Has anyone have any experience or knowledge of the reliability of the Henry AR7 survival 22 caliber LR rifle? Ever since I saw the James Bond film as a child, "From Russia with Love" I wanted one. It seems inexpensive enough and is certainly lightweight at 3.5 pounds.
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I have an AR7 built by Charter Arms. I believe that Charter Arms sold out this rifle to Henry. There have been at least 3 different owners of the rifles....perhaps four different owners over the years. They have been around a long time, and were originally designed for the USAF for pilot survival(if memory serves.).
I have not shot mine in some time now, but it has always worked just fine for me. I think that I polished the feed ramp, and the chamber.....I do that to most all of my guns.
Posts: 6748 | Location: Az | Registered: May 27, 2005
I have one. I was very surprise on the accuracy,I was thinking it was not going to be. It shoots everything I put in it, even Remington golden bullets which I hate. It loves CCI green and st. velocity.
I will say the stock is the only thing I dislike. Its to fat and not very comforting, but I knew that before I bought. Thats what you get for storing everything in the stock.
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Posts: 709 | Location: western PA | Registered: April 03, 2011
I have two; one of the current generation and one from just prior to that. Both work well with the higher-energy ammo. (The older one loves Thunderbolts.) Both are reasonably accurate.
The newest version is more reliable, can hold two extra magazines in the stock (for a total of three, versus the one extra plus one in the action of prior versions) and has some other improvements. However, I have heard it will no longer float if stored in the stock. (No, I haven't tried that myself.)
The buttplate on the older one is much harder to remove than the one on the newer gun, but that could be individual variation, rather than a difference between the models.
I have a Henry made just before the current generation. It's reliable as long as you make sure the barrel nut stays tight. Lots of fun to shoot. I doubt it would float...while the stock cover is difficult to remove, it doesn't seem like it has a good seal at all.
I had one of the original Charter Arms and it was not very reliable nor accurate. I also have one of the new Henry AR-7's and I am very impressed with the reliability and accuracy. It's a far cry better than the original. I've never had a stoppage with high velocity ammo, and it has proven to be quite accurate for what it is with 50 yard groups running around 1.5 inches. I'm very pleased with it........
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Posts: 50 | Location: Western Washington | Registered: June 23, 2010