Spoon musings

[J P Stein]

Thanks for the info, Jeff. "Junk" is relative, me thinks. To me guns are a tool, or in this case a wall ornament, not a religion. Sure, I want it to work but spending more twice the money for a Winchester is not in cards.

In one of D. Hackworth's books he cites an instance about Nam while they were building a bunker or sumthin'. They dug up a decomposed VC that had an AK-47 with him.
Hackworth grabbed the AK , wiped of the dirt with his hand ,and said (hold my beer?) "Now watch this.", racked in a round and emptied the magazine. Now that is a tool...junk or no.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by J P Stein

... or in this case a wall ornament, not a religion. Sure, I want it to work but spending more twice the money for a Winchester is not in cards.
....

I've always thought Marlins were even better than Winchesters, and you'll pay a premium for either. Did the Henry have an octogonal barrel? My .22lr does, and "they're cooler than snakes" for a wall hanger imo.

ps: Guns aren't tools...I am a tool

[J P Stein]

Yes, it has the octagon barrel and the price is friendly......according to my searching. They also had a couple of Henry .22s.... LR & .22 mag.......gotta take another look at those. The .22mag just may be the ticket.

I think my old Remington 700 7mm Mag ( gotta look that model number up....it has the wood bottom 5 round magazine) with a 4 power Bushnell scope will be excess to my needs...with ammo....if anyone is interested.

[KFC911]

Them "Golden Boys" sure are purty , why not just go with a .22lr if I may ask?

[J P Stein]

Originally Posted by KC911

Them "Golden Boys" sure are purty , why not just go with a .22lr if I may ask?

I got a drawer full of ammo of various calibers....no plan just catch as catch can. This plan is devolving into some swapping out /selling to get "things" organized. Plan B (or C) is now to get stuff into .357Mag. or something The .45 Sig is going back to my son and the 7mm Mag to whomever.

So, its a Golden Boy and a revolver in one caliber. I'm leaning towards .357/.38 Spl at the moment. The shorty shotspoon stays....even tho the wife won't get near it & it don't fit under my pillow.

[sammyg2]

Dude, you need a goose gun.
I gotta 12 gauge goose gun with an 18" barrel and pistol grip that holds 7 rounds.
Ya gotta sneak up real close to them gooses to use it though.

[J P Stein]

I gots one of themens', Sammy. With some practice poke & hope works close enuff....kinda like horse shoes & hand grenades

[sammyg2]

Iffn you get close enuff to the gooses you don't even hafta hit em. The sound will knock em out.

Funny thing, I tried shooting it like rambo once holding it with one hand kinda from the hip.
Didn't work like in the movies.
Prolly won't do that again even though most of the feeling has returned.

[Jeff Higgins]

I guess I'm not sure why you asked for advice, then. It sounds like you had already made up your mind before you started this thread.

Oh well, if it's going to spend most of its time hanging on the wall, a Henry might be "good enough". At least for some folks. It does, after all, fill a certain niche in the firearms world, in the same way a Trans Am Firebird does in the automotive world.

Anyhoo, I wish I could talk you out of it. I just think you would be happier in the long run with a Marlin. I think you would be surprised if you shopped around the used market at just how little you have to spend to get a good one. Three or four hundred bucks will buy you a pretty darn fine used Marlin.

The .38 / .357 is a great choice. Believe it or not, cheap .38 Special ammo can be had for less than most .22 WMR ammo. The .38 Special typically shoots better, too. Lots more fun to plink with as well, as that big, slow moving slug launches the tin cans, bowling pins, or whatever with far more authority.

It's also pretty darn surprising just what some very specialized .357 loads can do from a lever gun. It can, believe it or not, be right on the heels of the .30-30. Hard to believe, with the size difference in their respective cases, but a couple of loading manuals list recipes that will get you there. As such, I wouldn't hesitate to hunt deer with a .357 lever gun. That's pretty darn good versatility.

Oh, and I have never met a knowledgeable shooter who would call an AK-47 "junk". Funny you would bring that rifle up, though, as I think it illustrates an important point. Its fit and finish certainly isn't that of finer sporting arms, or even most military arms. It's bad enough that most folks who lack any in-depth knowledge of firearms would instantly label it as "junk" on its looks alone. The more knowledgeable, however, understand its "beauty" is far more than "skin deep". It's built to a purpose, with no corners cut, but certainly no needless frills or adornments. It's one of the most rugged, most functional battle rifles of all time. One could say it's all "go" and no "show".

At the other end of the firearms spectrum, we see guns like the Henry. Its "beauty" is, quite literally, "skin deep". Less knowledgeable shooters see it and think "what a pretty rifle", where the more knowledgeable look deeper and see poor materials, manufacturing shortcuts, and mechanically poor quality. All of the effort went into exterior finish, into "bling". Shooters recognize that, as evidenced by how little used Henrys hold their value.

[KFC911]

Jeff, don't take it personal man....as I stated earlier, you're simply in another league compared to most of us, and I mean that with utmost respect when it comes to spoons. Whether it's my Craftsman tools, fishin' rods, or spoons, someone who is REALLY into it would prefer the "ultimate" whereas a casual user can get by with less...there's nothing wrong with that imo. BTW, changing the subject back to my Marlin's feeding problem. I've heard about polishing feed ramps and the like...do you have any recommendations for me (after I run a couple hundred rounds through it) if it doesn't improve significantly?

[J P Stein]

Jeff:
I was looking for specific short commings....breakage, feed problems, and/or jamming...hopefully based in personal experience. You've given generalities. "Junk" consisting of sheet metal (which brought up the AK), poor materials, and inferred poor workmanship (again the AK). I wouldn't want an AK hanging on my wall nor a Trans AM either.

I am not a serious shooter. I gave that up after my stint with Uncle Sugar and handed back my M-14. After knocking down all the tergets at 450 meters with iron sights, I backed off to make sure I stayed mid-pack. No expert badge for me.

I'll go back to auctionarms and see if I can find a cheep Henry. Thanks for the tip.
Their prices there didn't seem as friendly as the local spoon shop....but I'll look again.

[J P Stein]

KC911:
I went to the spoonstore again today & checked out the Henry .44 & .22 MAGs.
Both have solid brass receivers. The store guy said some of the .22 have a "what they call plated" receiver.

It appears that the cartridge chamber on the big boys is part of the steel barrel.....figures.
I didn't take it apart and this is what I could see looking into the ejection port.
Now I'm looking for a .357 Mag revolver. I'm thinking Ruger with a 5" (or so ) barrel. What say you?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by J P Stein

...Now I'm looking for a .357 Mag revolver. I'm thinking Ruger with a 5" (or so ) barrel. What say you?

I'm actually going to defer to Higgins on this one...but I think he'll enthusiastically approve. Seriously though, I've had my S&W M27 6.5" barrel (pinned and recessed for Tabby's approval) since I was 18 also, but I'm no expert. Ruger's make some fine spoons still, I do believe. Double Action or SA...if it's SA, this thread (after Jeff responds) could end up costing me $ as I don't own a SA (and they sure go with a lever spoon).

ps: I learned a LONG time ago to stay out of spoon shops...as is evidenced by the two levers that followed me home recently after I wandered in. I'm gonna have to quit reading these spoon threads too...you guys are a BAD, BAD influence !

[J P Stein]

I normally go to the spoonstore only for fishn' gear but I've been peekin' at those Henrys for a long while.....I too am easily led astray. They don't carry hand guns, just rifles. In respect of your sensibilities I'll not start any more threads on the hand gun section of this journey. I dunno what I'll do tho. The fount of all knowledge is here.