The Henry is in California

I sure was surprised a couple of days ago.  While sheltered in place, or locked down, or in self-isolation, or whatever the nom du jour is, I received an email from my local FFL telling me that my Henry Rifle had arrived.  Wow, I didn’t even know it had been shipped yet!  You know the deal…I’m here in California and I have to wait 10 days so that I can cool sufficiently before taking possession of the new rifle, but I wanted to get the process started.  I made an appointment so as not to be around too many other people and off I went.  Truth be told, it felt great just getting out of the house, and I felt even better when I saw the Henry .45 70.  It’s beautiful.

You can refer to our earlier blog for the first part of the Henry story.  In it, I told about asking their marketing director (good buddy Dan) to try to get me one with a nice piece of walnut, and wow, did they ever!  When I arrived at the FFL, the lighting at the store was not conducive to great photography, but I did my best:

What’s really nice about this rifle is that the stock is highly figured on both sides, and it is what I would call exhibition grade walnut. I’m guessing it’s American walnut, as Henry prides itself on being made in America.  I’ve been collecting rifles for a good half century now, and I have some with really nice wood.  The new Henry jumped to the head of the pack.  It’s stunning.

I had hoped to have a more in depth chat with Dan this week, but like all companies, Henry has its hands full right now.  That’s okay; we’ll get to chat later.  What Dan told me earlier is that all these rifles are nice, and they are a cut above what one would normally see in a rifle in this price range.  I think he’s being too modest.  I’ve seen and I own rifles that cost two to four times as much as this Henry, and the fit and finish on those is not as nice as this.  It truly is a beautiful rifle.  My compliments to Henry USA!

I’ve already started loading .45 70 for the Henry ammo development effort, and I think the next blog will be on that topic.  This is going to be fun, folks.  I can’t wait to talk possession of the rifle and I can’t wait to start shooting it.  I’m eager to see how the rifle performs, and I’m equally eager to get the Henry on the bench and out in the sunlight so I can get better photos for you…this rifle deserves it!

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More Tales of the Gun can be found right here!

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We’re going through a rough patch right now, and when I say we, I mean that literally.  We, as in the whole world, are working through a terrible situation.  But it will pass, and when it does, we’ll be better people.  I’ve cut back substantially on the time I spend on social media for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is my deep disappointment in people who are using the current world health situation to post stupid stuff.  But every once in a while you see something good, and this meme from Southern Pride and Dixie Proud was one of those rare occasions: