Henry US Survival Rifle

[TacSKS]

I was wondering what folks think about the Henry Survival Rifles (formerly AR-7)? Does anyone own/shoot one? How is accuracy and utility? Does it really float or is that just BS?

I love my 10/22 but am seriously considering picking up the Henry for my BOB. It would break my heart to consider leaving my my 10/22, but if I can stash the Henry inside the backpack, that frees up space for another defensive caliber. Any thoughts?

[Diesel]

I have one, I love the concept.. BUT

You have to keep it impeccably clean, it jams often and easily.and doesn't have very good tolerances.

When it does fire, it fires just fine and is reasonably accurate.

It's interesting to own, is certainly better than nothing, and to hunt small game it's going to beat a handgun.. so Isay if you're ok on weight in your pack, why not. Just keep it clean.

[tarheelsman71]

I have to agree with diesel....I got mine for exactly the reason that you want one. Convenience. But it does float and if clean is accurate. Mine has never jammed but I could see how it could if it gets dirty.

[TacSKS]

Thanks guys. Great Input!

[Demorian]

Another idea if you haven't bought the Henry yet is to consider the Marlin 70PSS (papoose), in the last 6yrs of owning one I have never had a FTF and I light it actually having a little more weight.
When I looked at the Henry I kept having flashbacks of the AR-7, which I know the Henry version is a lot more reliable then the old Armalite version.
Figured I would throw an alternate consideration out there.

[TacSKS]

Good suggestion. I haven't seen the 70PSS before. Not sure how I missed that one. :)

[Big_Saw]

I've had an AR7 before and kick myself for giving it up...it ain't gonna hold back an army, but it will feed you in a pinch. Best compact survival rifle concept I know of, even if there are more reliable platforms...

[Demorian]

Tac I am not sure where central are you but if you are near a Gander Mountain they usually (not always) have a 70PSS in stock, I just wish Marlin had kept the 70P in production which was the black version, thankfully I picked it up back when I did.
Alot of the higher end gun stores can always order it for you also.

[TacSKS]

Yeah right around Raleigh. So I'll keep an eye out at Gander Mountain. Thanks

[SyLord]

I had an AR-7, nice little rifle, but with weaker ammo it would not send the dirty bolt all the way back and had a tendency to go full auto, but would go until the magazine was empty, not until you let go of the trigger!
Now reading about the new company that makes them, I saw they changed the spring to a stronger one so that it will not cycle with subsonic ammunition - they do not want them to be used with silencers. It's a shame since they have been used in many movies as silenced assassin weapons.

I would not put their accuracy anywhere near that of a 10/22, but they do shoot and can hit a squirrel at 20 yards. Remember for reduced weight the barrel is just a barrel liner surrounded by plastic - Yes, a plastic barrel with a metal liner. It will last for 1000's of rounds, but again, make sure you clean it well. Good thing the side plate comes off easy and you can spray it down with just about anything. I even think that someone makes a 15 round magazine for it.

The nice thing about stowing it away in the stock is that the receiver goes into the stock also, so if it does get dropped into water, you can just wipe the stock off, and should be good to go. It could be buried in a pinch and still be ok. I would still recommend putting it in a container before putting it in a hole in the ground.

I was thinking about getting one again to see how well they hold out. I missed mine, but it going full auto with bulk ammo was fun but scary. I wouldn't want that to happen when I need it. Oh, to anyone that questions it - I was shooting it at a backyard range of the local gun shop when it mis-fired. A couple squirts of a cleaner under the side plate and a quick blow off with an air hose and it started to work a little better. We switched ammo, and it worked perfectly. I just still didn't trust it after that. When I let off the trigger, I want the gun to stop shooting.

[laoma]

About 20 years ago I picked an old armalitte version....for $60.00, and if I still had it I'd probobly shoot myself in the head for selling it, it's construction was a little heavier than the new ones out today, and I also had the problem of it going to full auto once in a while, then I wasn't sure why, but thanks to you guys ,,now I know....I just ordered another one in black, I really cant wait, this rifle was really a lot of fun, and as far as survival goes, for the price...everyone should have one, it will fit into a backpack with no problem, also, when I had mine I purchased it with a 30 round ramline clip, I'm sure one can still find these clips if you research it as I will when I get mine

[Thorake]

I own one, I agree you have to keep it clean. Other then that I have had barely any problems with it so far. I at least go fire it at least 1-2 times a week. I keep it for my bug out bag due to how it can breakdown and the reduced weight is nice. The older ones from what I under stand were pretty crappy, but the newer ones like I own seem to do fine.

[jtrascal]

I have a CHARTER ARMS AR-7, CARRIED IT IN MY JEEP, I LOVE IT , BEEN WITH ME FOR TWENTY YEARS, NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT, BUT I DO KEEP IT CLEAN AS WITH MY OTHER FIREARMS!

[tbkbtk123]

I have a firend that HAD an AR-7 and he and I went to the local range and got down in the prone shooting position and with the dust and dirt in the area, his weapon jammed after about 15 rounds.

I like the idea of the rifle storing in it's own stock ect but I want something that I can depend on!

[Bayou Blaster]

Many owners of the original Armalite AR-7 or the Henry Repeating Arms version (US Survival) rifle have the same issues when it comes to their firearms ability to feed ammunition reliably after several rounds are fired. Being that the firearm utilizes a direct blow-back system, it suffers from the same woes as the Direct-Impingement system of the AR-15/M-16 family of firearms (It tends to Sh*T where it feeds). 22LR ammunition does not help matters either, as some of it can be extremely dirty. Some workarounds/fixes to this problem include but are not limited to:

Never Dry Fire Rimfires, as the firing pin will be damage/deformed as well as the chamber face of the barrel. Over time this will contribute to feeding/extraction/firing issues.

Utilize aluminum/plastic dummy 22LR rounds if you must dry fire the firearm

To correct feeding issues with this firearm and many other 22LR type firearms: You will need to impart a slight chamfer to the end of the chamber face, this will give the bullet something to slip on and also helps to guide the round into the chamber. Utilizing a bullet of a much larger diameter (rilfe round) and a little J.B. Bore Paste, simply dip the bullet in the J.B Bore Paste, insert the tip into the chamber and twirl while applying light contact force. Go easy and repeatedly check your progress. All that is required is to break/chamfer the sharp inside edge of the chamber face and to polish the throat you are creating. Removing any more material would result in a poorly supported case head. I've done this on a number of these and other types of rifles with great success, especially on AR-7 type rifles. The reliability improvement is remarkable with AR-7 rifles.

As for recommending it as a pack rifle, I would have to pass : Rudimentry sights, lac-luster accuracy, limited magazine capacity, FTF/FTE etc.... Hope this helps.