Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle

Cold Steel · Jun 6, 2019

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
If you watch "From Russia With Love" you'll notice at the beginning when Bond is issued the AR-7 the armorer states it ".25 caliber" when they were all .22LR. He wings the helicopter pilot who jerks the joystick and causes the other guy to drop his hand grenade inside the chopper.

Believable? It makes for good entertainment.

Yes, I recall the part about the .25-caliber and wondered why they did that. I figured it was ignorance on their parts. But when James shoots the guy with the grenade, which blows up immediately -- that I attributed to just plain good shooting on his part! :cool:

Docster · Jun 6, 2019

Cold Steel said:
Last year I picked up one of these remarkable .22LR rifles and was absolutely captivated by it. Everything packs into the stock except the stock, and the gun is flawlessly reliable. Three loaded 10-round magazines fit into the gun and the only extended magazines that fit it are, sadly, unreliable and, also sadly, not made by Henry. The gun used to be in production by Charter Arms, but happily passed to Henry, which redesigned the rifle and greatly improved its reliability. I recall seeing it produced by Charter Arms back in the 1980s, but never got around to picking one up back then.

If you have one of these survival rifles, which model do you have and is yours as reliable as you had hoped? And do you have an extended magazine that works?

I also have a Ruger 10/22 stainless take-down rifle and a Charger blued version which, unfortunately, is classified by Maryland as a handgun. Are all Chargers considered handguns by all states and commonwealths? (If so, I'm glad I got mine when I did because I don't want to ever have to buy another handgun in this wretched state again. (There's going to be another march for tighter gun controls in Silver Spring next week, in response to the shooting in Virginia Beach. Never mind it was in another state and that Maryland already has some of the tightest gun controls in the universe. Some idiots still want tougher gun controls passed in Annapolis!))

I worry that they'll ban my powerful AR-7. After all, any gun that will knock a helicopter out of the sky and killing one of the pilots at the same time is obviously too powerful to trust to a citizen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vlw-NzSvoc&app

So btw, which would you prefer, a Ruger Charger or a Henry AR-7? (I know almost everyone would prefer the take-down 10/22 if it came down to it, even me. But, damn, I sure like that AR-7!

If the can make it so the stock packs into the stock I'll get one to go with this :lol2:

calicojack · Jun 6, 2019

Henry is on my short list for (1) AR-7 and (2) a pump action 22 or 22 mag!

Cold Steel · Jun 6, 2019

Docster said:
If [they] can make it so the stock packs into the stock I'll get one to go with this

Come to think of it, my stock does pack into the stock! Unfortunately, it says it's “partially hydrogenated,” so I'll have to leave it up to you.

Of course, I'm getting to the age where when I say I'm gonna have to pick somethin up one of these days, it means I'll probably never get around to doing it. Kinda like getting a thirty-year mattress warranty. Unless they can fit it into a coffin, it most likely ain't gonna be a huge selling point!

Mini14tac · Jun 6, 2019

calicojack said:
Henry is on my short list for (1) AR-7 and (2) a pump action 22 or 22 mag!

These were my thoughts exactly!

https://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=5525421&postcount=1350

calicojack · Jun 6, 2019

Mini14tac said:
These were my thoughts exactly!

https://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=5525421&postcount=1350

You know - you are not helping matters my friend!

Rambler · Jun 6, 2019

Mini14tac said:
These were my thoughts exactly!

https://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=5525421&postcount=1350

That and the single shot in .45-70

calicojack · Jun 6, 2019

Rambler said:
That and the single shot in .45-70

STOP!

Cold Steel · Jun 7, 2019

For those of you with AR-7s, have you found a way to seal them into making them waterproof? Duct tape? Aluminum tape?

For those of you who don't have one, I recommend them. They wouldn't be my first choice for a survival rifle, as I would always prefer my Ruger 10/22 stainless takedown. But if weight and size were issues, I'd rather have my AR-7. IF NOT, I'd rather have my Ruger. The problem is you never know whether you'll need to go light and small or larger. And whichever one you don't use, the other will usually be usable in some form.

For knapsack use, would you be better off with a Ruger Mark 3/4 or an AR-7? I'd prefer the latter because you can always use a pocketful of loaded magazines, a longer sight radius and a better control over the elements. The AR-7 seems to me the better way to go.

Thoughts? :innocent0

Pinecone · Jun 7, 2019

Cold Steel said:
Yes, I recall the part about the .25-caliber and wondered why they did that. I figured it was ignorance on their parts. But when James shoots the guy with the grenade, which blows up immediately -- that I attributed to just plain good shooting on his part!

Also in one scene, Q pulls out the end of the barrel and states, here is the scope.

G O B · Jun 7, 2019

I use a bit of auto dielectric grease on the stock seal of my Charter,it stays waterprof for a very long time.

Don H · Jun 7, 2019

I have a Henry AR7 that's probably 15 years old. It's not worth a damn! First it wouldn't feed with factory mags and the front sight dovetail was so loose that it would move at the slightest touch. Sent it back to Henry, they sent it back with two new mags, the sight still loose and the insides partitions of the stock broke. A complaint by phone got me a new stock and barrel. The new barrel also had a loose dovetail, I mean you could easily push the sight with your finger. Tired of complaining I Locktited the sight into place.

calicojack · Jun 7, 2019

Don H said:
I have a Henry AR7 that's probably 15 years old. It's not worth a damn! First it wouldn't feed with factory mags and the front sight dovetail was so loose that it would move at the slightest touch. Sent it back to Henry, they sent it back with two new mags, the sight still loose and the insides partitions of the stock broke. A complaint by phone got me a new stock and barrel. The new barrel also had a loose dovetail, I mean you could easily push the sight with your finger. Tired of complaining I Locktited the sight into place.

Hmm.

Zorros · Jun 9, 2019

Found a henry make 6-7 years ago preowned but fired in an eastern shore gun shop at a reasonable price. Tossed it in the trunk of my car and keep forgetting its there. Really ought to shoot it one day. No extended mag. I believe they are 10 rds. Some .22s can be fickle re ammo.

Cold Steel · Jun 10, 2019

Don H said:
I have a Henry AR7 that's probably 15 years old. It's not worth a damn! ... Tired of complaining I Locktited the sight into place.

Methinks I detect the tart taste of lemon! Henry AR-7s are usually great products...In fact, Henry puts out mighty fine products overall. No matter how great manufacturers are, you'll generally find, on occasion, products that aren't, or can't be, fixed. I think as long as it's a Henry, fixing it is a worthy endeavor. My chief concern with the AR-7 is that these guns ought to be waterproof and not just water-resistant. I've seen the videos of people throwing these guns in ponds and other bodies of water and they do float; however, some water always seeps in.

In watching them on YouTube, I always think of plumber's tape and whether a light but durable tape (heavier than electrical tape but lighter than duct tape) --- perhaps aluminum tape --- might work. I just don't want a type of tape that's difficult to remove.

The reason the stock floats is because it's foam. I don't know whether the foam can become saturated or not, or how much water it takes to ruin .22LR ammo.
I've seen some damp .22LR work pretty well. It's lubricant that will do ammo in fairly quickly.

The AR-7 is an astoundingly good gun, in my view, though. I don't intend to shoot down any helicopters in the near future, but if I do, it'll most likely be a Chinese helicopter, not a Russian!

balttigger · Jun 10, 2019

I went with the TNW Aero Survival Rifle in .460 Rowland (with a spare barrel/bolt in 10mm). Breaks down like the 10/22 only with a lot more power (and bigger price tag). Also comes in a 10.25" barreled pistol that is on the roster. Takes Glock/Kriss magazines.

TexDefender · Jun 11, 2019

I think that a lot of people are expecting more out of what this rifle is suppose to do. It is a survival tool, it is not a Olympic target rifle. You can carry a whole lot of ammo for very little weight. It breakdown quickly from 35 inches to 16.5" in a few seconds. It is lightweight, all parts store in the stock. The only tool you need is maybe a screwdriver to adjust or flip the rear sight. I always have my Gerber Multi-tool with me, when I'm out and about. The front sight, was made to be adjusted with your finger/wooden stick, but it shouldn't be extremely easy to move (flopping all over the place). It you don't like the color you can go to the "AR-7.com" website I think the have a few other color types. It has a dovetail rail so you can put a small .22LR scope on it if you desire. I think you can get a sling for it from "Slim River", a silencer adapter from "Tacticool". Though I don't know if they have more than one type of threading on the adapter, so I don't know what .22LR suppressor you could put on it. Remember it is design to be water resistant not water proof. If you are trying to make it water resistance, I would look closely where the thumb screw goes thru the stock as well as the cover. One other thing is this is a blow-back design, so in the long run good "Hot" ammo is what I would recommend, and lube it. This is to ensure that it will kick the bolt back to eject properly and stay cleaner longer. Especially if you going to have to use it for a long time. The only draw back that I see it the AR-7 magazines, if you buy a Henry stay with using a Henry Magazine. The older Charter Arms/ArmaLite/Industry magazines do not work well, they are intermittent at best.

Pinecone · Jun 11, 2019

Cold Steel said:
The reason the stock floats is because it's foam. I don't know whether the foam can become saturated or not,

The Henry stock is not foam filled. The Armalite and Charter Arms ones were.

So the Henry will sink once water seeps in and starts to fill it up.

Cold Steel · Jun 11, 2019

Pinecone said:
The Henry stock is not foam filled. The Armalite and Charter Arms ones were. So the Henry will sink once water seeps in and starts to fill it up.

Do you know what is the weight difference is without leakage?

Foam is fine, but the years aren't kind to it. But the advantage is, it probably will float longer.

I've heard of people with the Charter AR-7s that work fine. Other people don't have good luck. I l love my Henry, and when I first got mine I did so as a result of a very old gun magazine article. I had mixed emotions when I thought Charter Arms made them, but was overjoyed when I heard Henry made them.

The review was of the Charter Arms, and it was mixed.

Jimbob2.0 · Jun 11, 2019

balttigger said:
I went with the TNW Aero Survival Rifle in .460 Rowland (with a spare barrel/bolt in 10mm). Breaks down like the 10/22 only with a lot more power (and bigger price tag). Also comes in a 10.25" barreled pistol that is on the roster. Takes Glock/Kriss magazines.

.460 Rowland are they stepping up for bear country? I have been having a hard time deciding between one of these and a JRC? My father has a JRC and its a fantastic shooting gun been leaning towards buying one in 10mm and getting the 9mm and .45 barrel and bolt kits (does anyone do .40 anymore?)

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