Howdy All,
I thought I'd share a little project I've embarked on recently.
I have a Henry model X big boy in 45colt. It's perfect in just about every way. Thinking I'd like something with a little more power for hunting I picked up a Model X in 30-30. My plan was to use it with a can to save what little hearing I have left. (machine guns, explosives, and rock concerts have left me with pretty profound hearing loss)
First thing I noticed when unboxing is that this thing is longer than Dad's Kentucky long rifle. At 21.3" inches + a can it's unwieldy to the point of being useless to carry in the field.
After doing some research I've seen a couple that have been chopped down to the 16 mark which is the same as the big boy.
However, I haven't seen a Henry in 30-30x getting this treatment. I realize I'll lose a couple hundred FPS but not enough to make a huge difference at 200yds or so. I've got a 94 winchester in 16" and it's a tack driver, so it's not like I'm in uncharted territory. It's top eject so no option for scope, and it's too nice to modify like this though.
I've cut barrels on a lathe before with great results but wanted to see if this is something I could do from a DYI perspective.
I've already got muzzle facing tools for barrel repair and annular cutters from some previous izmash conversions. I even have the Henry double 45deg muzzle cutter, though I'm thinking the 11 deg may be better, especially as a permanent host for the can.
I'd even thought about going shorter and doing a pin and weld on the can, but it'd be losing too much velocity. I'm thinking it'll be somewhere around 1750 fps with the can. That should still be enough to open up a projectile reliably.
The plan is:
Cut it down using a hacksaw
Cut the nominal diameter with the annular cutter
Clean up the muzzle with a cutter
Thread it using a guided die
One thing I dislike about the Henry's is the barrel overhang from the magazine tube. So I'm going to reduce that offset down to ~1/2" from 2". This puts the cap just behind the shoulder.
I don't care about using the tube's loading port since it has a side gate.
I've got all my measurements and am ready to start cutting as time permits.
I'll post up some pics of the progress, but I'm wondering has anyone else undertaken such a seemingly crazy idea?
The Henry is brand new, and I do feel a little nutty for doing it to a $1k rifle. However, there's no way I'd ever use this rifle as I intended in its current state.
I just thought someone may have been there done that or may be interested in such a project.
Will keep you posted.
I thought I'd share a little project I've embarked on recently.
I have a Henry model X big boy in 45colt. It's perfect in just about every way. Thinking I'd like something with a little more power for hunting I picked up a Model X in 30-30. My plan was to use it with a can to save what little hearing I have left. (machine guns, explosives, and rock concerts have left me with pretty profound hearing loss)
First thing I noticed when unboxing is that this thing is longer than Dad's Kentucky long rifle. At 21.3" inches + a can it's unwieldy to the point of being useless to carry in the field.
After doing some research I've seen a couple that have been chopped down to the 16 mark which is the same as the big boy.
However, I haven't seen a Henry in 30-30x getting this treatment. I realize I'll lose a couple hundred FPS but not enough to make a huge difference at 200yds or so. I've got a 94 winchester in 16" and it's a tack driver, so it's not like I'm in uncharted territory. It's top eject so no option for scope, and it's too nice to modify like this though.
I've cut barrels on a lathe before with great results but wanted to see if this is something I could do from a DYI perspective.
I've already got muzzle facing tools for barrel repair and annular cutters from some previous izmash conversions. I even have the Henry double 45deg muzzle cutter, though I'm thinking the 11 deg may be better, especially as a permanent host for the can.
I'd even thought about going shorter and doing a pin and weld on the can, but it'd be losing too much velocity. I'm thinking it'll be somewhere around 1750 fps with the can. That should still be enough to open up a projectile reliably.
The plan is:
Cut it down using a hacksaw
Cut the nominal diameter with the annular cutter
Clean up the muzzle with a cutter
Thread it using a guided die
One thing I dislike about the Henry's is the barrel overhang from the magazine tube. So I'm going to reduce that offset down to ~1/2" from 2". This puts the cap just behind the shoulder.
I don't care about using the tube's loading port since it has a side gate.
I've got all my measurements and am ready to start cutting as time permits.
I'll post up some pics of the progress, but I'm wondering has anyone else undertaken such a seemingly crazy idea?
The Henry is brand new, and I do feel a little nutty for doing it to a $1k rifle. However, there's no way I'd ever use this rifle as I intended in its current state.
I just thought someone may have been there done that or may be interested in such a project.
Will keep you posted.
