Henry’s new Long Ranger may change your perception of lever-action guns. The action is tight, it shoots modern cartridges, and it combines all the nostalgia of the Old West with modern design and manufacturing. Is it the next rifle for you?
I’ve been using the Long Ranger chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor quite a bit lately from the shooting range to the open range. I’ll introduce you to its intricacies as well as its quirks.
It’s Still A Lever Action
Let me say straight away that if you’re a lever-action lover, then you will probably like this gun. It’s engineered for tighter performance and it’s chambered for modern rounds. It shoots more like a modern bolt-action gun, but you still get the satisfaction of thumbing the hammer and swinging the lever. It’s enjoyable to shoot and it is certainly accurate enough for hunting and plinking, but it’s probably not going to be sweeping the PRS competitions by storm.
No matter what you think of lever-action guns, there’s something really satisfying about working the lever to cycle the action and chamber another round. This gun has done away with the tube magazine ubiquitous under the barrel of most lever-actions. It’s also got a sportier profile with a tapered barrel. With less drop to the toe of the stock that should make it easier to shoot consistently. It’s still a lever-action, but it’s definitely crossing into the 21st century.
Barrel
The barrel is round and free-floating above the walnut forend. It does not come in an octagonal version, so don’t ask. It’s also got a sporter-style taper. It’s 20″ long unless you get the 6.5mm Creedmoor, then it’s extended to 22″. The barrel has a blued finish. It mates to the action with a 6-lugged extension for a tight lock-up.
Action
The Long Ranger looks like a traditional lever action, but it is significantly updated over original designs. It is still cycled with the forged steel lever, but that action is now geared and runs smoothly every time. You’ll notice the teeth on the chromed steel bolt. The bolt runs smoothly and tightly from open to close.
The exposed steel hammer is requisite in a gun like this. The gun ships with the unadorned hammer, but the box includes an asymmetric hammer extension that makes the lever much easier to reach and work with your thumb. Although there’s an extension included, I’d recommend the Hammer Expander, an $11 upgrade on Henry’s website. It extends both to the left and right sides of the hammer, not just one, and I had issues with the included expander coming loose and falling off. The upgraded one has stayed secure through a couple of hundred rounds and many many miles of trail.
Working the lever opens the bolt and cycles ammo, but the whole process is improved if you use your thumb to cock the hammer first. It’s then much easier to work the lever. If you don’t cock the hammer first, it takes a lot more initial power to break the lever loose and cycle it. In fact, it’s so stiff that most people think there’s something wrong the first time. The stiff initial set of the lever keeps the action from inadvertently falling open, though.
Since it’s a lever action, left-handed shooters have a very similar experience to that of righties. With the upgraded Hammer Expander, you can even shoot it interchangeably.
The lever is finished with rounded edges and is comfortable to work. My only gripe is that the magazine can’t be removed when the action is open.
Bolt
The bolt is chromed steel with a rotating head that securely grasps the cartridge. The bolt has six lugs that lock in place against the chamber at the back of the barrel. The lockup is tight and there is no play. I never had any trouble with extraction.
Safety
There is no safety button or slide. When the hammer is down it is kept from contacting the firing pin by an in-hammer sliding transfer bar. It can’t fire if it’s dropped on the hammer.
It is single-action only, so you must cock the hammer before you can fire. Pulling the trigger with the hammer down has no effect. Henry says this is easy to use, even when wearing gloves.
When you chamber a round, the hammer is also cocked as part of the cycle. The only way to decock is to put your thumb on it and pull the trigger, as you might do with a revolver. And you’ll want to do this when hunting because you don’t want to carry it cocked and you don’t want the big noisy movement of running the action to chamber a round when you have game close at hand.
The thing is that every time I try to do this, I pull the hammer back with my thumb and try to gently pull the trigger. But, if you pull the hammer all the way back, it won’t release. The hammer has to be in a neutral position to decock, which always makes me nervous. It takes two hands to do it, and it’s a long gun, not a revolver.
Magazine
The Long Ranger uses a detachable box magazine, instead of the typical tube magazine most lever guns employ. This is great because it keeps the weight off the front of the gun and allows the barrel to float freely for improved accuracy. It also eliminates the old danger of ammo in a tubular magazine creating a chain detonation.
The magazine holds four rounds in .243, 6.5, and .308, or five in .223. There’s a button on the right side of the receiver to eject the magazine.
Pay attention that you seat the magazine well. Sometimes it doesn’t quite click into place without a solid tap. Double-check that it is secured before hiking off after game.
Trigger
The trigger is heavy but fairly crisp. It’s got a little play at the front but that takes up tight, then it breaks cleanly and hits the back wall. The overall travel is acceptable. It’s between 4.5 and 5 pounds.
The trigger itself lacks refinement. It’s a flat piece of steel with 90-degree edges on all faces. You’ll notice the square edges when you use it, but I’m not sure they negatively affect shooting.
Stock
The stock is American walnut with a beautiful satin finish. It looks great with the blued barrel, and the wood is exceptionally hard. The forend and rear grip are both checkered for grip. The checkering feels sharp and looks classy. I’ve put some hard miles on this gun, including a fall off the bench at the range, and it’s holding up really well.
The length of pull is about 14″. With the long barrel of the 6.5 Creedmoor model, this gun is about 42.5″ long.
In true lever-action fashion, the stock drops pretty significantly from the action, but less than a classic lever gun.
Sights
When you buy your Long Ranger, you buy it without sights or with sights. the sighted version includes a notched rear sight and hooded front sight. I got the one without sights intended for use with a scope.
A scope (not included) mounts with included Picatinny plates that you mount to the receiver. Talley also makes custom-fit rings. Although plates are included, I went with the Talley rings.
Shootability
It is undeniably fun to shoot a lever-action gun off-hand at large targets. There’s a certain romance to swinging that lever. It seems easier to make fast followup shots than with a bolt-action and easier to keep your eye on the target. The 6.5 Creedmoor version has a 22″ barrel, but I think the 20″ barrel on the .223, .243, or .308 would be a little more fun for plinking. A carbine-length in .223 would be a blast.
As far as accuracy, I had a hard time shooting really tight groups with this gun. Most guns shoot better than I do, but I think I’m pretty evenly matched with this one. I shot 5 different brands and got similar groups with four of the five–but the worst groups were just over two inches.
I worked it at the range on four different days, and I even changed scopes. I can say that each ammo shot consistently every time, if consistently poorly.
I thought I was just a bad shot until I shot Browning’s BXS Solid Expansion 120-grain hunting rounds. These are all-copper bullets. My groups improved dramatically with these rounds. Each time I ended up with 1″ groups at 100 yards. (It’s not because they are all-copper, by the way — the SIG hunting round is, too). I still thought it was a fluke, so I shot groups two more times on different days, but I got similar results. The Browning BXS rounds shot markedly better for me.
This ammo proves the gun is capable of shooting well. Might just have to find ammo it likes. My editor tells me I should have tried some Hornady.
Field Trips
I took the Long Ranger hunting bears throughout the Spring. I hiked about 30 miles on four trips, and I packed it 25 miles on a horse. Packing it on a horse was a lot of fun — just that Old West feeling. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a shot at a bear on the horse trip.
I did finally get a shot at a bear deep in the wilderness, across a river, and up a glacial basin…but I missed. I can’t blame the gun for my miss (as much as I’d like to blame something other than me).
Packing the gun was always fun and I looked forward to using it on an animal. The romance of the lever gun is one thing, but having actual take-down power and accuracy gave me piece-of-mind.
Who’s This Rifle For?
With a tight lockup, scope mounts, and modern dimensions, I’d say this rifle is ideal for those who want to hunt with a lever action. It comes in .223/5.56 NATO, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Win. You can choose a modern caliber appropriate for most game in North America. You’re not limited to lobbing a 30-30, .45-70, or .44 Mag downrange, and you can add a scope for precision at distance.
Although it’s chambered for highly accurate rounds, real precision required the right ammo. It’s certainly precise enough to kill big game, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for a competition.
Having shot about 200 rounds through the 6.5 Creedmoor, I’d love to have the .223 version as a varmint gun. I think that’d be fun.
If you want to hunt with a lever gun, Henry’s Long Ranger would be an excellent choice.
Specs
- Caliber: .223/5.56 NATO, .243 WIN, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 WIN
- Barrel: 20″ tapered, matte-blued, 22″ in 6.5 Creedmoor
- Overall length: 40.5″, 42.5 inches in 6.5 Creedmoor
- Action: Lever, forged steel
- Bolt: 6-lugged rotating, chromed steel
- Magazine: Detachable box, steel, 4-round, 5-round in .223
- Stock: American walnut, checkered
- Sights: Hooded front, notch rear, or includes Picatinny mounts
- Safety: Transfer bar in hammer
- MSRP: $1,066
Other than milsurps with their history im not a bolt guy. My ideal rifle for using is a levergun.id love one of the long rangers in .243. That being said I’ll refine the trigger to make accuracy easier.ill also handload the ammo ill rely on.
As the old saying goes, ” UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL” or fail, yes everyone pro constitution, we all need to get out and VOTE. Also as Mike Watson is so concerned about, we need to unify and take the battle to them, not wait for them to get organized and divide us. God bless AMERICA and all who built this Nation, and more power to our COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
First time I ever heard a lever-action called a single action. The author shows how far many are removed from the fine art of working a lever-action. What he finds difficult those of us used to levers find familiar and automatic. Like lowering the hammer for example.
best guns made, bar none 10-4
With the underhanded corrupt and greedy Nazi-crats trying every senseless act of subversion to disarm this country so they can overthrow democracy and establish their socialist dictatorship agenda, I will keep my military style weapons and procure any more to give me an advantage against the onslaught of our freedoms.
I live in the small Vermont town of Windsor and near the building where it is said that Benjamin Tyler Henry invented the Henry rifle. Maybe someday a firearms historian will visit here and do a respectable and interesting writing of the story of the origins of the repeating rifle. Imagine how the original Henry rifle was viewed and feared during our Civil War. They say that the Confederate soldiers complained: “That damn Henry rifle, the Yanks load it on Sunday and they shoot us all week.” I hope that my comment is a bit relevant to this discussion of the new Henry rifle. My apologies if it isn’t. Thanks.
this or a browning BLR or a win88 or a savage 99…not new concept – it would be a hard choice for this over the BLR…
Don’t forget the Sako Finn Wolf. I’ll keep my BLR
I had a Browning in 308 win. BLR-browning lever rifle. Accurate sob. One of the few I sold that I regret selling.
the best way to ruin the appearance of a nice lever gun is the put a big bulky scope on it. that hammer extender is horrible. might as well tie a tootsie roll to the hammer, could double as survival food.
I have a BLR 30-06 with a hammer extender. The accessory is useful, comfortable and seems to look OK on my firearm’s hammer. Maybe I’m lucky and have a good, inobtrusive setup. Eye of beholder thing?
Don’t worry about keeping our AR’s etc. to resist tyranny. There are about 70,000,000 gun owners in the US, give or take a dozen. But if there is a real gun ban, and they send the UN troops to disarm us, they’ll only have to deal with maybe 10 or 20 who resist and most everyone else will cave.
Your local TV station, and all the national news, will run the lurid coverage of some patriot with his brains splattered across his front room, his wife dead with 26 rounds in her, or maybe even the house burned to the ground with him and his kids inside, The media and government will have all his relatives and fellow church members and co-workers convinced he was “a boiling mad racist ready to take his semi-fully-automatic 200-round magazine clip assault weapon to the local grade school and the town hall, but they stopped him just in time!”
I doubt they will need to do that more than 10 or 20 times across the country, and gun-owners will be putting their guns out at the curb for police pickup the next morning!
Yeah, I hear the big and brave idiots tell me “They’ll have to pry my gun from my cold, dead hands.” And I’ve known a bunch of those who don’t even have the get-up-and-go to VOTE, which is our first line of defense, and the very FIRST responsibility of anyone who honestly thinks we have rights worth fighting for.
This make you mad? GOOD! there will have to be one hell of a lot more of us mad enough to actually take our Nation back from the crazies, before it can actually happen. IF we get mad soon enough, we can actually retake OUR NATION calmly and peacefully BEFORE the UN troops are in every town in the country, BEFORE we need to actually lock and load.
But HEY, if you’re more interested in spending your time watching to see what the Kardashians or other trash are up to, and just can’t find the time to work to keep your rights, then WHATEVER!!
Well, you’re spot on. So, please, everyone, just get out and VOTE.
Spot on. Get out and VOTE. Push back and don’t surrender – anything or anyone.
AMEN !!!!!!!
very correct. We MUST vote as a block to defeat the antis. Impeach Pelosi and Schiff!!!
I’d like to add: Call, write, email, VISIT your representatives. Most .gov websites make it really easy to type a brief message and send duplicate messages to all of your reps at the same time. Click, click click. Send one now. Send another tonight. Repeat through the week/month/year. This is what the anti’s do. It’s effective.
Im from 11 months in your future.we turned out and voted but the enemies of America using technology to bolster their fraud machine are attempting to stop the re-election of President.
If this stands tyranny begins in january.
First, a question; whats this got to do with this interesting but not-totally-new hunting piece? Other than that, it almost irritates me to think so many people would do as you say, and go all cavil, untill ah realise that you gotta be kiddin! Now, careful, and ah say careful, theah, with teasin them snowflakes; they dont undahstand that they have no propah sense of humah! Si vis pacem, para belllum! I’ve always been more concerned with the goblins than da guvvamint
In my wildest dreams, I could see Henry building “The 1820 Henry Legend Rifle”. The 18 represents the early years of Henry, and the 20 represents the year 2020. 2020 the year Henry updates the classic Big Boy Case Hardened, to the side gate 18″ barrel in the perfect straight walled cartridge, “The 350 Legend.” I see dead Hogs.
I WOULD BE HONORED TO HUNT AND PRACTICE WITH THIS SLEEK WELL MADE RIFLE
Count me #3 for the .338 Fed. Also, how about 7mm-08? Awesome hunting round.
Looks like gun manufacturers are preparing for an “assault weapons ” ban by providing politically correct alternatives.
To the author: The F-stop on your camera is set much too low, resulting in a shallow depth of field with very little in focus. Try raising it to at least F8 and try a slower shutter speed. If lack of light is a problem, you can bounce flash off the ceiling, use a diffuser or use a tripod to allow for much slower shutter than you could with handheld. Telephoto will also make D.O.F. problems worse so keep your focal length at a normal setting, around 35mm.
Source: Police Officer / Crime Scene Photographer
I would like to remind my shooting friends it is not about what you own or what is best for each of us. It IS about the right to own what you prefer and about your rights to own it . Remember the Second and never let those who want to take it away do so.
Also my 1895 Winchester in 30-06 has a box magazine AND has an image of Teddy Roosevelt on the receiver. Jon
I like that new rifle. I may get it in 6.5 Creedmoor to replace my Savage 99 in 300 savage early 20th century rifle.
I don’t know if I can trade or sell it to get that gun. I love that lever gun. I like it’s rotary magazine with the cartridge’s counter. I don’t have a 21 century rifle. I have a lot of old guns because I have became an old man.
I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY
Seems very similar to my Browning lever action .308. Have you any experience with that one? Jon ( a lefty)
Looks like copy of BLR to me. I don’t think any blr could shoot 1 moa, so that is nice. Still not as sexy as a winchester 88 which is the same idea from 70 years ago.
I have a Winchester 88, made in ’67. Great for 300 yards. .308 win. Lighter than some others and fun to shoot.
I can’t believe that this rifle didn’t get a better review than this! Lever guns are real guns for real people but they are not for wimps! I’ve a 45-70 that will put three bullets .through the same hole at 100 yards, but I have never noticed what sharp edges the trigger has on it or how hard it is to cock. Putting a magazine on a lever action rifle is probably the greatest Improvement to lever action rifles since their Inception. My hat is off to Henry for this!
Now if the .223 version took AR15 mags and the .308 took AR10 mags….
I’ve had essentially this same rifle for decades, the Browning BLR 81. Same style magazine , rotary locking bolt, but with a shinier finish. Glad to see an American made version.
This Creedmoor round seems to have taken interest by the Army – maybe a STANAG type magazine will be available.
I own one Henry lever rifle. By far one of the best quality and smoothest shooting guns I own.
Saw someone shooting the 308 version at the range….not sure what ammo, but he was ringing 12\” plates @ 300yds with no problems
This is an excellent idea and rifle. Of all the calibers available, I think the 6.5 Creedmore would be perfect
for the ‘Scope Model’ and 308 for the iron sight model.
I think we are looking in the right direction……..I think the AR’s…etc…Have to start taking a back seat.
You may not agree with me but, what do we need the current military arms for anyway.
It doesn’t mean you can’t keep your Egyptian Hakim (a monster semi-auto rifle) or other vintage military.
Home protection ? 9mm or 45 ACP semi-auto pistol. A nice 18″ barrel 10 or 12 gauge shotgun.
I personally think the NRA has over-stepped themselves. We all want our families to be safe. Right ?
Since you asked… no, I do not agree with you. I have a few lever guns, and I like them, but I will keep my ARs too.
Anyone asking the question “what do we need current military arms for?” does not understand the intent of the second amendment which is not about deer hunting but is about the citizen’s ability to defend themselves from tyranny as our forefathers did.
So my Mini 14 in .223/5.56 is okay but my AR 15 in .223/5.56 is not?
Sure.
Please keep quiet about our mini-14s, don’t give the gun grabbers any new ideas. Jon.
Why can’t people keep the discussion within scope of the article? Comparison of any AR and a lever gun is stupid, period.
Doesn’t matter the caliber, nor the political viewpoint, it’s just stupid, and off topic.
Irritating.
Too bad an AR15 isn’t a military weapon. If you dont know that by now, you’re obviously not a gun enthusiast. Lever guns were the equivalent of an AR, 125 years ago… and they’re still in circulation. So tell all your “anti AR15 folks” they’re not going away.
My 1873 Winchester was the M 16 of the day. Ask Custer. I have a 24 inch hex barrel sporting rifle in 44.40.
It holds 14 rounds. It also has a dust cover on top of the receiver. Very modern rifle for 1873.
AR are a few weapons that women can shoot without dealing with recoil. 12GA shotgun can be a problem. AR are designed to be lugged around in the field to take scratches and dings. AR are designed ergonomically for various human sizes to operate. Petit women to huge guys. It is designed for ease of training on how to load and chamber, as well as unload and clear. Try reloading a rocker magazine versus straight up, tap and click AR magazine system in the dark. Group of armed criminals will run away from a shooter firing an AR and 30 round magazine than a person with a 5 shot pump shotgun.
Why go after the military rifles? If it is about murder, those firearms/calibers you mentioned are responsible for the vast majority of the killing, always have. Giving up on the AR15 is simply political. Having a Bill of Rights that states shall not be infringed drives the government ( Mostly Democrats) crazy. If the 2A didn’t exist, those “Military arms” as you state would never made it to the citizens, nor many other weapons. Many of the democrats want this to control the people. Listening to the current Democratic presidential line-up is plain scary. As for home defense, a long gun is probably the best in a high stress scenario and the AR15 fits that perfectly, along with a shotgun. But for a smaller framed person, like my wife, the recoil of the shotgun would be problematic where the AR wouldn’t.
With all the iron I have, my wife always grabbed my AR15 when there was any sort of commotion in the yard. I taught her to shoot with our daughter with that rifle.
So it’s okay to let them come after AR-15’s because you prefer a lever action?
How about the guy who loves rolling blocks who says it’s okay to let them take the lever actions?
Or the shooter who prefers modern muzzle loaders saying it’s okay to let them take away all cartridge guns?
Better yet, how about the old timer who prefers a flintlock smoke-pole, ’cause that’s what they had when they drafted the 2A?
Classic “Fudd” responses.
And people wonder why we shake our heads in disgust at it.
The British had muskets. At the time the Colonists had a modern “rifle” that the British didn’t like being on the business end of. It was the best technology of the time. AR 15/ M 16 is no different.
Your attitude is what got this country into the position it is in now. Gun owners won’t even support the rights of fellow gun owners, if they don’t like the same guns.
What is this “need” you speak of? The style of firearm a person owns is a choice. Their choice. Think of everything you have, by choice, then think of what you actually “need”. Food, water, air, shelter, and a means to obtain those items.
I suppose after all the “evil black rifles” are gone, and someone shoots up a Walmart with a lever action, you’ll be ok with getting rid of those too. Because, gee, why do you need a gun with all those bullets in it?
Better hope the gang in DC never strips you down to your “needs”.
As far as the rifle reviewed in the article, it looks like a nice one. I wish I had more disposable income, so I could get one of my own. One day…..
During the election cycle 4 years ago Democrats were saying “ nobody wants to take away your guns, we just want common sense gun control”. Now they openly say they want to take away our guns. Not just modern sporting rifles or military arms as you call them, but all guns. Even your vintage arms and lever action and bolt guns. Look at how they treat us now. Imagine if we didn’t have our guns to keep them honest. Do not give another inch. They ARE COMING FOR THEM.
the ar-15 is just an extension of peoples anger. if they don’t have an that gun they will find another, or possibly use an axe or machete. people are sick and tired of excessive government regulations, imported illegal scum that is destroying this country. we have politicians that have been crossbred with morons and should be working at burger king. this just the start of it, wait until they try to take peoples guns. i see a bloodbath in the near future.
Ah – Burger King has to run a tight well functioning workplace.
Why would you wand bad food + bad service for them = they’d go broke too….lol
As far as I know, not a single army on earth uses a semi-auto battle rifle, much less a semi-auto AR-15. They are most def. NOT military guns. I wish I could pound that truth into the heads of the left-leaning media in this country.
Basically it’s either a license or a copy of the Browning BLR81 I had in the 80’s/90’s.
It would be very nice if it was chambered in .338 Federal as well.
I 2nd the desire for .338 Federal chambering.