Up-Calibering A Henry ... ?

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

Another pard asked a question about rechambering from 32-20 to 32 H&R, and it got me to thinking about another conversion project.

 

Since the 22 magnum and the 32 H&R are dimensionally close, would it be possible to convert one of the little Henry rifles (not the HBB) to 32? The barrel would probably be the biggest hurdle to overcome, so could it be bored out and relined, or would it be more feasible to use a donor barrel (like an old Mauser or other .312 bore) and recut the threads to attach to the receiver? The firing pin would need recontoured to make it centerfire too, but I once saw an old Marlin that was already set up to be convertible between 32 RF and 32 centerfire, so I know it's possible.

 

Any opinions from any talented Wire 'smiths?

[Cypress Sam, SASS #10915]

Capt. Woodrow, I wanted a 32 Long rifle for a while after I started shooting SASS. I finally got ahold of two Marlin Model '92's with dual chambering - 32 rimfire and .32 Colt. I reworked them to chamber .32 long and they work fine. I wouldn't shoot them with anything but light loads since the lockup mechanism doesn't look to me like it would stand up to higher pressures.

 

If you are looking to modify a Henry 22 mag to 32 H&R, I would be doubtful that it would stand the pressures. The forces involved are not readily evident by just the pressures. The pressure acts over the area of the base of the cartridge giving a resultant force. It's this force that must be resisted by the action locking up, not so much the pressure generated by the round.

 

I don't own a Henry 22 to look at but from having looked at them in the past and shot them, I don't think there is enough room in the action to be able to modify the feed mechanism to handle a 32 mag round anyway. Even if there is I doubt that you could find a gunsmith to do the mod.

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

Howdy Sam!

 

I was just looking at this as an exercise in speculative engineering in the "would this work?" file. The pressure of the 22 mag is lower than the 32 H&R, so I figured the action could hold up. I also looked at the schematic of the Henry on their site, and from what I can see it appears that there's a recess cut in the side of the bolt and a locking arm that engages when it's in battery. The real challenge would be shaving off just enough here and there without weakening anything vital to get the slightly larger 32 round to fit & feed. And there's the bore and chamber issue to resolve too.

 

Of course, none of this brainstorming would be necessary if the Henry folks would just build a 32 H&R rifle based on the H001M chassis.

 

Are you listening, Imperato brothers?

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

To convert a rim fire lever to 32 cal. the number one obstacle will be the mag tube where it enters the receiver. The mag tube will need to be a larger I.D. and because most of these guns are tube feed that will require an even larger O.D. for the outer tube. The problem then is the center line of the bore compared to the centerline of the mag tube. In order to get the larger mag tube into the receiver the hole in the receiver for the tube needs to be lower than the current 22 cal hole.

Basically you need a slightly larger receiver. But still smaller than a Win 92 or Marlin 1894. I feel this is the number one reason no maker has done a 32 cal. Straight-wall cal. It would be a total ground up project.

[Cypress Sam, SASS #10915]

Capt. Woodrow

The Marlin Model 92 is the same frame size as their Model 39. The Marlin 92 was originally chambered for .32 long Colt or .32 long rimfire. Since the bullet diameter is the same as the 32 S&W Long and the rim diameter is the same also, I figured that just rechambering would work. I had to modify the ejector and the loading port but the gun now works fine with .32 S&W Long. The action is not long enough to work with .32 H&R Mag rounds.

 

I've got two of them which is one too many. If you're interested in one send me a PM.

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

Capt. Woodrow

The Marlin Model 92 is the same frame size as their Model 39. The Marlin 92 was originally chambered for .32 long Colt or .32 long rimfire. Since the bullet diameter is the same as the 32 S&W Long and the rim diameter is the same also, I figured that just rechambering would work. I had to modify the ejector and the loading port but the gun now works fine with .32 S&W Long. The action is not long enough to work with .32 H&R Mag rounds.

 

I've got two of them which is one too many. If you're interested in one send me a PM.

 

 

What size bullets are you using. The reason I ask is I converted one of the Marlin 92's to 32 S&W long but the owner uses 100gr. .309 bullets because the bore measures .309.

 

BTW, the frame is the same size as the 1897/39 but the centerline of the bore to mag tube is different.