Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

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86er
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Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by 86er »

Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Around 1860 Benjamin Tyler Henry received a patent for his lever action rifle that was simply known as the Henry Rifle. Over 125 years later, the Imperato Family chose Henry Repeating Arms as their company name. In tribute to the original Henry, the name of the modern company was chosen to represent innovation, quality, and a “Made in America” value.

Henry’s 30-30 rifles are a continuation of the company’s line of traditional styled lever action rifles yet these rifles feature many modern and unique design characteristics. The Model H009 is the steel, blued model while the H009B is the brass model. The commonalities between the two rifles include their 20” barrels, 5 round capacity and straight grip stock with a smooth lever action.

In order to get reasonable opinions of the rifles that represent a broad variety of consumers in the marketplace, two range days were arranged which let shooters try the rifles in exchange for their feedback. A good quantity of ammunition was supplied by Grizzly Cartridge Company and was provided at no charge to the shooters.

A pre-shooting opinion was solicited and one common myth needs to be put to rest before you continue as it will keep or enhance your interest. “I’m not paying twice what another brand of 30-30 cost for this” was muttered at least twice among the shooters. The reality is that in spite of the MSRP, the actual street price for the H009 averages just $565 and the H009B averages just $100 more. This puts the Henry 30-30 rifles in a competitive price range with most currently produced foreign and domestic lever action rifles offered in 30-30 caliber. The Henry H009 comes standard with the most common accessories most hunters will pay extra for on other brands including XS Sights, sling swivels and a recoil pad.

A plus is that Henry Repeating Arms is well known for their outstanding, personalized customer service, staunch, active support of the 2nd Amendment and a commitment to having the rifle and all its components 100% made in the USA. This family run business is a role model of ethics, commitment, patriotism, honesty, value and service.

The H009 features a straight grip stock and slim fore-end with wood that would be dubbed “deluxe” or “high grade” by any other company. Every shooter commented on the outstanding wood with highly accented swirls and patterns of chocolate and black underneath a sheen oil finish. Staying with the wood, the checkering is meticulously cut (even though by machine) and the wood to metal fit and finish was without flaws. The straight grip butt-stock is dressed with a black recoil pad with the Henry logo on it that actually works to absorb recoil. The fore-end was slim and long and fitted with a blued steel end cap. The drop of the butt-stock was a little higher than most straight grip lever action rifles. That was appreciated by the shooters as it made it easy to see the sights with a good cheek-weld and resulted in recoil that was a straight push with virtually no muzzle rise upon firing.
The metal is treated with a matte blued finish that is non-reflective and well executed. The lever itself had a more polished, deep blued finish. The 20 inch round barrel has a slightly recessed muzzle crown. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts but comes with an XS peep sight with white blade front sight. The rifle weighs 7 pounds 5 ounces on my regulated postal scale.
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The action of the Henry is unique among lever action 30-30’s. The most obvious difference is the lack of a loading gate. The Henry loads through a magazine tube. Some of the shooters were taken back by this and a few thought they preferred the loading gate system of other brands. However, after shooting the rifle followed by discussions, everyone agreed they could get used to the magazine tube loading system. The comments in favor of a loading gate all related to the ability to “top off” the magazine or the “ease of loading” on the range. Let’s face it the Henry is not a combat rifle that requires the ability to load on the go. For hunting, 6 rounds should suffice but should you need more a few seconds is all it takes. To prove this, I started with 6 rounds in a belt carrier on my right hip. Holding an empty rifle with a loading gate I set the timer and loaded 6 rounds as fast as I could which was 7.85 seconds. I repeated this with the Henry rifle and my time was 10.15 seconds. For easy range loading the Henry could always be fed one cartridge at a time directly into the chamber.
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A quick search of the internet for “30-30 rifle malfunctions” will give you at least 58 discussions on problems with the loading gate including “popping out”, “not letting cartridges pass”, “cannot get cartridges to go into the tube” ,and “allowing rounds to jump from the magazine prematurely”. Additional comments regarding the loading gate include “tough on brass” and “hard on thumb”.
The action works in a different manner than other established lever action designs. The lifter is not a ramp that tilts upward to guide the cartridge into the chamber. The Henry uses a lifter block that cradles the cartridge and raises it in a horizontal position much further up into the action before toggling upward in the front to guide the cartridge into the chamber. Additionally, because of the loading tube combined with the lifter block there is no link with cartridge stop on it. Our internet search for “30-30 malfunctions” shows the predominant reasons for “dreaded jams” and other malfunctions are related to the link, cartridge stop and lifter, among other problems.

Unloading a rifle that features a loading gate requires cycling cartridges through the action. This is taxing on brass if the same cartridges are loaded and unloaded many times and there are potential safety risks that are obvious. The Henry magazine tube loading system alleviates all of the issues inherent to the loading gate system.

The actions on both rifles were extremely smooth. The Henry utilizes a small trigger block located just behind the trigger to prevent accidental trigger manipulation during cycling. A side effect of this trigger block safety is that is prevents the lever from touching the lower tang. Many lever action rifles show wear and tear on the lower tang where the lever hits it upon closing completely but this is not possible with the Henry lever. Some of the shooters were used to having to squeeze the lever to disengage the lever safety common on other brands. One of them commented that he could not determine if he has the lever sufficiently closed or if he was putting enough upward pressure on the lever of the Henry. However, he readily admitted this was a familiarity situation and no fault of the rifle. Out of curiosity, the shooters operated the Henry rifle sideways and upside down. The lifter is a trough of sorts that cradles the cartridge somewhat loosely. Therefore, the Henry can be finicky if you try these stunts. Trying two other systems of lever actions proved they were finicky as well in the sideways and upside down position, but less so than the Henry. The trigger pull of the H009 measured 5.6 pounds.
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Over 350 rounds were fired through the H009 over two days and no malfunctions occurred. Ejection was positive and consistent creating a concentrated pile of brass to the right and rear of the shooters. Accuracy was difficult to judge fairly due to several circumstances. First, the Grizzly Cartridge ammunition featured 170 grain Nosler Partition bullets at over 2300 feet per second. This load shot several inches high even with the sight in the lowest position. Second, the targets we used were 3.5 inch black bulls-eye circles at 100 yards, and lastly there was a constant wind of approximately 15 miles per hour and gusting to over 25 miles per hour. Many of the shooters were able to get 3 shots into 1.75 inches or less when shooting off the bench at 100 yards. I later shot 3 brands of standard factory ammo (one each of 150, 160 and 170 grains) off the bench at 100 yards under better environmental conditions and produced an average 3 shot group of 1.42 inches.
The shooters gave praise to the H009’s balance. There is ample room to hold the receiver just in front of the trigger guard and the gun balances perfectly there. Much of the appeal of 30-30 lever actions is the ease in which they carry, but the Henry H009 surpasses all other brands in the way it balances when carried.
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The biggest criticism of the Henry H009 was the front sight. The sight is an XS style white striped blade that is an integral part of the barrel band. The inability to adjust or change the front sight was disappointing to some shooters, especially those with more experience that would like the ability to set up the rifle with the same sights they use on others. One easy solution to this is to send the entire barrel band assembly to Skinner Sights. They will cut a dovetail in the front sight for $32 including return shipping. At the same time, you can get one of their front sight blades installed.
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The H009B differs from the H009 in that it features a brass receiver, barrel band and butt-plate. The lettering on the barrel is gold filled. The stock is a more classic looking style with a concave butt, smooth red-ish tinted wood of straight grain and heavy octagon barrel. The sights are a Marbles style rear with white triangle and sliding elevator and a brass bead dovetailed into the barrel up front. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The H009B weighs 8 pounds 8 ounces on my scale. The test shooters fired approximately 100 rounds through the H009B without any problems. The trigger pull measured 6.3 pounds.
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The sights were adjustable enough to sight-in with the Grizzly Cartridge ammunition. I was able to get an average 3 shot group of 1.12 inches using the Grizzly Cartridge ammunition. The average of 150, 160 and 170 grain standard factory ammo produced an average 3 shot group of 1.22 inches.
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For hunting purposes, the brass receive is quite a bit shiny and the weight is a bit much for all-day carry. Henry includes a soft receiver sleeve to protect the rifle during storage. I cut a rectangle out of one to accommodate the profile of the ejection port. In this manner, the shiny receiver is concealed but the action can be worked instantly for a second shot. The soft cover will come out of place when the action is worked but after the first shot the gig is up. For hunting out of a box blind the shiny receiver becomes much less of a concern.
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The stock is slightly different on the H009B with a little more perceived drop but the extra weight and heavy barrel disperse any felt recoil. All of the shooters were impressed with the lack of muzzle rise and gentle straight back push of whatever recoil was noticeable. Over 100 rounds were fired with no issues.
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Cleaning the rifles was easy and straightforward. Removing the lever screw allows the lever to come free and the bolt can be pulled out. The extractor can also be removed by hand. A few passes through the breach and the bore was back to shiny-new. Some Gun Scrubber was sprayed in the action, followed by a swabbing with some cotton applicators and a dose of high pressured air. A dab of oil was put on all metal parts that showed any wear or contact points as well as the bolt. Inserting the extractor was simple but requires a steady hand. Pushing the bolt in and re-engaging the lever was simple and the lever screw requires very little torque to remain in place. Now both of these rifles are ready for a hunting trip to the field.

Today there is a noticeable decline in the quality and service being offered by the bigger firearms manufacturers that offer lever action rifles. The quality of imports has always been hit-or-miss and service depends greatly on who the importer is. Henry Repeating Arms offers a refreshing high standard of quality, dependability and service with a motto of “Made in America or Not Made at All”.
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Henry Repeating Arms sent gifts for everyone that helped out with the test. Campfire mugs and watch caps with the Henry logo will conjure up memories of a great day shooting!
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I encourage the shooters who helped out to post their direct comments here so you can hear it "from the horse's mouth" instead of my translation or abbreviation of their thoughts.
Last edited by 86er on Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by .45colt »

Good report Joe. If I were in one of My local Gunshops and saw that H009 I would have to take a serious look at it just for the stock. Wow. the price is right. My only concern is the front sight and magazine tube hanger,it looks like something from a 1965 Mattel toy.YUCK. when I look at the hanger on the H009b that is the way I would want it to look.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by shooter »

I liked both of these rifles. The Brass model's set up is not ideal for hunting, but could easily get the job done. As mentioned, it is a little weighty to carry all day, but it was pretty accurate even straight out of the box. There were a couple of features that took me some time to get used to, and I wasn't sure that I liked them at first. The first is the lack of a loading gate. I am so used to loading through the gate, and it is much more convenient to top off magazines when messing around in the field or plinking at the range. It took a little bit of thinking on the subject, but I did decide that it would not be a deciding factor that would deter me from purchasing the rifle. As Joe stated, one rarely needs more than 5 or 6 rounds when hunting, and you can load cartridges one at a time through the chamber. The other interesting and unusual thing to me was the lack of a half-cock safety. The Henry uses a transfer bar system similar to Ruger's design so the hammer can't strike the firing pin unless the hammer is at full cock and the trigger is fully depressed. This has no effect on the functionality of the rifle, it is just something that I had never experienced prior to handling the Henry.

I definitely like the fact that the blued version comes from the factory with XS front and rear sights. I'm a big fan of XS sights. My hang up is that Henry automatically sends only the large ghost ring aperture for the rear sight, and I like the smaller ring for anything much past 50 yards. I have a tendency to shoot high at 100 yds with the larger ring, which I definitely did yesterday. I did find out from Joe that Henry will send the smaller aperture, and all you have to do is call them up and tell them you would like them to send it to you.

This input has already gone longer than I intended, so I will end with one final bit of praise for the Henry rifles. They do balance very handily, and the thing that surprised me the most was the felt recoil vs. a traditional straight stocked levergun, such as a Winchester 94. Not that any 30-30 has excessive recoil (at least not any one I've shot), but the recoil was definitely more of a light push rather than the sharp jolt generally experienced with the Winchester straight stock design. I experienced noticeably less muzzle jump with either of the Henrys than with my 94.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Old Savage »

Well, I like the black one and not the gold one. Interesting.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by gamekeeper »

Excellent report, I have looked at reviews of the Henry 30/30 and found them lacking but your report answers all the questions.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by J Miller »

I like the brass one and could maybe like the blued one, except for the junky front sight/barrel band. I loathe those. And that one being hollowed out just looks bad to my eyes.
Should I ever acquire one of those that feature will have to be remedied quickly.

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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Ji in Hawaii »

Thank you Joe for the very precise and detailed review. SO these centerfire Henrys do not have a halfcock position for the hammer? Their 22 rimfire rifles do. I have absolutely no problems with the magazine loading system of the Henry centerfires being used to tube magazines in 22 rifles. 6 rounds more than enough ammo to take care of business. I much prefer the magazine attaching system used on the brass receiver rifle the barrel band on the blued rifle being an 21st century looking eyesore out of place on it's otherwise classic 19th century lines. Will you be testing their 45/70 rifle too. I sure hope so as I have heard zilch on them. I wish they were available with a 22" barrel and straight grip the 18.5" barrel and pistol grip just not my cup of tea.
Thanks again Joe, and all other parties involved. :wink:
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by pshort »

Howdy,
Good report, folks... I like Henrys and have a couple around here..
So, what happened to the picture of "the boys" from the first post?
It'd be fun to see what y'all look like plus compare with the pix down at the post office!!!

Thanks again,

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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Griff »

Old Savage wrote:Well, I like the black one and not the gold one. Interesting.
And you would be in good company, as most of the shooters seemed to agree... at least this small sample. Look at the difference in the number of rounds fired... the black rifle was gorgeous! Clearly more popular. As Jonathan said, the lack of a loading gate has put me off, but Joe's explanation of the "WHY" Henry chose to abstain from the King's Patent, certainly makes sense. I also like Joes' explanation of the "WHY" of the Henry name. The Imperato's are an old firearms family business. Well, "old" when compared to the plethora of AR manufacturers! :P

While I might not be rushin' out to buy one, (I think I have my .30-30 quota fulfilled); it is quite the looker, and after this shooting session, had I not had a .30-30, I'd have been making Joe an offer on this little black rifle. The matte black finish didn't put me off, as a "hunter", the finish is perfect. Great looking wood, blue/black finished steel.

Good my pics resized, and here' FWiedner shooting:
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RKrodle test the feeding while sideways:
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And the "line" waiting their turn: Ok, maybe they were just standing around observing, initially it was like that moped thing, lots of fun to ride, but you don't want your friends to see ya! :P :P :lol: :lol:
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And in the sunlight:
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By the way, that recoil pad on the black rifle was partly what made it so comfortable to shoot. Ok, so it ain't "traditional"... but I doubt these are being bought as "collectors"! :mrgreen:

(EDITED TO ADD): Thanks to crs for the use of his shooting bench. I was in Cabelas a week or so ago and compared to the 3 or 4 on display in the Allen, TX store, this thing is absolutely the best of the breed!
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by 2ndovc »

Kinda diggin' the black one. Love the wood and the XS sights but as a few other's have pointed out that barrel band
has got to go.


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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Ji in Hawaii »

Griff wrote:
RKrodle test the feeding while sideways:
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I'd have a difficult time recognizing Ricky without his Fedora. :wink:
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Chuck 100 yd »

Great review pard . I am waiting to see their rendition of the 1860. Like Griff, I am well stocked with .30-30`s but could use another pistol caliber lever. :D
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by jdad »

Very informative reviews. The only gripe I have ever had, with HRA, is that they do not offer a .22rf or big bore with a 24" barrel.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by RKrodle »

Friends Call Me Ji wrote:
I'd have a difficult time recognizing Ricky without his Fedora. :wink:
Darn wind was blowing so hard I couldn't keep it on my pointy head. :lol: . I had to go with my alternate.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by AJMD429 »

The modern 'Henry' company has an excellent philosophy, similar to Dillon Precision.

I like the 'tube loader' feature (for those guns not sophisticated-enough to have a nice compact rotary-magazine like the Ruger 96 or Savage 99 :wink: ), though it is nice to have a tubular magazine with both options, like with some of the Rossi 92 clones.

I agree in preferring the black receiver gun, and the octagonal/brass one's magazine tube hanger.

I'd rather have a nice dovetail-mounted 'gold-bead' like the Marlins have, with a Williams FP rear (or scope).

If they'd work up short-acton models in the various pistol calibers (preferably including the hyphenated ones as well as the modern ones), and keep them as slim and trim as possible, I think they'd see lots of sales. Folks still like .32-20 for instance, but don't want to have to pay 'vintage' prices, even just to get a 1980's-era Marlin.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by RKrodle »

I enjoyed both rifles very much, the brass one I thought was good for target shooting due to the heavier weight and the black one would make a dandy hunting rifle. I was impressed with both for their lack of perceived recoil and lack of muzzle rise, Mike's ammo that we were shooting is diffidently not on the week side. I would like to put a scope on them, when the wind isn't blowing so hard, and do a real accuracy test, I think I would be pleasantly surprised.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by rjohns94 »

Great report Joe. Thanks.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by FWiedner »

I'm in agreement with Ricky on the application for the two leverguns. The Black One has potential to be a dandy hunter and the Gold One is handsome but not really set up for field work.

Both are good looking rifles and I didn't get a sense that there was anything wierd or different about either of them. I liked the familiar feel, and there was nothing to get used to. I am a "pick it up and use it like it is" kind of guy and it takes a while for me to settle on whether a change in sights or stock configuration would be of real benefit, though I do have definite preferences.

The guns were easy to get into my shoulder, which is of some benefit to a shooter like me because I tend to drop the butt stock out of my shoulder to look for my shots when I'm at the range. I was wearing a loose fleece hoodie type jacket, and the recoil pad on the Black One was well-finished enough that it didn't snag or drag on the material of the jacket.

The actions were smooth, and seemed a well refined design. Of the several rounds I fired, the actions cycled well and I only had one instance of a failure to fire and I believe that it was due to not having completely closed the lever after chambering a round. The feed system is different than either the more familiar Marlins or Winchesters, but I personally encountered no difficulty, nor did I notice any rough spots in the loading cycle.

As I said before, I thought the triggers were heavy, and that makes sense given the lack of the more common hammer-block or half-cock safety, but I believe it's a detriment when trying to place a well-aimed shot. I have several .30-30s, and my most often used is in a Trapper configuration, and when compared to that, the recoil on the arms being evaluated was negligible.

At the bench, I can say that I like the sight 'type' on the Black One, but I didn't like those particular sights. I have XS systems on a couple of my lever guns and like them very much, but the color on the front blade wasn't pure white, which made it hard to see against an earth toned background. I thought the sight might be dirty, but it was actually a different color because it apparently has a "glow in the dark" feature. Anyway, I prefer pure white. The barrel band thing didn't matter to me initially, since the sights were servicable. Having discovered that the sight blade wasn't 'dirty' and that it was supposed to be that color, I'd change it. Now the barrel band thing matters. There needs to be more of an adjustment range on the rear sight, especially since there was no adjustment on the front blade.

I didn't like the sights on the Gold One, and I admit a predjudice toward peep and ghost-ring type irons. I don't really care for bead type front blades, and I especially dislike brass beads. The color they take on as they tarnish is very difficult for me to see. I prefer a front sight that stands out against a target versus wishing I could tell where one ends and the other begins. For an open v-notch rear sight I prefer a sharp black front blade. I can stomach a square black post, but I despise brass beads. Again, it's the thing about trying to see the sight against earth tone backgrounds.

Both of the guns showed acceptable accuracy and the shooters achieved better accuracy as they became accustomed to the sights and the sights got dialed in. By the end of the session bullets were rountinely finding black, and we were seeing much better groups. Levergun groups. There were several 1-inch groups from 50-yards, but I don't remember seeing any from 100-yards. I think sight selection and a bit of trigger work would improve that.

Overall, I liked the guns. I liked the Black One more, because it was 'ready to go.'

I believe that if I were shopping for a levergun I'd be very happy to buy either one of those guns new off the shelf.

:)
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Little Doc »

getting here late I have to say most of my observations have already been discussed. I lean toward the black gun. I am a peepsight guy but this one seemed a little lacking. needs a smaller appature for target work and more adjustment. I am with others on the front sight barrel band. Has a matell toy look.
I shot several rounds in both guns and each performed well without any hitches. These guns seem to have less felt recoil. They came to the sholder and pointed where you look. They were balanced and easy to carry. The brass one was noticabaly heavier but when shooting was not noticable.

I am not a fan of the the magazine tube loading. I found the tube hard to turn and reset after loading. Old Arthur in the fingers and hand. Now that is just me but others with arthuritus may find the same.

Do not need to say anything about the wood and fit as the pictures above say it all. Beautiful wood.

Either of the two rifles will be good to take to the woods as they come from the box. Some think the triggers are to heavy. as a hunting rifle I think they are about right. a little on the heavy side but break clean. for a hunting gun i think that is good.

I think Henry has a winner here.
thanks for the opportunity to be a part of this
M
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Old Savage »

Traditional is fine but if a new shooter wants a new gun what are the options? Gotta move on at some point. Mossberg or Henry - am I leaving something out in the reasonable range? I mean I would like one of the new Winchesters but that is 1200 - almost 1500 plus tx. Not really an everyman's gun anymore.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by 1894c »

thank you all for the reports on the Henry 30-30's...i'll have to take a hard look at the next one i see... :)
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by M. M. Wright »

Thanks Joe and all. Great report.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Birdman »

I wasn't involved in the shoot but I have to add my Henry opinion to the conversation. I have a very early Golden Boy 22LR, my brother has a Golden Boy, and the Big Boy in 357 and 44. Those Golden Boys are as smooth as can be and I have run several thousand rounds through mine with nothing but great operation. My brother is happy as can be with all three of his. From my personal experience with mine and shooting my brothers I'm a fan of everything I have shot and would love to give that 30-30 and 45-70 a go.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by olyinaz »

.45colt wrote:Good report Joe. If I were in one of My local Gunshops and saw that H009 I would have to take a serious look at it just for the stock. Wow. the price is right. My only concern is the front sight and magazine tube hanger,it looks like something from a 1965 Mattel toy.YUCK. when I look at the hanger on the H009b that is the way I would want it to look.
Although in person that hanger looks terrible too. Both parts just kill me, but especially so on the round barrel rifle where the rest of it looks pretty nice...until you get to that horrible looking hunk of junk up on the front end. Egads. :roll:

But I'm glad they're made here, I'm glad they shoot, and I'm glad that there is a serviceable new lever gun in the shops for deer hunters to choose if they desire.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by olyinaz »

Old Savage wrote:Traditional is fine but if a new shooter wants a new gun what are the options? Gotta move on at some point. Mossberg or Henry - am I leaving something out in the reasonable range? I mean I would like one of the new Winchesters but that is 1200 - almost 1500 plus tx. Not really an everyman's gun anymore.
Marlins at my local WalMart are $380. If they shoot, and I suspect that the factory change-over hoo hah has ended, then you have a very real option in one of those. Rossi Rio Grandes are running about $430 locally. So you have Marlin, Mossberg, Rossi, and Henry out there vying for the lever gun buck, and ALL of them priced the same or more than a good bolt gun from Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, Mossberg, or Marlin. Toteability has got to be the winning hallmark of the lever gun and the round barrel Henry sounds like it really wins on that front.

Hey, it occurs to me that the octagon barrel Henry might be really nice in .38-55! 8)
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by ollogger »

Thanks for a fair & honest report on the guns, I could easily live with either one
but for now Ill live with my 357 & my 22 mag goldies, but you got me thinking

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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by MrMurphy »

Didn't get to the shoot, but have handled Henry rifles before.


The lack of loading gate is a total deal killer for me, and the gun's a bit heavier than it needs to be in .30-30.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Griff »

MrMurphy wrote:Didn't get to the shoot, but have handled Henry rifles before.
The lack of loading gate is a total deal killer for me, and the gun's a bit heavier than it needs to be in .30-30.
Surprisingly, the round barrel, black model wasn't much heavier than a 20" Winchester .30-30. If I had to guess, I'd say within ounces. I believe that Joe has the actual weight on that one.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by 86er »

The weight is in the original post but I'll re-state it. 7 pounds 5 ounces for 20" rounds and 8 pounds 8 ounces for the 20" octagon bbl. The listed weight is 7 pounds even - same as the 20" Marlin 336. Putting a 336 on the same scale shows 7 pounds 6 ounces on this particular one, so the Henry is 1 ounce lighter (and that is with a recoil pad, XS sights and sling swivels). The 1895 Marlin Cowboy weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces although that is with a 26" bbl.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by piller »

I have one of the Henry .22lr rifles. It is smooth. I am glad to hear that the .30-30 ones are worth looking into. I am not in the market for one at the moment, but with the ammunition shortages, I have noticed that I can find lead bullets for a .30-30, brass for it, and sometimes factory ammo. Not much else is available.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by MrMurphy »

They may have changed something in recent production but the first two Henry .30-30s I handled last year were noticeably heavier than a 336 handled at the same time.

I haven't seen a Henry in .30-30 yet this year to compare.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by recover56 »

Bought my first Henry rifle in a 30/30 caliber. Gun has only 1 problem that i can find. The lever doesn't stay locked closed when loading.Pops open and if you dont want to cycle a round into the chamber you have to start over and manually hold lever closed which is a hassle. Other then that it is very accurate and beautiful workmanship. The wood is second to none.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Ysabel Kid »

I remember discussing these guns with you when I saw you last. Thanks for the great report Joe!
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by PriseDeFer »

Hunting guns, range toys, maybe we're a little more specialized today than when these kinds of guns were cutting edge, but specialization, as we know, is for insects. I hold my levergun to be just what it was when they first came out. My rifle. For everything. Gotta have the loading gate.
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by Marlin32 »

I like the sound of the reviews. I like the brass frame and octagon barrel.
Only problem with the Henry is they produce it in the wrong caliber.

Bring it out in .32 special, or better yet, a 22 or 24" barrel 356!!!

I am still wondering if I can get a gunsmith to fashion me up a Henry in 356win??
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Re: Review: Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 H009 and H009B

Post by 86er »

Jesse made my round barrel Henry 30-30 into a 35-30. I've just started messing with loads but it is sighted in with 200gr Hornday FTX going 2300 fps and it shoots very good groups. I loaded some 245 gr LFNGC at 2220 fps but havent grouped them yet. I also have a 300 grain load that does 1910 fps, for what I do not know. Havent grouped that yet either. The Henry uses a single horizontal bolt slot and lug just like the Marlin 336. If it can be done to the Marlin, it can be done to the Henry.
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