{"id":218529,"date":"2022-05-19T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T18:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=218529"},"modified":"2022-11-14T17:51:21","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T23:51:21","slug":"the-henry-long-ranger-express-a-half-moa-lever-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/the-henry-long-ranger-express-a-half-moa-lever-gun\/","title":{"rendered":"The Henry Long Ranger Express: A Half MOA Lever Gun?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Man, I love me some lever action rifles. I expect I\u2019ve mentioned that before in other articles. But they aren\u2019t exactly cutting-edge designs. My favorite deer rifle is a damn-nice 1963 Marlin 336, but I\u2019d never expect precision accuracy from it. Well, in the video linked below, Pat RMG<\/em> [YouTube channel] takes the new updated Henry Long Ranger Express to the range and gets some surprising results.<\/p>\n

\"Henry
A half MOA lever gun? Come on, man…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Henry Long Ranger Express<\/h2>\n

Henry has been building lever guns since 1860 and they\u2019ve gotten pretty good at it. The Long Ranger Express is brand new, and like the original Long Ranger, Henry claims it delivers \u201cbolt action performance with the speed of a lever action.\u201d The gun features a six-lug rotary bolt, aerospace aluminum construction, a free-floated barrel, and a five-round detachable box magazine instead of the more traditional tube mag. The gun is chambered in .223 Remington<\/a>\/5.56 NATO<\/a> and the barrel twist rate is 1:9.<\/p>\n

\"Henry
Henry looks to have brought lever action design into the 21st Century.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Range of the Future<\/h2>\n

Pat decided to investigate those claims and puts the Long Ranger Express to the test at a state-of-the-art electronic range in Tennessee. The range uses sensors to measure velocity and provides the shooter with hit data on an X and Y axis in real-time via a tablet at the shooting station. It totally eliminates the need to manually set and check targets, which can affect the breathing of a precision shooter. \u201cOnce you settle in at the table,\u201d Pat says, \u201cyou\u2019re settled in, and you can lay this on the bags and just go ahead and go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Henry
Now THAT’S a range!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Precision Also Means Finding the Right Ammo<\/h2>\n

Pat tried several different ammo brands and loads before hitting the sweet spot. He zeroed the Henry at 50 yards with some 55 grain reloads, which gave him consistent, repeatable groups.<\/p>\n

He then moved to some 55 grain Tula, with less than stellar results. Pat says accurate hits at 200 yards were \u201cimpossible\u201d with the Tula. He got similar results by just \u201cslapping the trigger\u201d and not worrying about his breathing. But to be fair, you kind of know what you\u2019re getting with Tula.<\/p>\n

\"Henry
Pat cycled through lots of ammo choices. He wasn’t impressed by the Tula.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Winchester White Box was next, yielding about 1.5 MOA at 300 yards. He got about the same performance from PMC X-Tac and Hornady Superformance 75 grain match. He was still looking for the right load when he decided to take a break and let the gun cool off. By that time, he was getting heat mirages off the suppressor.<\/p>\n

The Magic Bullet<\/h2>\n

When he got back from his break, Pat went to some Hornady Match 75 grain boat-tailed hollow points (different from the previous Hornady ammo<\/a>). He took the Henry out to 300 yards and the Hornady Match delivered a 0.48 MOA group. \u201cThe cool thing about this electronic, is you can\u2019t freaking lie.\u201d The rifle and ammo \u201cgot together and made absolute magic. Half MOA at 300 yards? I\u2019m pretty freaking impressed. \u201c<\/p>\n

\"Henry
With the right ammo, the Henry delivered a 0.48 MOA group at 300 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pat says he didn\u2019t expect the Henry to be that accurate, especially with a 400 buck 9x scope on it. \u201cMaybe I had a really good day,\u201d he says. He considered putting a more powerful scope on the gun to really study his shot and push the rifle, but decided he got good enough results to leave it.<\/p>\n

\"Hornady
The Magic Bullet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More to Come<\/h2>\n

Pat bought a year’s membership at the range (I don\u2019t even want to know what that cost) and says the Henry will go back for more. He also says, \u201cI\u2019ll probably sell my soul for more of this Hornady Match.\u201d He might have to because that stuff ain\u2019t cheap.<\/p>\n

\"Henry
Pat promises more on the Long Ranger Express at the uptown range.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do you think? Has Henry brought the lever gun into the 21st<\/sup> Century? Do Pat\u2019s initial results interest you in giving the Long Ranger a try? Let us know in the comments. Happy precision shooting, y\u2019all.<\/p>\n