First shoot of 2010

CLICK HERE to read about the first shoot of 2010.

"...The goal today was to compare some new loads, to try out the 44 Magnum with the repaired sear and peep sight installed, and to shoot the Yugo SKS for the first time in two years. I was surprised to see so many black guns at the range today. In fact, everyone had black guns but me. Maybe that's why the guy to my left came over and told me "That's a real nice Henry". That gun is always an icebreaker..." MORE

Henry Repeating's customer service is second to none

Last time I shot at the range I started having a problem with the action in my 44 magnum. When I cycled the lever, about every third shot the hammer refused to cock and instead would move forward and hang up in a slot that's at the bottom of the bolt.

When I returned from the range I sent Anthony Imperato, the President of Henry Repeating a quick email, and in less that an hour I received a personal reply from the President. I followed up by emailing him a quick video of the problem that I made with my computer's cam. Anthony gave me the name and number of 'Michael', the Production Manager and asked that I call him to discuss the problem. The following day I called Michael, who had watched the video and knew right off that the problem was the sear.

They followed up by sending me a next day FedEx that contained a UPS shipping label. I shipped the gun back to Henry and within a week it was at my door. It was obvious that they upgraded the action because everything was much tighter. Michael said the sear had been redesigned, and they obviously had upgraded it. I had installed a peep sight, so they but a blank into the open dovetail and two small screws into the holes where the rear sight had been mounted.

My thanks to Mr Imperato, Michael the Production Manager and all the people at Henry. Your customer service is second to none. Wishing everyone at Henry a Very Merry Christmas!

How many of you remember 'The Rifleman'?

Click the picture to see full episodes of the baddest good-guy lever action guy around: Chuck Connors as 'The Rifleman'.

Sighting in the Marble Arms peep sight in the rain

A NASTY WET DAY AT THE RANGE

What a lousy day to take vacation time to go shooting. I arrived at the range at 11:00 and it just began to drizzle. By 2:00 when I left it was dark and pouring. The only thing that wasn't an issue was the wind. There wasn't any. I did meet some really friendly shooters today, and 3 guys came over to my bench at different times complimenting me on the "nice looking rifle". Those brass rifles really are attention getters.

My goal today was to try out the newly installed Marble Arms peep sight and some new loads. I also needed to fire a bunch of ammo to free up some brass for new loads I've been wanting to try out. One of the guys who came over to my bench and commented on the Henry asked me how I liked the peep sight. We were joking about it because it was getting so dark that through the rain, it was difficult to see the bulls-eye at 50 yards. "It's tough getting old and shooting through bifocals." The peep site helps, but in time he said he had to change over to a scope. I told him that this is my plinking cannon, and that I don't shoot over 100 yards. The peep sight maintains that Civil War look that I like, and the 44magnum with the peep sight installed is a perfect combination. I doubt most people will shoot over 100 yards with this caliber, though it is possible. In my opinion 100 yards is the maximum distance anyone is going to want to shoot most calibers without a scope (unless they have fantastic eyesight), so I highly recommend the 44mag/peep sight combo for 50-100 yard shooting.

THE MARBLE ARMS PEEP SIGHT
The peep sight had both pros and cons. On the positive side, the sight worked great. I used my LaserLyte green laser to get the sight on paper. At 50 yards I was shooting about 6" low and slightly to the right. I held the rifle steady and put the front sight back on the bulls-eye. Then carefully reaching for the adjustment knobs, I rotated them until the sight was over the holes I had put in the target. What that does is basically saying, "OK, I'm not hitting the bulls-eye, but instead my bullets are hitting in this other spot. That spot will now become my new bulls-eye." You then adjust your sights instead of the barrel to land on the holes where you missed. Does that makes sense? If not, here's a diagram I drew and posted. CLICK HERE. The next shot was almost right on, and with a few more clicks I was hitting the X-ring. The one thing nice about a peep sight is that you can forget about the rear sight. I simply cover the target with the front sight ball and that's it. No aligning front and rear sights. It seems almost like magic; like it shouldn't work. It does, and I received some compliments on my groups.

On the negative side, the sight is more vulnerable to damage than the standard iron sights. It's projecting out perpendicular to your receiver, so I had to be careful when I turned over the rifle to load cartridges into the loading tube. The second bad thing is that I had to learn to relocate my right hand. The rear sight is very close to the right thumb, so when I pull the trigger and the rifle recoils, the sight comes back and its sharp left edge cut a small notch into the inner side of my right thumb. I learned to adjust my hand position quickly after letting that happen a few times. All in all, the sight worked great and there's no way I'll return to the stock sights. I will be contacting Marble Arms to request that they round out that edge.

Here some reloading results:

1. The Speer 210 gr Gold Dot hollow point w/21gr AA No.9 shot the best groups. The recoil was substantial, even with a starting load.
2. Next best was a lead semi-wadcutter that Roger gave me. It was a light load with little recoil, but still quite accurate.
3. Third best was the 265gr Hornady w/ 1.2cc or AA No. 9. I've always been happy with the results of this combination, but I was amazed that the other two loads shot even better.

I had 4 other loads to test out, but it began raining so hard and it became so dark that I didn't bother. That will give me something to do next time. Oh well, I now have about 150 empty cases to have fun with. One last thought. A paper plate works just as well as a $1.25 chipping target at 50 yards. The holes from a 44mag are easy to see with a pair of binoculars. Save the expensive targets for your 22 and 17 caliber shooting.

Consider giving reloading a try

If you're not reloading for your 44 magnum, you really should consider giving it a try. I'm new this year to reloading, and it's much easier and more fun than I had ever imagined. My buddies at Up North Journal call themselves 'Pro Staffers'. I call myself a "Hacker Staffer'. If I can do it, anyone can. Check out my 44 Magnum RELOADING PAGE and you just might find that it's something you'd like to give a try. Then when you get hooked, send me an email to post that will encourage others to get involved.

Also notice that I've turned on moderated comments under my posts. Feel free to add a constructive comment or a piece of information that will help us with our reloading. I'll read it and if you're not trying to send me 5 million dollars from South Africa if I send you 2 grand up front, I'll likely OK the post. Thanks in advance for your input.

Once again, to cover my backside, note that I am new to reloading and not an expert by any means. If you use info from this site, you agree to use it at your own risk, so if you do something stupid and blow yourself up, you've been warned and I don't want to get a call from your attorney. Thanks again and have fun!

Installing a Marble Arms Peep Sight on the Henry Big Boy

Here's a few photos of the installed sight

The stock sights on the Henry 44 magnum have worked fine, but they are difficult to fine tune. I started looking around for various options, and of course there are scopes and red dot units, but in my opinion they destroy the Civil War look and feel of the firearm. The solution I came up with is to install a Marble Arms peep tang sight.

Marble Arms has an excellent instructional video on their web site which shows you step by step how to install the sight using a drill press or a hand drill. Here's the LINK to the video. There's only one hole to make, but you'll want to make that hole right and put it in the correct spot. It's too bad that my friend is the only guy left in the world who doesn't own a computer so he didn't see the movie! He mounted my sight about 1/4" high... Doh!! It should slide all the way back into the pocket where the wood meets the brass. I've really had to crank down the sight to get it to line up with my laser, but it looks like it should work as is. If I discover that I can't adjust the sight enough, I'll take the rifle to my gunsmith, have him fill the hole and redrill it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works. If I get to shoot on Monday, I'll let you know how well it works. It does look nice and I really like being able to adjust the sight with a few twists instead of getting out the brass hammer. Tonight I slipped my green LaserLyte in the barrel and after a few turns of the sight nobs, the green dot was right behind my front sight. I'm really looking forward to getting the rifle to the range to try out this sight and some new loads. I've been doing a lot of reloading over the past month so I'm sure I'll get tired before I run out of ammo.

Here's ordering info:

Base Assembly: 009844

Screw Set: 995003

Marble Arms

420 Industrial Park, Gladstone MI 49837

Phone: 906-428-3710 | Fax: 906-428-3711

info@marblearms.com

http://www.marblearms.com

NOTE: Check the 2010 Range Report page to see how well the sight worked. I am very pleased with the result. One thing to be careful of when shooting this rifle with the Marble Arms peep sight installed is your thumb position. I found that resting your thumb directly on the back of the sight keeps it's edges from taking meat out of the inside of your thumb as the rifle recoils. Make your thumb travel with the sight instead of trying to stop it.

Thanks Joe for sending the photos!

Joe with his Henry Big Boy .44 Magnum

Hi Bob,

Hope all is well with you and your family and that you're getting out to do some hunting and shooting. I promised you a couple of photos with my Henry Big Boy .44 and my Winchester 1894 LL last email so here they are. I'm looking forward to taking the Henry out for whitetail hunting in early December. Probably in the lower Pocono Mts. near Tamaqua, Pa. Still haven't had a chance to get to the range yet as it's been busy at work but I'm hoping to by late September or early October. Take care Bob and looking forward to more posts in your journal. Sincerely,

Joe Durkin
Southampton, PA

Hello out there!.....

As of 1/1/2010 the BRShootingJournal has 109,000 hits, yet I have very little idea who's out there reading it. It would be encouraging to hear from you. Most of the pages now have COMMENTS turned on, so please drop me a line and let me know you're out there, where you're from and what you're up to. I moderate all comments so if you're writing to tell me to burn in hell for being a hunter, I assure you it won't get posted. If you're a normal person it could take a day to appear. If you have a photo you'd like me to consider posting, please mail it to brshooting@sbcglobal.net. I'd enjoy posting a photo of you with your firearm and/or the small game you've harvested with it. If you're shooting 44mag or SKS, I'd like to see what you're taking as well. Photos from the range would be cool if you're shooting an SKS or a Henry. Thanks for checking in, and don't forget to read and post comments! ~Bob

A reminder to check out the reloading page for extensive information on how to reload for your Henry 44 magnum with both a Lee Classic reloading kit and a Lee Single Stage Press. It's a fun way to keep shooting without breaking the bank.

It's not a Henry 44 Magnum, but it's a start. What a great classic illustration!

Jamie shooting the Henry for the first time.

My son Jamie is a kid what wears his emotions on the inside, but even he couldn't resist smiling after taking his first shot with this Henry. On the way to the range I told him that the recoil wasn't bad at all, but as you'll see, he started rubbing his shoulder after firing only a few rounds. When I questioned him about it, he replied, "But dad, I only have bones under this shirt!" Even with a sore shoulder, Jamie continued to fire off all 40 rounds of 265 grain reloaded Hornady that I had brought. Watch the guy behind him check out the rifle.

Shooting the BigBoy at The East Windsor Sportman's Club

Thanks Dirk for letting Bill and I shoot at the 'East Windsor Sportsman's Club' today. My objective today is to find the best load for my Henry BigBoy 44 magnum rifle at 50 yards. 6 rounds were shot at each of 6 target 50 yards out. I wish I could have locked the rifle down to take myself out of the loop, but since that's not possible today, at least the equation is skewed equally for each load.

BILL SHOOTING THE HENRY

I was amazed to discover that the lightest bullet (200 gr Speer) gave me the lousiest groups, and the heaviest bullet, the Hornady 265 gave me the best. I never expected these results. I know I loaded the 265 cartridge light, so I'm hoping that if I load it just a bit more, it will bring the bullet right in consistently. The final target with the 200 gr Hornady seems to have great potential, but I just about ran out of rounds before starting the test. I was just having fun blast'n when I realized I'd better stop and do some testing... a little too late. I'll load more for next time. Target 5 wasn't bad either. Note that the best results were all achieved with Accurate #9... MORE

DIRK GIVING A HENRY A TRY

After shooting almost another 100 rounds today, I have to say that I love this rifle! It's a blast to shoot and to me it's the ultimate plinking cannon.

Basic reloading step by step

Tonight I loaded 20 rounds of 44magnum ammo for the Henry, but this time I took photos at each step and wrote down my procedure. Click HERE to see it.

Some reloading observations

As you know, I'm new to reloading as you might be, so as I come across something that works for me I'll pass that info onto you. I have 100 rounds that I need to reload after last week's shoot, so yesterday I hammered out the primers all in one step. This is my new method of production line assembly. Instead of reloading the cartridges one at a time, I'm doing each step 100 times. It requires that I juggle tools less and allows me to get into a rhythm. When I'm doing something messy like lubricating the cases, I only have to wipe my fingers off once instead of 100 times.

DEPRIMMING
After knocking the primer out of the 3rd case last week, the tip of the decapper rod broke off. "Wonderful!" I said to myself. "What do I do now?" First I went to my computer and emailed Lee, asking them for a free replacement. I'm happy to report that they emailed me back the following day to tell me that they were shipping one out. Then I remembered the kit that Dirk gave me for reloading my 38s, and it has a decapper in it as well. It's obvious that the material quality has gone done substantially since the older kit was made. The old decapper is much better made. I hope the new decapper lasts a lot longer than the first.

A QUICK INSIDE CLEANING
Using the old decapper tool I knocked out the primers from all 100 cartridges. That evening while at WalMart, I bought a 410 shotgun copper bore cleaning brush for $1.50, sawed off the screw end, locked it into my drill and used it to quickly clean the inside of the cases. They make a unit that does this but it's expensive. I'll keep an eye out for a small motor that I can mount to my bench and use exclusively for this purpose.

CASE LUBRICATION
I got rid of the candle wax I used to lube the cases because it was messy and the new cases didn't require it. The used cases didn't hammer into the sizing die as easily, so I picked up a bottle of Hornady case lube for about $3, put a dab on my fingers and rolled all 100 cases between my fingers to lightly lubricate them all at once.

HAMMER ON A SOLID SURFACE
If you watch the YouTube reloading video near the bottom of this page, the guy does the reloading on a board that's sitting on his lap. Not that you would ever try that, but one thing I discovered is that the more solid the surface you're working on, the easier everything goes. Someone gave me a very old vice some time ago which I bolted to my work bench. I've discovered that if I hammer the cartridge case into the sizing die while it's sitting on the flat anvil part of the vice, I can hammer the case in with only a few wackes of the plastic mallet. The same is true when I use the priming rod to hammer the primer in place. My workbench is solid, but even so, when I hammer the priming rod while on the vice, I can feel the primer seat into the base after only a few taps. And it happened consistently for 100 primers. When hammering on the bench, I have to hammer much harder and longer, and when the primer finally does seat, I can't feel it because the table itself has so much give. When I set that primer off by accident last week, it was because I was hammering on the workbench surface. I had to hammer harder than I should have, and because the table flexes, everything moved out of position until the primer was in a position to ignite. Since I'm doing everything in an assembly line fashion, to be safe I can keep a glove on my left hand throughout the procedure because that's the hand that's positioned right over the top of the case.

Now that I have 100 primered cases ready to rock, my plan is to set up a series of experimental loads that I can compare the next time I'm at the range. All I'll need to do is drop in the powder, seat the bullet and crimp. That should go very quickly. Before the 2nd reload, I'll have to buy something to check my case length to see if I'm getting any stretching. But I'll worry about that tomorrow Rhett. Right now I feel like I just put a small deck on my house.

Please don't forget to have on eye protection.

Trying a heavier bullet

I loaded another fifty 44 magnum rounds yesterday which exhausted my bullet supply, so after work I had to pick up another 100. I was hoping to find 240 grain Hornady, but could only locate 265 gr. That's OK because the load is similar. Using 1 Lee scoop of Accurate #9 (equal to 17.5 gr), I'll be very close to the center velocity in the chart which is 17.7 gr = 1400 FPS. That's 200 FPS slower than the 200 gr bullet I was shooting... or maybe not. Don't forget that I was loading those cartridges light, so the velocity might not be all that much different. I'll be using the same amount of powder since the 200 gr bullet required a minimum of 19.7 gr and I loaded them light at 17.5 gr. That could have brought the velocity down to around 1400 FPS, which would match the 265 gr bullet. This cartridge is going to kick butt when it meets a coyote.

Since it's heavier than what I shot at the range Monday, it should have a slow enough velocity to hit the target low, similar to the 200 gr bullets I loaded light, yet I shouldn't get the gas leaks because they are not below standard pressure. As I said in a previous post, it appears that the sights on this Henry are set for 100 yards and beyond. With the rear sight set as low as it will go, the store bought Remington cartridge hit about 6 inches high at 50 yards. The slower velocity cartridge I hand loaded brought the bullet right on target. Remember Newton's Law that says that an object falls at a specific rate of speed no matter how fast it is moving. That means that a slow bullet takes longer to reach the target than a fast bullet, and because of this it has more time to fall. So a slow bullet will hit the target lower than a fast bullet. For this reason a slower, heavier bullet is better suited for shooting at 50 yards because it will hit the target where a faster, lighter bullet will hit high, reaching the target faster. I think the 265's should be perfect!

Today I started loading, and because I already loaded the 100 new cases I bought, I had to start hammering out the primers from the spent cases. I used the Lee tool that comes in the kit for doing that job and after the 3rd primer, the pin on the tool broke! Thankfully Dirk gave me the Lee Loader Kit for the 38 Special and it should also have that tool. I'll use it to continue loading tomorrow since small game season is officially over.

First shoot with the Henry Big Boy and my hand loaded ammo.

I took today off from work and hit the Blue Trail Range* with 125 rounds of 44 magnum and my new Henry Big Boy. This was a first time shooting the Big Boy and my hand loaded ammo. If you read the posts below, you'll see that I've been loading with Accurate #9 and Allient powder with 200 grain Hornady hollow points.

I began the morning by shooting some store bought ammo so I'd have something to compare my loads to. The Remington shot high and to the right, and the groups were spread out at 50 yards. This concerned me because the rear sight was already in the low position. Next I loaded my loads charged with Accurate powder. These rounds were loaded on the light side, since this was my first time loading. I had the camera running because Mike Adams wanted to see my face when I discovered that my ammo didn't blow up in my face. I guess that wasn't in my head because I brought safety glasses to wear over my perscription glasses but I forgot to put them on.

I was very pleased to discover that the recoil was a bit less (not that the Remington was bad) and the bullets were hitting about 4" low and to the left of the Remington, which put them right on target! I then fired the Allient loads and had similar results. I couldn't tell the difference. The groups were substantially tighter than the store-bought Remington, so I doubt I'll be buying much more pre-loaded ammo in the future. It was also very expensive, going for around $35 for a box of 50. I was thinking that at 100 - 150 yards, the Remington cartridge would have the correct elevation, but the windage and pattern will likely only be worse at an increased distance. I'll likely continue to load for longer range shooting, and simply increase the load.
One problem I noticed is that I need to increase the crimp. I'm seeing black soot on some of the cases which indicates that they are leaking. I'm finding it difficult to know how much to crimp, because I don't want to over crimp and damage the case. I'm sure I'll be working on this over the summer and in time I'll have a feel for it.

So today was a fun day all around and I was pleased the way everything turned out. The new Henry shot flawlessly without a single jam or misfire. Recoil was light and the rifle's balance is beautiful. It only took a few light taps of a hammer to the rear sight to get the rifle on target. The handloads turned out better than expected and now I'm geared up to load another hundred rounds. I'm pleased with the powder / bullet combination I chose so I'll stick with that for awhile.

When I was done shooting rifles, I moved over to the handgun range and shot next to a guy shooting guess what? A 44 magnum revolver! I asked him if he reloaded and he said "no" and then donated his brass to the cause. That was a nice way to end the day.

*Blue Trail Range has undergone a great deal of changes. Check my 2009 Range Page for that story.

PROBLEM SOLVING WITH DIRK

DIRK: "I think the reason for the soot on your cases is you are a bit light on the powder. The data that Accurate sent you recommends 20.9 grains of #9 and you started at 19.7. What you are seeing is the case not expanding quite enough to completely seal the chamber. You are right at the point where this happens. The reason you need a good crimp with a lever action is to keep the bullets from being pushed into the case from recoil in the magazine. If that happens it can raise your pressure well over the limits and that is dangerous. It is a good feeling loading your own that shoot better than factory… If it were me I would try 20.9 and you will most likely get better accuracy because your loads will be more consistent without the small amount of leakage you are getting."

BOB: "Thanks Dirk. Now if I increase the load, won't I raise the shot? I see a potential problem at 50 yards because my rear sight is already as low as it will go. A guy at the range last year gave me a bunch of old 38 that he loaded VERY light and I'm not getting soot."

DIRK: "With your 38 you were using hollow base wadcutters. They seal the bore better than a fmj and have to be loaded light. Now with the 44, yes, more powder should make it shoot higher. All the rifle data I have seen, they don’t even list anything below 240 grains. So that could be why you don’t have the sight adjustment you want. Seems most people use the heavy bullets for hunting. I think I read somewhere that the rear sight on the Big Boy can be flipped over for a different sight picture. If it were me I would zero it at a 100 yards then try some different charges to see what shoots best. In my experience the so-called sweet spot is never max. I would also try 240 grain bullets or the or the soft tips Hornady makes for leverguns."

BOB: "I'm thinking about this Dirk, and I'm sure I'll be playing around with various loads over the summer. I guess it will depend on what I'll be doing and where I'll be hunting. If I'm shooting at the range, a lighter load will be more fun because the recoil will be less and the price will be cheaper per round. I'm shooting with open sights, and for a nearsighted guy in his mid 50's, 100 yards is a long ways out to be accurate. At 50 yards I can easily see the red dot. If I'm hunting coyote, a bigger bullet will do a real number on it considering that most shoot them with a .223. Also, there aren't a lot of big fields around here that I know of and I think most shots will be at around 50 yards (the one I shot at Roraback was only about 20 yards out). I do want to try the Hornady LEVERevolution bullets, but I'm sure they are expensive so I won't be shooting them often. Don't forget that the 44 mag is a handgun bullet and they don't come to a point like a 30-30, so I'm not worried about them going off in the tube. I think that's what the new Hornady bullets were created to prevent, though I know they must be accurate (with their ballistic tip). If extreme accuracy was critical I would have gone with a different caliber. This is a great plinking and brush gun, so I would rather keep it rather close and inexpensive. Does that make sense Dirk?...

I was looking up the bullet weight, and my book lists starting loads for Hornady bullets:

• 180 grain bullet uses 17.1 gr of Accurate #7 for 1700 FPS.
• 200 grain bullet uses 19.7 gr of Accurate #9 for 1600 FPS.
• 240 grain bullet uses 17.3 gr of Accurate #9 for 1400 FPS.
• 265 grain bullet uses 14.8 gr of Accurate #9 for 1200 FPS.

I think the 200 grain with 19.7 gr at 1600 FPS is a good combo, though I'd increase it for 100 yds to 21.1 gr (23.9 is max. allowable). You said that the 1.3cc scoop = 17.5 gr., so I'm loading about 2 gr. low. I think I'll just buy a scoop set and try increasing the load to where it should be. Then I'll look into flipping the sights and I might be good to go. Thanks for your help with this Dirk...

...I'm sure I could do OK at 100 yards, but after about 150 rounds my eyes go screwy; I think it's the bifocals. I have more fun shooting at 50 yards anyway, though I'm sure I'll be shooting at 50, 75 and 100 yards. I'll be creating a bunch of different loads over the next two months. I'll mark them and start a book to see which work better at various distances. It will be something fun to do over the summer at the range. For now, if Arne asks me to blast coyotes with him I'm confident that if I match the load I shot this weekend I'll hit them at 50 yards. Thanks Dirk!"

A new load and a range date

Today I went to buy another bottle of Accurate #9 and guess what? They're all out. I flipped through the gunshop's Hornady book, located my 200 grain bullet and found another powder. '2400' has almost the same burn rate at #9 so I picked it up. The manual says that it takes 20.5 gr. of powder for a velocity of 1600. #9 takes 19.7 gr. I measured 20.5 on the scale and it's slightly more than the Lee scoop. Since it's the first time firing the load, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit under, so I loaded a single scoop.

There is quite a difference in the consistency of the two powders. '#9' is truly a powder. '2400' is granular and I found it a bit easier to handle. I separated the two loads into different freezer bags with the powders markered on them. I'm working one day this weekend and taking Monday off so I can spend the day at the range and shoot all day for the price of one hour on the weekend. That will give me the time to compare my loads against the Remington store bought box. I'll have about 100 rounds of 44 magnum to fire, the 38 (to stay in practice), as well as the 17HMRs which require sighting in. I need to tweak the scope on the SingleSix and adjust the iron sights on the Varmint Express. I took the scope off because I want to do some quick open sight hunting. I'll be shooting photos and movies Monday from the range, and will be reporting on how my loads worked. Check back Saturday morning after my early morning hunt and Monday afternoon when I return from the range.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

A message fro Dirk:

Subject: 2400

"your 1.30 scoop holds 17.5 grains according to my slide rule type thing that came with my set of dippers the next size is 1.6 and that gives you 21.6.
I have made a few dippers out of old brass by cutting and filing then epoxy or solder a little handle and they work well."

Evening three. Reloading one round per minute.

I've been spending about an hour a night for the last three evenings learning to reload. The more I do it, the faster and easier it becomes. I've discovered tonight that I don't need to lube or flare these new cases, and that's saving me seconds per round. I wasn't trying to race against myself, but developed a natural rhythm which makes the process move along faster and easier. They're taking somewhere around a minute per cartridge, so I decided to turn the camera on again to show you how simple the process is. If you're not reloading you really should consider doing so. Especially for expensive rounds like the 44 magnum.

I'm reloading!

It's a lot easier than I thought. I shot this movie after reloading less than a dozen 44 magnum cartridges. Thanks Dirk, Kevin and Mike for sharing your reloading knowledge with me. This movie was created to show how long it takes to load a cartridge. I posted a good movie below that actually explains the steps.

My first 6 hand loaded cartridges

I just loaded my first half dozen 44 mags with my 'Classic Lee Loader', which is the kit that goes for around $25 (which is an amazingly low price in my opinion). As I began loading I discovered what I didn't have; case lubricant and a plastic mallet. I made due with candle wax, a block of wood and a regular hammer. I'll buy a mallet tomorrow. Figuring out the correct amount of powder was a bit confusing. The sheet that comes with the loader says to use 1 scoop of powder (1.3 cc's), but it also shows in grains how much powder to add. Every bullet/powder combination listed a different amount of grains, but they all say one scoop. Is the single scoop the starting load for all component combinations? The chart listed 19.8 grains for a 200 grain jacketed bullet with Accur #9 powder. I set my scale for 19.8, filled the scoop, dumped it on the scale's tray and it didn't balance. I had to add another 1/3 scoop to make it level. I've been watching YouTube videos and they all show that I should be using 1 level scoop so I wasn't comfortable adding more. The second time I weighed a scoop it came very close and I'm not sure why. Who knows, it's an old scale and it could have gotten stuck. With these light weights I'm sure it doesn't take much to hang it up. Once I got this settled in my head, I was ready to load.

At first I was a bit uneasy hammering down on the primer, but after a couple of times when it didn't explode I felt better about it, hammered harder and setting the primer faster. By the sixth round they were only taking a couple minutes and I have a feeling I'll quickly reduce the time down to about one. I had bought a box of 44 magnums, so I used one of the cartridges to gauge the depth to seat the bullet. When I was done the hand loaded cartridges looked much like the bought ones, except the Hornady hollow points are of higher quality and are more deadly than the Remington store bought cartridges. Dirk just sent an email suggesting that I check to be sure they chamber before I do too many. He said that if I over crimp, the casing could get distorted causing it to hang up in the chamber. Since I don't have a place around here to play with a loaded gun, I'll have to wait until I can get to the range to test this. I'll post a movie and some photos when I feel that I know what I'm doing. At least I broke the ice tonight.

Anthony Imperato in new facility

Anthony Imperato, President of Henry Repeating standing next to their polishing equipment in the new Bayonne New Jersey facility. Looks like they invested in a lot of new equipment! I'd like to thank Anthony who has been the primary sponsor of this site since 2007.

Bought reloading components for the 44 magnum

OK guys. I've been trying to figure out this reloading thing and it sure isn't easy. I bought a book from Cabela's 'One Book / One Caliber 'The Complete Reloading Manual for the .44 Magnum'. The bullet powder combinations in this book do not match the charts on the manufacturer's web sites I've been checking. I'm guessing that the info in the book is correct but the new info is more up to date and possibly has more refined component combinations.

I checked online at MidWay USA as Mike suggested and a bunch of other places that Dirk pointed me to, but I was amazed to see that most places required that I back order at least one or two things that I needed. Since it's Sunday, I had a day late Valentine dinner with my wife at a nice Italian Restaurant, then hit the local gun shop. I was hoping to find Accurate No. 7, but they only had No. 9. According to the charts, that's a bit slower burning than 7 so I think it should be OK. The manual matched that Powder up with a Hornady 200 grain bullet, though I was hoping to use the 180. They even had the Winchester WLP primers that I needed, plus a bag of 100 Winchester shell casings. So I emailed my friend Kevin who's very knowledgeable about big caliber handgun reloading, and I'm hoping to hear from him to see if I did good or he says that I'll blow myself up. Dirk has been very helpful as well, and I'll be turning to him for suggestions when I begin loading for my 38 Special.

With this combination, the chart says that I'll achieve 1600 FPS w/19.7 gr., 1700 FPS w/21.1 gr, 1800 FPS w/22.5 gr and 1900 FPS w/23.9 gr, which is the maximum load. I'll start with the 19.7 unless Kevin tells me differently. There sure is a lot to learn, but I think once I get it down it will be a lot of fun. I'll let you know what Kevin says.

This is what it cost. If you buy it online it will be cheaper, but you'll end up paying a hazardous material shipping fee of around $20 plus shipping which might make it more costly in the end.

Powder: Accurate No. 9 (1 lb): $19.99
Primers: Winchester WLP (box of 100): $3.19
Bullets: Hornady 200 grain HP/XTP: (box of 100): $22.99
Shell Casings: Winchester brass (bag of 100): $29.99
Total: $76.16
Divide that by 2 and that's $38.08/50 round box. That's really expensive if you ask me and you could buy 2 boxes of good factory ammo for the same price or less. This is OK to learn with, but in time it will be necessary to locate bullet deals online or start making my own like Dirk does. The casings should last a long time, so that won't be an issue. 1 lb of powder = 7,000 grains according to a conversion chart, so I should be able to get 335 cartridges from one $20 bottle. So the key will be to locate a cheap bullet supply.

Email response from Kevin:

"You should be just fine. The difference you'll see between the pistol and the rifle chart is that you'll have higher velocities from the rifle...longer barrel. If the chart is saying 1600fps for the pistol, you should be around 1900/2000 for your rifle...twist rate, temp, etc...variances. Just make sure you have a real good crimp on the round. If your reload kit didn't have the crimp die then you should order one. ...also, note: I would be carefull of any full nosed rounds in your rifle as they are stacked in the tube magazine....drop it hard and you never know if one will hit a primer hard enough...and NO BALLISTIC TIPS! most 44 rounds are flat so stay with that or jacketed hollow points. The first few times make sure you double check your load weights and calculate the grain volume to make sure your scale is working.

When you seat the primers...DO NOT LOOK DOWN AT THEM! hold them at an angle away from you. ...remember, primers are manufactured and packed wet...because they can detonate easily.....saftey glasses, eye glasses ...all the time! Not trying to scare you...just trying to keep both eyes working! Have fun. -K"

"..I've never used leather gloves...too bulky...might spill or drop something. It's not a problem from the cap side, it's just hazardous from the primed side. you should be fine without gloves.... safety glasses are a good idea though. Just a response from your blog..... you'll start to see the cost savings after you reload a couple full sets. If you've got good brass and you watch for problems...you should be able to get 10 reloads through...so around 1000 reloads from one set of brass... that will really drop your per round cost. I saw savings real quick because my 454 costs almost $1 a shot.... I'm reloading at around 20 cents a shot right now. After you shoot...take a good look at the primers and make sure they haven't moved... then check for cracks in the cases. both negative...shell is good for another round. if the primer has moved out, then the round was over preassure...double check that case to make sure it's good. (my hot 454 rounds have yet to move a primer...). Primers... you can also use small rifle primers for a quick burn. (that's what I use on my 454). Have fun and count your fingers each time..... -K"

Email response from Dirk:

"You did good. No. 9, Accurate's slowest handgun propellant, No. 9 is the best .44 magnum powder available. This double base, ball propellant gives excellent velocities for the pressures generated, and with less flash than comparable powders. It is intended for use in large capacity handgun cartridges (357, 41, 44 magnum, and 454 Casull). No. 9 is also suited to some small rifle cases (25/20, .30 Carbine) and the .410 shotgun. No. 9 performs best with heavier bullets in most cartridges. A heavy bullet pull is required for consistent performance when using lighter bullets."

"the way lee designs their scoops even if you heap the thing you wont go over max. If you come across the Book Modern Reloading second edition get it it is excellent reading."

"that should give you 19.8 grains for a level scoop depending on your scooping technique"

Thanks very much guys!!

Checking the Henry sights with a LaserLyte Bore Sighter

Tonight after work I decided to give the Henry its first good looking over outside the factory. I brought the rifle to my gun table and after carefully checking to be sure it was unloaded, I took a look down the barrel.

ALWAYS FIRST CAREFULLY CHECK TO BE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH A LEVER ACTION.

The Henry Repeating factory had obviously fired a test round through the rifle, so I took out the Hoppe's No. 9 and gave it a good cleaning followed by a light coat of oil. I then examined the sights by getting out my LaserLyte Bore Sighter kit. First I checked the instructions to see which fitting needed to be screwed into the end of the laser to snug it in the barrel. The kit comes with 4 fittings and the largest is correct for the 44 caliber. I then threaded one of the four tiny hex screws that come with the kit into the fitting, followed by threading it into the hole in the end of the laser. As the fitting and screw assembly are rotated, it slowly expands and increases in diameter. It's time to stop screwing it in when the fitting just begins to feel snug in the barrel. Then push the laser in as far as it will go and slowly rotate it clockwise. This causes the screw to thread deeper into the laser and expands the fitting. Don't overtighten. When it begins to feel snug, turn the laser until the rotating switch is facing up. Now you're set to test the sights. These steps are for iron sights. If you're mounting a scope, you'll want to first use the scope leveler that comes with the kit.

Now that the laser is snug in the barrel, I pointed the rifle in a safe direction across my basement to see where the green dot on the wall is landing in relation to the sights. At this short distance it looked good, but I also what to see where it's hitting at a longer distance. Since I'm checking the sights at night, here's my method of going out to about 50 yards. I open my basement door and turn on an indoor basement light. That light is on so I can see my black iron sights. I then put the green laser dot on a tree that I know is about 50 feet out. The sights and the green laser dot should line up. I was amazed to see that the dot landed exactly where it is supposed to be without adjustment. They must have lasered it at the factory, which makes things really easy. Now just rotate the laser counterclockwise to reduce the grip of the fitting on the inside of the barrel and the laser pulls out. That's it until I take the Henry it to the range to finish sighting it in.

Here's a photo I took of a box of Remington 38 Special cartridges next to Remington 44 Magnum. That's one heck of a difference, and I'm sure glad I'm not shooting those babies out of a S&W J-frame Airweight! I plan to start reloading the 44's in a week or two, so check back then.

A first look at the Henry 44 Magnum

COMPARISON: MY HENRY 17HMR GOLDEN BOY ABOVE AND THE NEW HENRY BIG BOY 44 MAGNUM BELOW. THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME LENGTH AND HAVE A VERY SIMILAR FEEL AND BALANCE.

My Henry Big Boy 44 Magnum arrived today and man, is it beautiful. The brass and wood are flawless and the balance is even better than my 17HMR Golden Boy. With the slightest flick of the wrist the rifle rotates on my left hand and and the butt plate lands right in position. Now I'm really itching to fire this baby at the range. I bought a box of 44 magnum and will be picking up some 44 Special to test out as well. Check back soon for photos and info from the range, and hopefully with stories from coyote hunts. This is going to be fun!

Ammo prices and reloading

It's been a lot of years since I kept a sketchbook, but I started one as a New Years resolution. Here's page 2. It's rough, but it's a start. It's my new Henry sitting on the kitchen table.

I just bought a 50 round box of Remington 44magnum ammo at WalMart and it came to about $35.00! I consider Remington junk ammo because in my 38 I have misfires with it on a regular basis. I'd hate to think what the good stuff is going for. I'll let you know once I take a trip to Cabela's later today to check out prices. I have to hunt this morning first.

(NOTE: I went to Cabela's after my hunt and the average price was about $35/50 rounds. That's about $.70/round.)

I knew cost was going to become an issue considering the number of rounds I go through weekly at the range, so I decided to start reloading. This week I ordered a Lee Loader for under $25 and a reloading manual for specifically for 44 magnum from Cabela's web site. I'll wait for it to arrive before I pick up powder and a box of primers. That's the only way to go considering these outrageous prices. can you imagine what it will cost it they start microstamping?! Dirk gave me a similar loader for my 38Special, so check back next month as I give it a try. Why am I starting to see visions of a basement full of expensive reloading equipment? I have a feeling this will turn into a positive addiction. Below is a video I found on YouTube that someone posted. If you've never reloaded it will give you a good idea what's involved in the process. Dirk reloads and Mike from 'Up North Journal' podcast has recently gotten into it, so I'm hoping to get valuable info from them in upcoming months to post for you. Until then, wish me luck this morning.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL IN PDF FORMAT

New for 2009 - The Henry Big Boy 44 Magnum!

Back in 1973 I served in the Navy Seabees (Construction Battalion) and spent a year on a small island in the Bering Sea halfway between the USSR and Alaska in the Aleutian Island chain. For recreation my buddy and I moved into a WWII water tower that some guys before us had turned into a rather nice hunting cabin. We staked our claim to the structure and spent a lot of our free time hunting ptarmigan and plinking with our rifles with the water tower serving as our home away from home (the barracks). Over that year I had a blast shooting a 1973 Winchester Model 94 lever action 44 magnum that I bought at the island's Navy Exchange. Adak was the kind of place where you could go almost anywhere off the main military base and shoot in any direction with basically no chance of hitting anything of value. If you're interested in some old Navy stories you can visit my Adak blog at http://navstaadak.blogspot.com. Due to complications flying firearms all the way from Adak back to the states, I decided to sell the gun prior to leaving with the intention of buying another when I returned to the states. I did pick up another firearm at that time, but instead of buying a 44 magnum I bought a Colt AR-15 to sharpen my M-16 skills.

It's been 34 years since I had possession of that 44 magnum, and for the life of me I couldn't remember who I sold it to. This week I was contacted by the owner; my old Navy buddy Mikel Cliff Garman. I didn't know if he was alive or dead, and was very happy to discover that he's alive and well, and still owns that rifle along with my 12 gauge Browning A-5 Light that I sold him before being shipped back to the states. He said the blueing has worn off the 44 magnum completely and he revarnished the forearm and stock about 15 years ago. He also mounted a silver dollar in the stock that his dad gave him and said that the slick is drilled to hold 7 bullets. He's going to send pictures and I can't wait to see it again and how he's modified it! What a blast from the past.

Time passed, kids were born and there always seemed to be more bills than cash, so I putting off getting that 44 magnum... until today. I've decided to get back into shooting a 44 magnum by buying a Henry Big Boy, which is a beautiful rifle. I plan to get in to reloading 44 magnum cartridges, and post my experiences and findings in this online journal.

One of the reasons I began considering the purchase of a Henry 44 is because with the Obama administration in control, we can expect a swift passing of the 'Assault Weapons Ban'. That bill will be much more far reaching than the ban instituted during the Clinton era. I expect it will now include SKS's (which I have a fondness for) as well as carbines in general. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if 10/22's are in time taken off the market. Microstamping is also a likely possibility, which will cause ammo prices to skyrocket. Say, "Hello" handloading! That's not really an option for the 17HMR's I own, but it would be a perfect low-cost alternative for a 44 magnum. When AR's begin to disappear from gunshops, everyone will be searching for an option and a lever gun is a great alternative. Logic tells me that those will be the last guns Obama will go after, and should it get down to that, the administrationn is well aware that all hell will break loose.

It's my objective to show you what a lever action has to offer, and considering that I've never reloaded, you can start from scratch with me as we work our way through the process of loading my own cartidges and testing them at the range. I'll also be working on lining up a coyote hunt with it on private land which boarders the state WMA. Until this Henry arrives, I'm like the kid waiting for his Red Rider BB gun on Christmas Eve.

A FINAL THOUGHT
As I was deciding which Big Boy to purchase, so things came to mind that you might want to consider. This Henry model comes in 3 calibers: 44 magnum, 357 magnum and 45 colt. I was considering the 357 magnum, but I decided against it because I shoot a 38 Special revolver. Why? Because 38 Special and 347 Magnum cartridges are almost identical in appearance. You can shoot 38 Special out of a 357 Magnum but you'd better not accidentally shoot 357 Magnum out of a 38 Special or you'll be in big trouble. In my opinion this would be an accident waiting to happen, so that sealed my decision to get the 44 Magnum. One nice thing to also consider is that the 357 Magnum can shoot 38 Special cartridges, so your handgun and rifle can share the same ammo.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Big Boy .44 Magnum
Model: H006
Action Type: Lever
Caliber: .44 Mag /.44 Special (Cartridge info)
Capacity: 10 rounds
Barrel Length: 20'' octagonal with 1:38rh rate of twist
Length: 38 1/2'' Overall
Weight: 8.68 lbs.
Stock: Straight-grip American walnut
Sights: Adjustable Marble semi-buckhorn rear with white diamond insert and brass beaded front sight
Finish: Solid top brass receiver, brass buttplate and brass barrel band

Henry Repeating Arms Company
59 East 1st Street, Bayonne, NJ 07002
Phone: 201-858-4400 | Fax: 201-858-4435 | Email

An Interview with Anthony Imperato

CLICK HERE TO SEE A FASCINATING HOUR LONG INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT OF HENRY REPEATING, ANTHONY IMPERATO.

ORDER A FREE CATALOG FOR MORE INFO ON THE BIG BOY RIFLE AND RECEIVE A FREE HENRY STICKER. FREE STUFF IS ALWAYS GOOD!

It was lost, and has been found

I recently made contact with my old Navy buddy Mikel Cliff Garman who bought my 44mag when I left the island of Adak. I had forgotten the specifics of the rifle, so Mike emailed me this info and today photos of the rifle that he took for me. Talk about a blast from the past! Check out the holes in the stock to carry extra rounds. That's so cool! Thanks so much Mike.

"The 44 is a model 94 1973 Winchester leaver action 44 Mag. The bluing is worn completely off of it and i re-varnished the forearm and stock about 15 years ago. I mounted a silver dollar in the stock that my dad gave me and the stock is drilled to hold 7 bullets in the top back part. Will get you a couple photos ..."