Shot the Henry AR7 survival rifle.

Prof Young · November 3, 2020, 11:10 PM

Took a friend to the range today with his brand new Henry AR7. He's not a gun guy and doesn't hunt, but somehow the AR7 intrigued him. His father had been a gun guy and he'd shot some as a kid. But the father's hobby didn't take. Anyway, I took him to my range as a guest on my life time membership. He had a few questions, but clearly had read the manual. He ask me to confirm that racking the slide would chamber the first bullet. I don't think he'd shot a semi auto before.

The AR7 jammed a few times in the first few magazines, but got "broken in" very quickly and the jams disappeared. Very light little gun. I didn't shoot it a lot but suspect the accuracy is easily good enough for it's intended purpose.

By the time he was half a dozen mags in he was having a ball. Really like shooting his gun.

I'd brought my AR15 along but he thought that would be too much. He did take one shot with the Ruger GP 100 loaded with 38 special.

I got the impression that his father'd had really big guns and he shot them before he was really ready to do so. There was mention of a bloody nose. Yikes.

Anyway it was a good day and I think might be on the road to becoming a gun guy, at least a little.

Life is good.
Prof Young

darkgael · November 4, 2020, 07:13 AM

Nice to read about a positive experience like that....especially so in this day and age.
Thanks.

Rangerrich99 · November 4, 2020, 12:54 PM

I picked up an AR-7 about 20 years ago. Great little gun for what it is. Back in the days I would go fishing with just some rice and beans and that little rifle, I'd sometimes be able to take a rabbit or a grouse and add to my fish diet. Good times.

Nowadays my niece and nephew can't stop shooting that thing. Between me and them we've probably put more than 5,000 rounds through it. Probably will end up gifting it to one of them someday soon, and who knows, that little gun might outlive me.

hammie · November 5, 2020, 10:55 AM

I've always been interested in the AR-7, but could never figure out how to shoot it. There's no fore end. Assuming you're shooting right handed, where do you put your left hand? After a couple of magazines, the barrel is going to get hot.

Just trying to learn.

Rangerrich99 · November 5, 2020, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammie

I've always been interested in the AR-7, but could never figure out how to shoot it. There's no fore end. Assuming you're shooting right handed, where do you put your left hand? After a couple of magazines, the barrel is going to get hot.

Just trying to learn.

It doesn't really get hot. It's obviously a .22lr, so not much powder in the first place, plus you're not spraying and praying with it. Also it's about 2 lbs. So you don't need to grip it really. I just kind of lay the barrel in my left hand.

But I guess if you somehow shot it fast enough to get it hot, you could just place your off-hand in front of the magwell.

hammie · November 5, 2020, 01:52 PM

@ranger rich: I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I've never found it that difficult to heat up a .22 LR, semi-automatic barrel when plinking. By the original posters own account, the owner put at least 6 magazines through the rifle, plus what the poster fired. From my experience, that barrel would be hot by then. But maybe my memory exaggerates.

Regardless, I do like the AR-7's light weight, take down feature, and butt stock barrel stowage. I bet it would make a dandy survival rifle. Oh wait...

The bigger take away, is that "prof young" introduced a new person to the shooting sports. Unfortunately our demographics are shrinking and so good for prof young.

aarondhgraham · November 5, 2020, 02:51 PM

How many companies have produced that little shooter?

Way back in the mid-70's I had an Air Force friend who owned one,,,
I'm fairly certain that it was then made by Armalite,,,
But that was many many beers ago,,,
I could easily be wrong.

"Henry" didn't become a company until 1996,,,
I'm thinking (guessing) they are the third manufacturer.

If I'm correct,,,
Who was the second?

BTW,,,
Good on you Prof Young.

Aarond

.

hammie · November 5, 2020, 03:15 PM

@aarond: You're observant as always. I got curious, too. According to "wiki" the 2nd company was charter arms, although there seemed to be a few domestic and foreign militaries making copies and variants.

The more I read about the rifle, the more I'm considering getting one, assuming things calm down and they become available, or don't become an illegal "assault" rifle.

DukeConnor · November 5, 2020, 03:53 PM

I always wanted one of these but was scared off by the "jam o matic" comments I have read on line.

aarondhgraham · November 5, 2020, 05:08 PM

Thanks hammie,,,
I should have thought to Wiki it myself.

"I always wanted one of these but was scared off by the "jam o matic" comments I have read on line."

I've read those as well,,,
But I think they were the 1st generation model.

Reports for the Henry version have been much better.

I too think they are cute as all heck,,,
But for "cute" I've got my Beretta NEOS Carbine,,,
That's just about the same size and makes me smile to shoot it.

Aarond

.

cecILL · November 6, 2020, 07:25 AM

Sean Connery used an AR-7 in one of the early Bond movies.

aarondhgraham · November 6, 2020, 10:13 AM

"Sean Connery used an AR-7 in one of the early Bond movies."

Yeppers,,,
From Russia with Love
The best Bond movie ever in my not-so-humble opinion.

But,,,
I do remember them saying it was a .25 caliber.

I don't believe the AR-7 was ever chambered in anything other than .22 LR.

Aarond

.

Rangerrich99 · November 6, 2020, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammie

@ranger rich: I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I've never found it that difficult to heat up a .22 LR, semi-automatic barrel when plinking. By the original posters own account, the owner put at least 6 magazines through the rifle, plus what the poster fired. From my experience, that barrel would be hot by then. But maybe my memory exaggerates.

Regardless, I do like the AR-7's light weight, take down feature, and butt stock barrel stowage. I bet it would make a dandy survival rifle. Oh wait...

The bigger take away, is that "prof young" introduced a new person to the shooting sports. Unfortunately our demographics are shrinking and so good for prof young.

No worries. Just relating my experience with my AR-7. Never shot it fast enough to get the barrel hot enough to be a problem. And it has been a number of years since I've actually put more than a couple dozen rounds thru it at one time. Usually it only comes out when the kids are over, and they tend to monopolize all the trigger time with it. I just put the first couple mags thru it to ensure proper function and that the front sight is actually centered (it actually adjustable for windage), and then I have to hand it over.

FWIW, the kids tend to hold the front of the magwell with their fingers kind of cradling the barrel nut. TBH, they do basically the same thing with my Henry .22 lever; they hold it pretty close to the hinge on the lever. They never miss the pie plate so I've never bothered to try and teach them any different.

But I've never noticed the barrel getting hot enough to be uncomfortable, and I don't recall the kids ever complaining about it either. YMMV of course.

But as you say, the important part is that Prof got someone new to shooting excited about shooting.

hammie · November 6, 2020, 04:24 PM

@ranger rich: I'm sure you're totally spot on. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As for the jam-omatic claims, apparently that stems from the magazine providing the feed ramp for the AR-7. Henry re-designed the magazine which seemed to solve the reliability issues.

I've been trying to think of other rifles in this niche. There's the browning semi-auto, ruger makes a takedown version of the 10/22, and there's the marlin papoose, which is out of production. However none of those have the light weight and stowability of the AR-7.

"prof young" is a good guy. I've been following with interest his tribulations with his .25 ACP Bauer in the smithy section here.

Rangerrich99 · November 6, 2020, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammie

@ranger rich: I'm sure you're totally spot on. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As for the jam-omatic claims, apparently that stems from the magazine providing the feed ramp for the AR-7. Henry re-designed the magazine which seemed to solve the reliability issues.

I've been trying to think of other rifles in this niche. There's the browning semi-auto, ruger makes a takedown version of the 10/22, and there's the marlin papoose, which is out of production. However none of those have the light weight and stowability of the AR-7.

"prof young" is a good guy. I've been following with interest his tribulations with his .25 ACP Bauer in the smithy section here.

My AR-7 did have some feeding issues early on, so I'm not surprised by the references of it being a jam-o-matic. But for mine, these problems went away after several hundred rounds. And it was about one or two jams per 2-3 mags or so, nothing like some of the things I've read.

I think as long as people understand what it is and what it is not, it's a great little gun. And a lot of fun.

Rangerrich99 · November 6, 2020, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aarondhgraham

"Sean Connery used an AR-7 in one of the early Bond movies."

Yeppers,,,
From Russia with Love
The best Bond movie ever in my not-so-humble opinion.

But,,,
I do remember them saying it was a .25 caliber.

I don't believe the AR-7 was ever chambered in anything other than .22 LR.

Aarond

.

Just wait. Henry is planning on introducing a .44 magnum version next summer . . .

Shadow9mm · November 7, 2020, 10:59 AM

That's awesome. Glad to hear they had fun. Once they get used to shooting tell them to buy a few boxes of assorted 22s, some will shoot better than others, I have always had good luck with cci standard velocity. After some practice and with the right ammo it might end up being a tack driver. And good on you for not pushing them into bigger guns. Let them have fun and shoot what they enjoy!

Prof Young · November 7, 2020, 09:06 PM

Shadow:

Good advice. I actually sent him home with four boxes of different kinds of 22 ammo that I'd gleaned from my stash.

Life is good.
Prof Young

darkgael · November 10, 2020, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammie

@aarond: You're observant as always. I got curious, too. According to "wiki" the 2nd company was charter arms, although there seemed to be a few domestic and foreign militaries making copies and variants.

The more I read about the rifle, the more I'm considering getting one, assuming things calm down and they become available, or don't become an illegal "assault" rifle.

I had a Charter Arms Version for awhile. I gave it to one of my sons who keeps it on his boat out in CA.

Warhammer · November 10, 2020, 11:42 AM

I'm planning on picking up an AR7 soon, so I've been studying them a bit. Most shooters don't place their support hand on the barrel (where another rifle would have a fore end), but use a grip on the mag well, just above the magazine with the barrel collar resting atop their hand. The barrel itself is a steel liner sleeved in plastic, so it will have some insulative properties. It won't heat up as much as an all steel barrel. Plus, we're only talking about 8-round magazines. You won't be doing 25 round mag dumps with rapid mag changes like if you were shooting a 10/22 or Charger. My only wish is that Henry offered it with a threaded barrel. AR-7.com sells them in the $100-$120 range, but they are all sold out.

**4V50 Gary** · November 10, 2020, 01:32 PM

The impressive thing about the AR are the internal parts. Most of them can be made by hand. That's great in a sticky situation.

bamaranger · November 10, 2020, 04:18 PM

I bought bamaboy the version made by Henry , when he was 12 yrs or so. That was 13 years ago (geez). Prior that he had a single shot Cricket. We shot the AR-7 a bit, but not that much. What shooting we have done has been with Rem golden bullet bulk, and the little rifle was accurate enough for what it was, and reliable. It's in his safe now.

I was lucky enough to find a couple of spare mags for it, they too will store in the butt. That provided one 25 rounds or so on board at all times. I generally would break the rifle down and throw it in the trunk when we traveled, along with a sealed brick of ammo.

darkgael · November 12, 2020, 06:26 AM

“Other rifles in this niche”

Springfield’s M6 survival O/U.

berettaprofessor · November 15, 2020, 09:39 PM

Quote:

My only wish is that Henry offered it with a threaded barrel. AR-7.com sells them in the $100-$120 range, but they are all sold out.

See the Tacticool link below: I have them for several rifles...they work well.

https://www.tacticool22.com/product/...dapter-1-2-28/

Warhammer · November 16, 2020, 11:10 AM

Thanks, berettaprofessor!

I had seen those before, but I was curious as to whether they work well or not.

November 3, 2020, 11:10 PM	#1
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Shot the Henry AR7 survival rifle. Took a friend to the range today with his brand new Henry AR7. He's not a gun guy and doesn't hunt, but somehow the AR7 intrigued him. His father had been a gun guy and he'd shot some as a kid. But the father's hobby didn't take. Anyway, I took him to my range as a guest on my life time membership. He had a few questions, but clearly had read the manual. He ask me to confirm that racking the slide would chamber the first bullet. I don't think he'd shot a semi auto before. The AR7 jammed a few times in the first few magazines, but got "broken in" very quickly and the jams disappeared. Very light little gun. I didn't shoot it a lot but suspect the accuracy is easily good enough for it's intended purpose. By the time he was half a dozen mags in he was having a ball. Really like shooting his gun. I'd brought my AR15 along but he thought that would be too much. He did take one shot with the Ruger GP 100 loaded with 38 special. I got the impression that his father'd had really big guns and he shot them before he was really ready to do so. There was mention of a bloody nose. Yikes. Anyway it was a good day and I think might be on the road to becoming a gun guy, at least a little. Life is good. Prof Young

November 4, 2020, 07:13 AM	#2
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Nice to read about a positive experience like that....especially so in this day and age. Thanks. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

November 5, 2020, 01:52 PM	#6
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@ranger rich: I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I've never found it that difficult to heat up a .22 LR, semi-automatic barrel when plinking. By the original posters own account, the owner put at least 6 magazines through the rifle, plus what the poster fired. From my experience, that barrel would be hot by then. But maybe my memory exaggerates. Regardless, I do like the AR-7's light weight, take down feature, and butt stock barrel stowage. I bet it would make a dandy survival rifle. Oh wait... The bigger take away, is that "prof young" introduced a new person to the shooting sports. Unfortunately our demographics are shrinking and so good for prof young. Last edited by hammie; November 5, 2020 at 02:00 PM.

November 5, 2020, 02:51 PM	#7
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	How many companies have produced that little shooter? Way back in the mid-70's I had an Air Force friend who owned one,,, I'm fairly certain that it was then made by Armalite,,, But that was many many beers ago,,, I could easily be wrong. "Henry" didn't become a company until 1996,,, I'm thinking (guessing) they are the third manufacturer. If I'm correct,,, Who was the second? BTW,,, Good on you Prof Young. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

November 5, 2020, 05:08 PM	#10
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Thanks hammie,,, I should have thought to Wiki it myself. "I always wanted one of these but was scared off by the "jam o matic" comments I have read on line." I've read those as well,,, But I think they were the 1st generation model. Reports for the Henry version have been much better. I too think they are cute as all heck,,, But for "cute" I've got my Beretta NEOS Carbine,,, That's just about the same size and makes me smile to shoot it. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

November 4, 2020, 12:54 PM	#3
Rangerrich99 Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2014 Location: Kinda near Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,254	I picked up an AR-7 about 20 years ago. Great little gun for what it is. Back in the days I would go fishing with just some rice and beans and that little rifle, I'd sometimes be able to take a rabbit or a grouse and add to my fish diet. Good times. Nowadays my niece and nephew can't stop shooting that thing. Between me and them we've probably put more than 5,000 rounds through it. Probably will end up gifting it to one of them someday soon, and who knows, that little gun might outlive me.

November 5, 2020, 10:55 AM	#4
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	I've always been interested in the AR-7, but could never figure out how to shoot it. There's no fore end. Assuming you're shooting right handed, where do you put your left hand? After a couple of magazines, the barrel is going to get hot. Just trying to learn.

November 5, 2020, 03:15 PM	#8
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@aarond: You're observant as always. I got curious, too. According to "wiki" the 2nd company was charter arms, although there seemed to be a few domestic and foreign militaries making copies and variants. The more I read about the rifle, the more I'm considering getting one, assuming things calm down and they become available, or don't become an illegal "assault" rifle.

November 5, 2020, 03:53 PM	#9
DukeConnor Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2016 Posts: 224	I always wanted one of these but was scared off by the "jam o matic" comments I have read on line.

November 6, 2020, 07:25 AM	#11
cecILL Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2001 Location: central IL Posts: 769	Sean Connery used an AR-7 in one of the early Bond movies.

November 6, 2020, 10:13 AM	#12
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello cecILL,,, "Sean Connery used an AR-7 in one of the early Bond movies." Yeppers,,, From Russia with Love The best Bond movie ever in my not-so-humble opinion. But,,, I do remember them saying it was a .25 caliber. I don't believe the AR-7 was ever chambered in anything other than .22 LR. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

November 6, 2020, 04:24 PM	#14
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@ranger rich: I'm sure you're totally spot on. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As for the jam-omatic claims, apparently that stems from the magazine providing the feed ramp for the AR-7. Henry re-designed the magazine which seemed to solve the reliability issues. I've been trying to think of other rifles in this niche. There's the browning semi-auto, ruger makes a takedown version of the 10/22, and there's the marlin papoose, which is out of production. However none of those have the light weight and stowability of the AR-7. "prof young" is a good guy. I've been following with interest his tribulations with his .25 ACP Bauer in the smithy section here.

November 7, 2020, 10:59 AM	#17
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,969	That's awesome. Glad to hear they had fun. Once they get used to shooting tell them to buy a few boxes of assorted 22s, some will shoot better than others, I have always had good luck with cci standard velocity. After some practice and with the right ammo it might end up being a tack driver. And good on you for not pushing them into bigger guns. Let them have fun and shoot what they enjoy! __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.

November 7, 2020, 09:06 PM	#18
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Sent him home with ammo . . . Shadow: Good advice. I actually sent him home with four boxes of different kinds of 22 ammo that I'd gleaned from my stash. Life is good. Prof Young

November 10, 2020, 11:42 AM	#20
Warhammer Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2009 Location: North Texas Posts: 163	I'm planning on picking up an AR7 soon, so I've been studying them a bit. Most shooters don't place their support hand on the barrel (where another rifle would have a fore end), but use a grip on the mag well, just above the magazine with the barrel collar resting atop their hand. The barrel itself is a steel liner sleeved in plastic, so it will have some insulative properties. It won't heat up as much as an all steel barrel. Plus, we're only talking about 8-round magazines. You won't be doing 25 round mag dumps with rapid mag changes like if you were shooting a 10/22 or Charger. My only wish is that Henry offered it with a threaded barrel. AR-7.com sells them in the $100-$120 range, but they are all sold out.

November 10, 2020, 01:32 PM	#21
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	The impressive thing about the AR are the internal parts. Most of them can be made by hand. That's great in a sticky situation. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

November 10, 2020, 04:18 PM	#22
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,303	ours I bought bamaboy the version made by Henry , when he was 12 yrs or so. That was 13 years ago (geez). Prior that he had a single shot Cricket. We shot the AR-7 a bit, but not that much. What shooting we have done has been with Rem golden bullet bulk, and the little rifle was accurate enough for what it was, and reliable. It's in his safe now. I was lucky enough to find a couple of spare mags for it, they too will store in the butt. That provided one 25 rounds or so on board at all times. I generally would break the rifle down and throw it in the trunk when we traveled, along with a sealed brick of ammo.

November 12, 2020, 06:26 AM	#23
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	“Other rifles in this niche” Springfield’s M6 survival O/U. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

November 16, 2020, 11:10 AM	#25
Warhammer Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2009 Location: North Texas Posts: 163	Thanks, berettaprofessor! I had seen those before, but I was curious as to whether they work well or not.