Henry AR7, anybody own one?

Grayfox said:
I had one for a while. Interesting concept, but in reality, it just feels awkward to shoot.
Decent rifle, acceptable accuracy. The trigger sucked. Heavy and gritty. Fortunately, its a very simple mechanism and a bit of stoning improved it greatly.
The biggest problem is the plastic front sight. Its meant to be windage adjustable side to side, but it doesn't take much of a bump to move it. Its easily knocked out of zero.
Frankly, I'd buy the grandson something better. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I agree.......I never saw their usefulness.
 
My dad got one of the Armalite guns around 1960 or '61. Fun to shoot and functioned perfectly as I recall, and not as awkward as it looked. I think it was reasonably accurate. After about forty or so years, the plastic stock suffered a long, big crack while the gun resided in a closet.

People fantasize about a "survival" rifle like they do about the big gunfight, but a "real" .22 rifle offers advantages over something like the AR 7 even if it doesn't come apart and float. When was the last time you truly wished for a floating gun?

How much room does a non-takedown .22 really take up in your car? Be realistic, but certainly buy the AR7 if that's what you want.
 
I have one and replaced the factory barrel with a custom stainless threaded barrel that fits in the stock also.. I throw it in the pontoon boat, kayak or backpack. I smoothed out the trigger. I prefer one of my 10-22s but they didn't make the take-down or backpacker when I got those rifles. They are lightweigth. I kinda like it and so does my nine year old grand son.
 
Mike said:
I agree.......I never saw their usefulness.
Click to expand...

We could say the same for half the guns in our safes. They are designed to be stowed away and forgotten about until needed. Their usefulness is as a survival tool. Another post said a regular 22 rifle won't take up much more room. But you're not gonna leave the other rifle under the seat in your boat. Or hidden in your vehicle. You're surly not going to head out on ATV with your 10/22 slung over your shoulder for a day on the trails. Look at it as an EDC rifle. They were designed for a purpose. They do it well.
 
I have one of the older Charter Arms versions. It rides in the box in the back of my RZR when going on trails, rock crawling and river runs. It also rides in the boat when we go fishing. It's no gunfighter, nor very accurate, but it's good enough for a handy camp rifle. It's nice to have and it fits in my rig and will serve it's purpose better than my takedown 10/22. I don't have anything else I would care to beat on like that.
 
I have the Charter Arms version and had completely forgotten about it until I read this post. It was one of my impulse/novelty purchases. As I remember it was not all that accurate.
 
I've owned three AR-7s—a Henry, a Charter Arms, and an original Armalite.

They've all gone "bang" when I've pulled the trigger and accuracy was as good as can be expected from this gun. Being able to stow everything in the stock is a neat gimmick, and if I was flying 1950s vintage aircraft I might even carry one as a survival rifle.

I also have a Ruger 10/22 Takedown rifle, and I'd take the Ruger over the AR-7 any day of the week. The Ruger is tack-drivingly accurate, reliable as the day is long, and there's a buoyant supply of parts and accessories for it.

Mike
 
No offense to anyone, but to me those things always seemed like a solution looking for a problem… Personally I'd also look for a take-down Ruger 10-22 as an alternative.
 
I kept a Charter Arms AR-7 in the baggage compartment of my airplane with a small survival bag, when Ruger brought out the take down 10-22 I bought one to replace the AR. The Ruger is easier to shoot well but weighed more than twice as much so the Charter Arms stayed in the airplane, and the Ruger went in the truck.
 
I have one. It is one of those things that is not good at anything, but it is ok at everything.
Perfect for tossing in the kayak or toolbox of a truck or whatever, to be able to say "oh yeah, I guess I have a gun in the boat".
I used mine to put down a hurt deer on the side of the road, and to kill a raccoon under my friend's porch. Both tasks would have been better or just as well served by a pistol. I was in an area each time where a pistol would be a felony.
I have found all aftermarket magazines to fail. But Henry branded mags, sold typically in 2-packs for about $40, to function perfectly.
The front sight will not stay put, so I marked it where it would need to be to get coke-can accuracy. The rear sight is "ok".
The trigger on mine is pretty good actually. No complaints.
I added an O-ring to the bolt handle, just to make it a little easier to pull out for manipulation. The O-ring in this case prevents the bolt handle from sliding all the way into the bolt, which was always hard to slide out for use, for me. No impact on any function.
An aftermarket threaded barrel WITH A FRONT SIGHT is desperately needed in this design. I have seen many aftermarket threaded barrels, but not one with a sight installed. That would be worth the seemingly high prices for a new barrel.
The length of pull is way too long for a kid's rifle. I got my boys CZ452 and CZ457 carbines. Far superior for a learning shooter.
 
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I'd comment that if this is to be a youngster's rifle, two factors should be considered that are tending to be overlooked in this discussion. First is that the likes of an M6 Scout or a takedown 10-22 won't come cheap. Second, they're not light. A final remark would be that as an AR7 breaks down into it's main components, it's instructive for a novice to understand what makes up a gun. It also facilitates instilling a routine of maintenance and cleaning.
 
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What is the going rate on the Henry?

Dad had an early Charter, But his wife said there were no guns after he died. I bet her nephew has a very nice collection of my family's guns!

Ivan
 
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