I picked one up today in mid-Michigan for $820, a Henry only magazine model. Was told they received a dozen about 5 days before, half of them Glock mag models. Those sold out almost immediately. Mine was the last one other than the display model, so they have been jumping off the shelves.

It is very solid with nice wood and stippling. Nicely balanced with a positive safety and mag release. Trigger is as expected, moderate creep with a weight about 5lbs 10oz. Haven’t shot it yet, expect to shoot it in the next several days.

quote:

Originally posted by Opus Dei:
That's a pretty handsome carbine, although the forend looks a little graceless. That would be fun in 357 SIG or .44 Magnum.

That was my thought. With just a few changes to the lines of the forend, it could have been really good looking.

It is probably a lot of fun to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Remember, this thing is blowback. Not really an optimal design for rifle rounds (bolt mass would have to be HUGE!),

Thanks
That clears it up.

So
I am looking at a Grand M1

Yes, if you want a .30 bore. But the .30 carbine round won't take the heavier bullets of a 30-30 and delivers about half the muzzle energy. The two rounds aren't really comparable.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Remember, this thing is blowback. Not really an optimal design for rifle rounds (bolt mass would have to be HUGE!),

Thanks
That clears it up.

So
I am looking at a Grand M1

An M1 Carbine is gas operated with a locked bolt, and would be chambered in .30 carbine. That caliber is pretty much limited to 110gr bullets, and lacks the punch of a .30-30.

The M1 Garand is also gas operated locked bolt and chambered in .30-06, and there are some in .308...both of those cartridges are significantly more powerful than the .30-30.

I'm not familiar with a semi-auto chambered in .30-30, although one may well exist. If it does, I'd bet money it fires from a locked bolt, not blowback like the Homesteader. The rimmed cartridge of the .30-30 isn't ideal for feeding from a box magazine, either, so it would also likely be something with a tube mag.

If you aren't looking specifically for a .30-30 and just want something similar ballistically, the .300 Blackout is comparable and it's easy to find ARs or Mini-14s chambered in that caliber. The 7.62x39 isn't far off, either, and there are plenty of AKs and SKSs out there chambered in that.

Took my new Homesteader to the range today. Very fun, soft and smooth shooter, much more so than my recollections of my Dads old Marlin Camp 9. Took a bit of time and effort to get the sights dialed in, mainly because I didn’t take the time to figure out how to do it before hand. Very easy and effective once you get the hang of it. I did better with the sights than I originally expected that I might seeing as I am 57 and the eyes aren’t what they once were. Trigger was pretty good as were the sights, certainly good enough for a pinker. I may put a Skinner receiver peep on at some point in the future but the supplied sights worked pretty well even with the barrel mounted peep resulting in a short sight radius. Had one fail to feed which finally fed with a yank or two of the bolt handle. It seemed the round was in a good position to feed but it was hung up just as it was entering the feed ramp. Ejected empties with authority and fed every other round perfectly (was shooting a box of cheap Winchester 115 gr ammo which was quite dirty). Overall I really think this will end up being a fun pinker to shoot.

Thanks for the review. I'm glad to hear that you're liking it. This is one that I definitely don't need, but the want is still strong...we'll have to see where that goes.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Thanks for the review. I'm glad to hear that you're liking it. This is one that I definitely don't need, but the want is still strong...we'll have to see where that goes.

This one scratches an itch and fills a hole in my collection as I didn’t have a 9mm carbine. Closest I have to something like that is my Henry lever in 38 Spl/357 Mag, and the Homesteader has the better trigger and factory sights. I think this will be a hoot to plink with just for fun. Henry did a great job on this one and it seems they were able to actually manufacture them and have them available at introduction.

How about cleaning. How much of a chore?

I shot some cheap, dirty Winchester through mine. There was some soot in the chamber area and on the bolt but it easily cleaned up with a couple patches, some CLP and a brush.

quote:

Originally posted by divil:
Nice looking rifle. I wish it had an adapter for Beretta 92 magazines but maybe that will appear later if the rifle sells well enough.

Your wish is my command.
But you'll have to pay $112 and shipping.

I'm fan of nice walnut wood, but I'd actually prefer the Homesteader in a synthetic stock. I don't see myself buying one, but if I did, it would be something I'd want to be able to toss behind the truck seat and would prefer not banging up a nice wood stock.

quote:

Originally posted by jaybirdaccountant:
I'm fan of nice walnut wood, but I'd actually prefer the Homesteader in a synthetic stock. I don't see myself buying one, but if I did, it would be something I'd want to be able to toss behind the truck seat and would prefer not banging up a nice wood stock.

A Homsteader with a synthetic stock is called a Ruger PC Carbine, available now!