making Henry Big Boy SASS ready???

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

Brother putting Uberti 66 in safe for awhile (another story we have visited earlier)

 

ordered Big Boy (rifle not burger)

 

I watched the assembly/disassembly videos that do a good job to explainig taking it apart and putting it back together without too many left-over parts

 

Wolfe doesn't have spring kit for it

google search doesn't ID anyone working on them

 

so any cowboys out there that can suggest ideas other than smoothing all the parts?

[Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118]

Swap it our for a '73 rifle, no race parts available for those rifles, not a good choice to shoot in competition.

 

TB

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

Brother putting Uberti 66 in safe for awhile (another story we have visited earlier)

 

ordered Big Boy (rifle not burger)

 

I watched the assembly/disassembly videos that do a good job to explainig taking it apart and putting it back together without too many left-over parts

 

Wolfe doesn't have spring kit for it

google search doesn't ID anyone working on them

 

so any cowboys out there that can suggest ideas other than smoothing all the parts?

[Marshal Hangtree]

Donating it to the nearest Law Enforcement Officer in Buzzard Hill, Alabama is the best thing to do with a Henry.  Let me see if I can look one up for you.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Cheyenne,

"SASS ready" would be determined by the owner/shooter and their abilities.

 

Based on my limited experience (1 rifle) and the experiences of another cowboy shooter

who has worked on his and 1 other HBB, there seems to be some limitations within

the HBB that seem to prevent it from being a fine/smooth 'RACE' gun.

 

BUT, it can be smoothed up somewhat and made 'reasonably' reliable to 

satisfy some shooters.  

 

I ain't saying that it could never be a sup'd up rifle and run fast and reliable.  But to do so,

it would take a dedicated person, who knows what to do and what not to do,  a few hours

of work to determine those limitations...... and a little luck wouldn't hurt.

 

On the encouragement side, don't let the non-availability of a spring kit worry you.  There are

many springs on the market for our other firearms that its highly possible that some of those

will work well in the HBB.

 

I love the Henry .22's and they can be set up super fine.

 

Personally speaking, if the HBB could be set up better for SASS competition, Henry

would probably produce some 'special edition' models.

 

Just my .02

 

..........Widder

 

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

Brother putting Uberti 66 in safe for awhile (another story we have visited earlier)

 

ordered Big Boy (rifle not burger)

 

I watched the assembly/disassembly videos that do a good job to explainig taking it apart and putting it back together without too many left-over parts

 

Wolfe doesn't have spring kit for it

google search doesn't ID anyone working on them

 

so any cowboys out there that can suggest ideas other than smoothing all the parts?

Yea trade it in on another 66 or a 73!!

[Old Man Graybeard]

I had a Henry yellow boy big boy in 45 colt when I first started. Only took a couple matches for it to find a new home. I shoot left handed. With the light loads we shoot...in 45 there was a lot of blow by. With the side ejection port...every shot I got a blast of smoke right in the eyes.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Knowing that this is not your Best Choise for Cowboy Shootin .

Your speed will be limited. 

 

Just install a Marlin hammer spring and enjoy the rifle .

 

I shot a clean match with mine , just to show it can be done . 

 

I recommend keeping her as a backup to your 66.

Never let anyone BS you that  it can't be used , it can .

Just not with any kind of speed .

Rooster 

[Sedalia Dave]

Shooter at one of the clubs I shoot at has one.  Been back to Henry twice and still has issues feeding ammo reliable.  In troubleshooting at the range this is what I have learned.

 

More ammo sensitive than all 4 of my 92s. Only liked Truncated cone profile billets. RN and RNFP wouldn't feed reliably. Also wanted the OAL to be between 38 special and .357.

[Joe West]

+1 Rooster.

Leave the other parts be unless you are skilled at smithing or be ready for more effort than return. I reworked a 30-30 Henry to get the trigger pull down to something usable for hunting and have had a go with one in 44mag. They turned out much improved as hunting guns , customers were happy but either was slower than one of my Rossi 92's for SASS. So my best advice as a gunsmith is be patient and don't miss. I'm sure somebody with a plan or the afore mentioned factory special edition will appear as the speed fix for them. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

No speed parts or springs or gunsmiths around for that (because it's close to a lost cause for anyone wanting to get a rifle string done under about 7 seconds without a glitch).

Smoothing and looking for anything that could contribute to a glitch would be about all I can offer.

You can't say we haven't been warning you.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Nobody I know works on them.  Nobody I know will work on them.  As posted above, if you get one that will feed reliably, buy a lotto ticket immediately.  If you get one that will feed, and it's a .45, start annealing your cases.  Blow-by WILL be a problem.  You or your Brother WILL NOT be going fast with it.  Figure a 10 round 10 or 12 second rifle run as wonderful.  Do either of you require a really fancy Tomato Stake??  They do suffice as a nice short range Brush Rifle for Hunting.  Or a Tomato Stake.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

CheyRay (do they call you that? ) If you are just determined to have the rifle made as smooth and reliable as possible, regardless of lack of competitiveness or loss of investment return, etc. then my advice would be to call Lassiter.  If anyone could take it to the limit of its possible function, he could.  He won championships with a Taurus Thunderbolt (aka Tomato Stake ).

 

But if you're gonna spend that kind of money, go ahead and send him (or any good cowboy gunsmith) your '66 as well and have it fixed.

[Ace_of_Hearts]

The Henry rifle does not have many parts available to make it better for Cowboy Action Shooting.

http://www.uniquetek.com/product/T1337

This mainspring will make it easier to lever the rifle as the original is way over sprung.

The Henry will work much better with 357 brass and not any lighter than 125gr bullets.

Keep your loaded rounds at near maximum length.

Do not over tighten the screws. This gun is not a Marlin!

 

 

[LostVaquero]

Marlin one piece ejector will fit as well as 1894 lighted springs.  That is about it.

[Dantankerous]

Yup, trade it for a Henry, '66, '73, Marlin or anything else.

 

But maybe not a new Remlin-Marlin. That might be worse.

 

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

gee, a post where eveyone pretty much agrees 

 

He knows he won't be going fast--we'll see this Sat at its first match

 

offered my backup Marlin--same as my main rifle but 24" barrel--nope

 

offered my main match--nope

 

guess he likes the HBB and that pretty much says it all

 

all our brass is annealed as my Marlin has blow back issues if I go too light in powder and/or bullet weight so hopefully what works in mine will work in his

 

he'll be using bullets that are a copy of the original Colt shape which might work

 

thanks for ideas--we'll get to some as time passes

 

cr

[Shooting Bull]

I started SASS with an HBB in 45.  Ran great right up until I tried to go fast.  That's when the wheels fell off.  If your brother is interested in having a smooth, clean, relatively slow match then the HBB will serve him very well.  If he want's to win the Cadillac he needs to look elsewhere.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

2 hours ago, Shooting Bull said:

I started SASS with an HBB in 45.  Ran great right up until I tried to go fast.  That's when the wheels fell off.  If your brother is interested in having a smooth, clean, relatively slow match then the HBB will serve him very well.  If he want's to win the Cadillac he needs to look elsewhere.

Well Said !

[dannyd]

Tell him to have fun and enjoy the Henry.   Best thing about it was shooting clean match with a mid range time after everyone and I mean everyone told you it would not work.    

[Chickamauga Slim]

5 hours ago, Shooting Bull said:

I started SASS with an HBB in 45.  Ran great right up until I tried to go fast.  That's when the wheels fell off.  If your brother is interested in having a smooth, clean, relatively slow match then the HBB will serve him very well.  If he want's to win the Cadillac he needs to look elsewhere.

 

My experience exactly. I love my HBB but once I got to the point where I could run it anywhere near fast, it couldn't keep up. I got a Uberti 66 from Cody Conhager and haven't ever been able to outrun it.

[dannyd]

17 minutes ago, Chickamauga Slim said:

 

My experience exactly. I love my HBB but once I got to the point where I could run it anywhere near fast, it couldn't keep up. I got a Uberti 66 from Cody Conhager and haven't ever been able to outrun it.

I did the same thing but a Longhunter 1873.  Just was not the same nobody was telling how bad the rifle was I was just one of the boys.    Traded the 1873 but kept the HBB. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Now, I am  not a fast shooter by any means.

 

I don't own a Henry BB.

 

But, I did shoot a match with one once.   I found it to be reliable and that it worked like it was supposed to.

 

The only complaint I had was the hot gasses on my right wrist when I cycled the action.   I shoot lefty.

[dannyd]

9 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Now, I am  not a fast shooter by any means.

 

I don't own a Henry BB.

 

But, I did shoot a match with one once.   I found it to be reliable and that it worked like it was supposed to.

 

The only complaint I had was the hot gasses on my right wrist when I cycled the action.   I shoot lefty.

I'm a lefty too and never had that problem.  It was easy to reload.

[Ace_of_Hearts]

On 9/17/2018 at 3:48 PM, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

Brother putting Uberti 66 in safe for awhile (another story we have visited earlier)

 

ordered Big Boy (rifle not burger)

 

I watched the assembly/disassembly videos that do a good job to explainig taking it apart and putting it back together without too many left-over parts

 

Wolfe doesn't have spring kit for it

google search doesn't ID anyone working on them

 

so any cowboys out there that can suggest ideas other than smoothing all the parts?

Many times, the current members of Cowboy Action Shooting forget that this sport is about fun. But that "fun" is different for everyone. Sometimes that fun is just shooting the guns we have to the best of the tools ability.

I have watched many a cowboy struggle with pistols, shotguns, and rifles of the not so common variety and enjoy every minute of figuring out what makes them run.

Enjoy your Henry Big Boy.

If I can help you with words and pictures privately to make it the best it can be, I will.

If at any time your not having fun due to your equipment, then and only then is it time ti change to something that will stir the fun gene again.

 

[Cypress Sam, SASS #10915]

Cheyenne Ranger is writing for his brother (read the original post) who already has a Uberti ‘66.  He is asking advice on replacement parts to make his brother’s HBB smoother and more reliable.  All rifles need their actions worked on to be competitive and more importantly, reliable.  

 

Have any of you shot a brand new Uberti ‘73 right out of the box?  Before short strokes came out in the late ‘90’s, they were regarded pretty much as a piece of crap.  Try a new un-gunsmithed one and you will see what I mean.

 

I’ve seen some of the HBB’s that seemed to work well and some that didn’t, just like all other models of rifles.  Smoothing up the parts and lapping them in place, along with lighter springs will most likely work wonders with the rifle.  If there are feeding issues, they must be addressed individually.

 

I would even predict that someone will come up with a way to shorten the stroke.  Looks like it would be a fertile market.

[Null N. Void]

I started with one and was fine until my speed started to come up.  Then it would jam the cartridge on the chamber edge and would not allow the lever to reverse.  It was jammed and done for the stage.  The lever had to be removed to fix the jam and no one had a solution.  I traded it in on a '73.

 

I know a couple of shooter that use them successfully.  Their stages are in the 35 to 40 second range.  If you're good with that and the rifle cycles for you at that speed, enjoy it.  If you want to get below 30 second stages, I think you'll start to see problems.

[John E.B. Rawton]

I bought the HBB .45 before I knew what I was looking for. I like it for practice shooting but not for matches. Even for a slow shooter it has become problematic. I shoot 200g rnfp with a medium trailboss load and the feed was not as bad as the subsequent misfires. It gets dirty fast and that seems to affect the firing pin set up and the reliability drops fast. I replaced it but now it sits. I think I would miss the shoot before I trust it as a back up. 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

Why not just buy a Winchester 94 as a backup.   It will make your match.....consistent.

[John E.B. Rawton]

2 minutes ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Why not just buy a Winchester 94 as a backup.   It will make your match.....consistent.

Meaning? ... I’m not too familiar with the ‘94.

[Chief Rick]

I saw one used first-hand for the first time this weekend.

 

For this particular shooter, it worked fine - until he had to do an on-the-clock reload.

 

Is there a good/effective way to reload one on the clock?  Loading through the open ejection port didn't look very easy or smooth.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

1 hour ago, Chief Rick said:

I saw one used first-hand for the first time this weekend.

 

For this particular shooter, it worked fine - until he had to do an on-the-clock reload.

 

Is there a good/effective way to reload one on the clock?  Loading through the open ejection port didn't look very easy or smooth.

I thought one just throws the round in the open Port... Just like a Marlin.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

1 hour ago, John E.B. Rawton said:

Meaning? ... I’m not too familiar with the ‘94.

 

Meaning that the Winchester '94 is another rifle that is a very poor choice for CAS.

[John E.B. Rawton]

On the HBB one needs to roll the gun on it’s left side to lay in the cartridge. I’ve managed it. 

[dannyd]

31 minutes ago, Chief Rick said:

I saw one used first-hand for the first time this weekend.

 

For this particular shooter, it worked fine - until he had to do an on-the-clock reload.

 

Is there a good/effective way to reload one on the clock?  Loading through the open ejection port didn't look very easy or smooth.

I loaded on the clock just fine by way the loading gate