Henry 44-40 at 200m

[PJ Hardtack]

We wind up our annual CAS event with a Team Steel Shoot; our club against "The Rest of the World." We usually win.

You are allowed to have a rifle calibre and your match rifle on the line. A full range of Silhouette targets (plus other targets) are placed out to 300m. We see Sharps 45-70s, '76s, 45-60s, etc., etc.

I took my Uberti Henry 44-40 and my Browning '86 in 45-70. I was so confident in the Henry that I never even loaded the '86. I shot from the military sitting/cross legged position. Most are shooting from x-stix.

I decimated the pigs at 200m with my Henry using the 200 sight setting on the ladder! Then I focused on the other targets between 100m and 200m with the ladder down. Duck soup.

For the first time ever, we tied with "The Rest of the World" - most targets down in 5 minutes of shooting, 63 each team. Then we set them up again and we all shot them down again. The rams at 300m survived best.

[mtmarfield]

      Greetings!

   Well, that deserves a BRAVO!

                    M.T.Marfield
     

[Abilene]

Excellent, PJ !
You may have mentioned it before, but what is your load for the Henry?

[PJ Hardtack]

I shoot a highly developed, sophisticated  load: any 200 gr RNFP bullet with 6 grs Red Dot.

I prefer my own, especially with BP, the Lyman 427666.

[Bryan Austin]

Most Excellent Shooting Sir PJ !!!!!   

[Coffinmaker]

Really superb job PJ.  I have been remiss however.  I've been shooting Henry Rifles as my CAS Main Match rifles for 18 - 20 years.  In all that time I have never taken the time to shoot them past 75 - 100m.  Have no clue where mine shoot past 75 yards.  I may have to pay attention and peddle out to the range to shoot 'em at a distance some past the end of the barrel. 

After the Great Thaw of course.

[Cliff Fendley]

Really superb job PJ.  I have been remiss however.  I've been shooting Henry Rifles as my CAS Main Match rifles for 18 - 20 years.  In all that time I have never taken the time to shoot them past 75 - 100m.  Have no clue where mine shoot past 75 yards.  I may have to pay attention and peddle out to the range to shoot 'em at a distance some past the end of the barrel. 

After the Great Thaw of course.

You may be surprised you don't have to compensate as much as one would think. My old Navy Arms Imported Henry 44-40 shoots 250 yards with the ladder up and the sight still very close to the bottom. Mav 44 big lube bullets and 36gr of 2f black.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

With my HRA 011 444-40 Henry, I have broken clay pigeons at 100 yards using the folded down notch and a dead on hold.  Load is 7.0 grains of Trail Boss and a .428 diameter, 205 grain Missouri Bullet Co. bullet.  My 44-40 is definitely more accurate than the .45 Colt Henry I had.

[Coffinmaker]

Yah well, I have Four Henry Rifles, and an 1873.  All are 45s.  My only 44 is a 44 Special 1866 Trapper I shoot with 44 Russian.  So I might have to piddle a little more past 75.  I may look into it.  May not.

Quarter mile long walk when you don't have a Scope.  I are lazy.

[Bryan Austin]

  I never had a doubt...just wait till you try Reloder 7....you are beginning to use the force Luke!

When the 66' went to Switzerland for the trials, it grouped 1.5ft by 1.5ft at 300 yards...open sites...100 yards ain't nuttin!!

The new 60's chambered for 44-40 are superior than the Henry Flat. Black powder aside, smokeless will perform just as good with the right components.

Henry Original 44-40 at 300 yards using Ultramax ammo

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

  That is an awesome story PJ!

  I think I already posted this a couple of years ago, but I'm to the age that it's acceptable to tell the same stories over and over. 

  I have a'66 Sporting Rifle and I regulated the sights. I cast a 220 gr. RNFP and worked up loads with Unique, Herco and Swiss 3F all three running just a smidge over 1300 fps. Ladder down, is for 100 yds., ladder up with the sight all the way down is for 200 yds., slide the rear sight up just past the 300 yd. mark on the ladder, and it's on at 300.

 

 

  I don't have a bench for shooting at 300, so I had to shoot prone with the barrel supported and the buttstock unsupported. Still not bad groups! (The black center is 18")



  The load of Swiss 3F is a really accurate load, but I have to shoot 300 facing west, and our prevailing winds are from the south, so by the time I got to the BP loads, a little breeze had picked up and was blowing the bullets to the right. Fun stuff though!!

  CHT