek, nice clip and accuate to boot. Just trigger is not the best, but it got better after couple thousand rounds.

That is cool. I would love that over the automatic 10/22. Always a pain having to deal with a loaded chamber. Looks similar to the 10/22 in its compactness. Nice.

Similar to this one, I could use a bit of a trigger tune up too. Really short throw on the lever, which is cool.

Tube fed, I like it! Looks like it has been around the block a time or two, but looks great!

Debating whether or not I want to give the steel a Krylon job. Made in early 60's, has been reworked a bit so no collector value. Most of the bluing is gone.

I kryloned a couple (4) of my guns and they are holding up pretty well. The one that has really held up is my .06 A-bolt. It used to rust just sitting in the gun cabinet. The paint is really sticking to the rougher texture of the barrel. Three hunting seasons later and it looks fine. Now I just have to oil the guts once and a while and not worry about it.

How many coats? Did you use a flat black? It would definitely help the looks of this.

I camo'd all of mine and used several different colors and patterns and probably three to four coats thick plus 4 or 5 coats of the Krylon clear matte finish. The A-bolt pattern was sponged on after putting a good base grey primer coat. Several folks have recommended a self etching primer for a base coat on the metal parts. My model 93 Savage has a stainless barrel and it has some scrapes on it where the paint didn't adhere that well. The 835 and A-bolt only have a few minor scuffs in the paint and they get bounced around quite a bit.