How To Clean Henry Lever Action 22

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seanie! Member

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Just like the title says. I'm not picking it up until tomorrow, so I figure I'll just pick up anything I need along with it. Then, of course, pictures will follow. This is my first .22, my first rimfire gun, and my first lever gun. My main questions are:
Will my .223 brush and bore snake work in it? I don't see why it shouldn't.
Can I dry fire it? If I recall correctly, snap caps are a must for rimfires.
What kind of break-in am I looking at? Are there going to be any FTFs, FTEs, or such until it's broken in?
Do I have to oil the stock?
Are there any cleaners/oils I should avoid? I have Hoppe's #9 cleaner and oil, Rem Oil, and Mirachem cleaner/degreaser.
Is there any particular ammo that these guys like?
What can I shoot out of it? Anything other than .22LR?

I'm super exited about this, as I've really wanted to pick up a .22, and I've been bitten by the lever action bug. It's also been bothering me lately that I don't own any guns made in the USA(Taurus, Benelli, Bersa, and an Izhvek 91/30). I'll be bringing this little guy to the range on Sunday to break it in. Thanks in advance!
seanie! Member

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I'll bite...
I'd expect this rifle to work quite well out of the box, but it might get a little smoother over time. I'd clean the bore once, to remove the preservative, and maybe once a year thereafter. 22 rimfires do not need to be scrubbed clean like centerfires do, and worse, regular cleaning is probably the fastest way to wear the bore out. I realize that this my surprise you, but this is good practice now-a-days, really. Depending on the ammo you use, you might want to brush the gunk out of the chamber every now and again, but I'd leave the bore alone.

Disassembly and cleaning of the action, on the other hand, is a necessary routine. You'll get a lot of gunk accumulating there and it needs to be wiped away. Nothing special is necessary, hoppes smells nice and works just fine. Be sure to clean under the extractor, use a toothpick to get into the hard-to-reach spots. A tiny (tiny!) bit of grease on the moving parts, where ever you see the finish wearing off, will make it work a little slicker.

A light coat of oil (any gun oil is OK) on the rest of the metal to wipe away fingerprints, and you're done. I'd be careful with the degreaser, it might take the finish off the wood and it's not really necessary. The wood can be wiped clean with a little gun oil, too, but it is probably already sealed and will do just fine with no attention at all.

Dryfire is best done with a snapcap.

Get good ammo - remington bulk pack is horrible, federal is OK - and shoot the heck out of it. Lever actions work best if you don't baby them, just move that lever back and forth like you mean it and it'll run like a clock. Try a few varieties of the good ammo, you'll probably find that one works best in your particular rifle. Give CB longs and colibris a try, too, they are quiet and fun.
I wouldn't dry fire unless you use some type of snap cap. My Henry ran fine out of the box. Keep the action clean and lightly lubed. I have the T model. It will shoot shorts, longs, or long rifles.
You can shoot .22 long and .22 short out of it as well, though I've never bothered to do so with mine. Mine is pretty accurate, I like to pick up brass people leave behind at the range and shoot that at 25-30yds offhand.(Mostly .45acp and 7.62x39). I don't always hit it, but I do often enough to keep at it. I've scoped it, but then I end up with a chin weld rather than cheek, and it feels awkward as all get out. Though with that scope and on a rest I put all 15 rounds into one ragged hole at 25yds with Wolf...target something or other. Haven't bought any for awhile as it's ~$5-6 a box.
I do get occasional jams where the nose of the bullet being fed in rises to high to chamber. It only seems to happen if for some reason I have the rifle tilted to the side, IIRC.
I really don't clean it that often, doesn't need it. I do wipe the action very other shooting session or so.
seanie!. . .I used to own one and never had any problems with it. I used it to get rid of pests and hunt rabbit, only ever using .22 lr. I eventually sold it and bought a bolt action .22 (just my preference).
Do you know how to load it, and how to shoot it?! There ya go. Load her up on Sunday and shoot al week long!
I wouldn't use a .223 brush in a .22LR barrel. I personally use plastic bristle only, or a cloth patch. I only clean when accuracy deteriorates, or I can not chamber rounds.

Congratulations! Now, post a picture when you bring the new "youngin'" home. 8^)

Geno
seanie! Member

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Awesome! Thanks for the info. Pics'll be up tonight
336A Member

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Prepare to have lots of fun, so make sure you stock up on plenty of ammo. There are no special precautions that you have to follow. However I've never heard of or seen .22 rimfire snap caps, do not dry fire your henry as you maypeen or break the firing pin. This is the standard rule with all rim fire rifles. I found that my Henry H001 has an affinity cor CCI mini mags, it will darn near put 5 rounds in one ragged whole at 25yd.
You may have to try several brands of ammo before you find what you particular rifle likes. Don't be discouraged as .22 rifles can be finicky about ammo. FTF is a fact of life with .22 ammo as well, especially with bulk ammo like federal and remington. On that note however CCI seems to be the consistent firing ammo out there. I can't recall having a FTF when using CCI ammo. You might also want to check this place out there is a wealth of knowledge here, enjoy your new Henry and safe shooting.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=67
The Henry .22 has to be one of the smoothest working lever actions out of the box there is.
Saiga Member

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I think I would have thought about the things I needed to know before I purchased the firearm... Just me.
Thanks for your valuable input.
seanie! Member

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I'm guessing you haven't been a gun owner long. You've never walked into a gun shop and just so happened to fall in love with something behind the counter? Or you've never had the unexplainable feeling that a certain gun was calling to you and you just kind of "needed" it?
Back on topic:

I picked the little guy up last night. It was the display rifle, so I got a box of Winchester Super X ammo and a pack of snap caps thrown in, which I thought was pretty cool. I could only see two marks on it, one is a scratch right off of the ejection port, and the other was the bluing looked a little worn down where it rubbed against the rack. After cleaning/oiling I hit the worn down looking spot on the barrel and it cleaned right up. I tried showing my brother where the mark was after I oiled it, and I couldn't find it.

My only issue with the rifle, that I actually didn't notice until I was taking pictures, is that the rear sight is canted to the left. I'm going to see if it affects anything while shooting it, and if it really bothers me I'll send it back in to Henry. Other than that, I think I'm all good to go. Time to head off to the range!

Forgive the crappy cell phone pics.

I really like the grain on the forearm.

Here's the ejection port. It looks like something was dragged across it, because it's kind of a ragged scratch.

And the rear sight. Like I said, it's canted a bit to the left. Guess I'll find out if it affects anything in a bit.
I picked up 10 snap caps for .22lr at Clark Bros for something like $1.00. If you cannot find any PM me and I will get some for you.
I have a Golden Boy model and it is a real good shooter and is my favorite gun. I get the most use and joy out of it. I think you will have a bunch of fun. Just shoot the heck out of it and take it from there.
seanie! Member

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+1 to Henry customer service
Turns out the rifle needed to be sent back to Henry's NJ facility. I originally contacted them via their website, and had a reply late the next day. I was asked if I wanted to send the rifle in (which I agreed to, duh) and received a UPS ship label two days later. I sent the rifle out last Thursday, and got it back today. Everything is all good on the rifle, and I can't wait to bring it out to see how it does with the corrected sight.
I had the exact same "canted-sight" problem with mine. I guess the quality control inspector is google-eyed. I sent mine back and they took care of it pretty quickly.
Just bought one...
LOVE IT!! such a cool gun! Actually, I found a couple hundred bucks in the couch cushions on Saturday, and had a completely different gun in mind.. Then I was dumb enough to say "Whatcha got in lever actions?" and he pulled that one out of the "just traded" pile... Had to buy it!
Got home, ran 30 through it and couldn't be happier!!
Be carefull with the reciever finish as it can flake off. Mine was shooting so well with irons I wanted to see what it could do with a scope turned out right at 1"'at 50yards. But when I took off the rings the reciever finish was scratches and flakng (I have mounted over 20 scopes and this was a first!). also finish evetually flakes off around ejection port
Plus side is it is super accurate and I've had only a handful of malfunctions all fte in ~3000 rounds through it. Never had the action apart or bore cleaned.
Basically, what others have said. It is accurate and fun to shoot. Smooth and reliable action. Great customer service.
Mine shoots everything I've thrown at it. Try some of the the Aguila SSS 60gr sniper round - it packs a wallop.
I think you can order a metal barrel band and front sight. I would add those. I had one for a while and it was a great rifle. I managed to find a Marlin 39 Mountie that I had wanted for many years and traded over to the Mountie. Notice that I did not say traded up. They are both great leverguns....
Enjoy that lever!!

Matt
I have the lil youth model. Great lil frog rifle with the Aguila 60 gainers. Will toss a frog 15 ft in the air. As long as you put the shot any where close to Kermit.
The 60 gr will start to tumble at or around 15 yards or so.