Henry Big Boy 41 Mag: review and test

[JonB]

The prepaid UPS label came today, So the Henry goes on vacation this afternoon.

Update:
Henry received my Rifle on Jan 2.
I never got a call or a email from Henry after that notification, asking for more details or explaining the fix or what they did?
This evening, I get a UPS email notification of a delivery expected tomorrow that needs a signature by someone 21 or over
UPS usually drops off packages around 10am, I live in a Hub town , so I guess I'll find out in the morning

 

[fiver]

must be something common, 7 days is some kind of record for repair work in the gun world.

 

[JonB]

Yeah, maybe just parts swap (internal receiver parts, lifter?)...or my biggest fear, "we couldn't find anything wrong with it".

 

[fiver]

I could tell you on a model 94 or a 92 they are simple and activated by the carrier going down past them.
those are usually a broken spring or some dirt.

 

[Ian]

Did Brown bring it back today?

 

[JonB]

The Rifle did arrive yesterday.
Invoice stated: Replaced Carrier, ejector, adjusted lockup, and checked over rifle.
initials: H. W.
===============
Anyway, I opened the box, they reused my rifle case as packing, that was nice, I wasn't sure I'd get that back. I looked the rifle over, all looked good, although the barrel wasn't cleaned after their test firing, The first 2 inches of the inside of the barrel looked dull grey (lead fouled?) the remaining looked shiney and had a few unburnt powder granuals or carbon?

I didn't take the time to clean in, as it looked shootable, and I only had an hour of daylight left to get to the range. I cycled some dummy rounds, all good...the action feels considerably smoother.

Also, prior to this repair, I thought the Carrier seemed loose(as I noted in the letter to them), Now the carrier is much better, it has what I'd think is the correct amount of play (.005)...instead of what it was (about .025).

I brought 4 different loads/boolits to the range. I shot about 100 rds, I did have one FTF/FTE, but I may have short stroked the lever? all others cycled well. The Rifle is still accurate, according to my targets, but I was just shooting offhand. Some of the 100 rounds were SWC...all those cycled well (they had issues prior to this repair).

I'll clean the barrel later today, when I get into the reloading room, I'll find out if the barrel is lead fouled now or not...maybe my .411 sized boolits would have cleaned out the previous suspected leading?

Conclusion:
More time at the range is needed. I better get to loading more ammo.

 

[fiver]

they could have cleaned it out.
I done a test a couple of years back where I leaded up my 41M black hawk by shooting some lazercast bullets at a sane speed, then cleaned the leading out by shooting a lyman 410610 [without the gas check installed] on top of 4 grs of titegroup.
within a cylinder full the leading was gone.

I'm curious about them replacing the ejector.
I'm not familiar with the working of the henry rifles so I can't speculate what it would have to do with your problem.

 

[Ian]

It's almost exactly a Marlin 336 in the action. Same ejector style, too. Maybe they had the wrong ejector installed for the .41 and it was keeping the cartridge rims from gliding up under the extractor claw, I seem to remember Jon talking about that transition being a little funky due to ejector not being pushed out of the way by the bolt before the lifter tried to force the rim under the extractor, whereas my .45 Colt doesn't have that issue. The lifter on mine stops the fresh cartridge from going back too far while the empty is ejected, then the bolt rides forward a little, pushing the ejector back into the frame, before the bolt face contacts the rim of the fresh cartridge and glides it up under the ejector. I realize Jon was mainly having magazine stop problems, but maybe they fixed two problems at once. The factory 41 tuning may still be a work in progress.

 

[JonB]

Well, the gun was Lead fouled pretty good.

It took about 25 patches to clean it out.
I use a brass jag and thick flannel shirt patch.
I alternate the following:
>wrapping a string of copper choreboy on the patch (that cuts gouges out of the lead fouling).
>placing some 0000 steel wool on the patch (that grabs the loose strings of lead).
>a patch wetted with ed's red to pull any loose lead bits and lubes the bore for the next two mod'd patches.

This is the first time in a long time using this technique that it took that many patches...so it was quite lead fouled.

We got cold weather for another week, so mid to end of next week, I'll take it out to the range again.

 

[JonB]

Well it's been 13 months and I still haven't shot it yet
I recall bringing it out to the range once last summer, but the range was closed.
I do look at it every time I go into the reloading room

 

[JonB]

Oh, I forgot to add, I ordered a set of Bullseye sights (Marble Arms) for it yesterday.

Stock Photos

 

[fiver]

I have shot that double ring set up without the 'dot' in the middle.
it worked better than I thought it would,