Henry Pump 22LR vs. bolt action 22LR

[Hopper]

Dilemma time. Sort of.

I don't know why, but I've been absolutely intrigued lately by the Henry Pump Octagon in 22LR. I've got a Golden Boy (22LR) and Big Boy Steel (357), so I'm a Henry fan. Also a huge fan of Ruger Rifles, and not long ago I had a chance to really look over an American bolt action in 22LR with the wood stock. It was the stainless barrel model, and with the wood finish it was fetching to look at and the bolt had a very pleasant action to it.

I like the bolt for lots of reasons - seemingly better lockup = better accuracy, and LOTS easier to take apart and clean. And I'm a cleaning freak, I keep my stuff ready to put back in a display case after every outing. I also like that the Ruger American will take the same BX mags I have for the RPR and 10/22.

The Henry pump gets a bit of criticism for the action being pretty stiff at first. I watched a disassembly video, and just like the Golden Boy lever action there's quite a bit more going on to tear it down and maintain it. Though I realize most of the gunk is going down the barrel with either a bolt or lever/pump so it doesn't need to be overly tended to after each outing regardless which way you go. I'm also seeing that because the pump tolerances need to be just a bit looser, accuracy isn't quite as good as the bolt option. But mag compatibility is irrelevant since it's tube-fed.

I like that the pump would seem to have quicker follow-up shots since your hand is right on the stock, where a lever takes your hand off the business end to cycle in the next round. The Ruger American would lend itself better to mounting a scope where the Henry pump is something I'd probably leave with the factory iron sights.

My head leans towards the bolt. My heart thinks the pump would be a hoot. Oh, and FWIW, I've got the RPR (bolt) and Golden Boy (lever), so the pump would sort of fill a diversity gap.

If you've read this far, sorry for the ramble... what does the "Long Guns" crowd have to say?

 

[snapping turtle]

I would look used for a true pump or a good bolt from days gone by. Winchester 62a rem 12 or 572 fieldmaster for the pumps.
Remington 512 514 541 Winchester 67 69 52 browning a bolt or t bolt.

The cash outlay is higher but these things were made to survive and will increase in value over the newer version. I believe they were better made. More accurate (at least a few of them like the 541 and model 52. Cash outlay for say a model 67 Winchester were easy on the pocket to expensive for a Boy Scout version. Some of the model 12’s were true gallery guns so could be shot out.

Rossi imported a rather nice 22 pump for a few years then changed the design slightly and I heard of some pump issues with the newer ones.

 

[snapping turtle]

The best part is the hunt to find a good one. Let’s you go to gun shows and yard sales all the time looking for the right one. Anyone can go get the new ones at the local sporting goods store or new gun shop

 

[JEBland]

Personally, I'd go Henry pump over a Ruger American Rimfire bolt, but I don't own a Henry in the pump action. If you already own the RPR, from what I've read the only thing to gain is the magazine compatibility.

For the Rem pump: I bought a Rem 572 pump so I could install the same deflector as on the 552. They've commonly got issues that can be a little weird to diagnose (got mine narrowed down to a slightly bent action bar from the previous owner who sold it with disclosure of the battery issue). Wish I'd saved an extra bit and waited to find a nice deal or lost my impulse control on a Henry pump, to be honest.

I don't care for the rear sight that comes on the Ruger American Rimfire with a blued barrel with synthetic stock. My little Henry lever 22 has a notch in the rear buckhorn window that allows more precise aiming than seems like a wide rear notch on the RAR's rear sight. I'm not a top marksman, but I found it frustrating on the RAR when aiming is so easy with the Henry in comparison. Purchased some tech-sights for a GI-type peep to at least give me something to play with, but that's adding $80 to the cost of the gun. EGW rails for the RAR are a nice thing, but can easily get stuff for scope mounting on a Henry as well, so I'm not sure how much that'll really change for you. Here's a cool YouTube playlist from a guy accurizing his RAR:

(Spoiler: he rechambers it.)

Several reviewers people don't get much benefit from the RAR compared to even a run-of-the-mill 10/22. You have an RPR for fine accuracy. The Henry page has four squirrels lined up with a naked Henry (irons only) - good enough. I bought mine used and it's worth what I paid for it, but if I were buying a bolt 22 new I'd save up a little longer and buy something a cut above like your RPR is.

Bottom line: if the Henry pump has the same/similar sights as my lever, which I'll assume are the same on your golden boy because I'm too lazy to look it up at this hour, the sights just work better on the Henry for me. I'd personally go with the Henry pump.

YMMV

 

[BMWRich]

I’ve a Henry .22 pump,....Fun Fun Fun!
If you love your GoldenBoy, you’ll love a Henry pump.
It’s action might not be a Winchester of old but will still scratch that itch! (will “wear in” with use)
It’s, affordable, fun, looks cool and the warranty is second to none.
Now go get one!
Pump is on the left of my GB.

 

[Gingerbeardman]

I'll add my .02. If you're buying for accuracy, bolt. If you're buying for fun, pump. If you like to display your Henrys, pump. A pump .22 is a blast to shoot, slightly more fun than a lever in my opinion, but if I want to shoot long range, that's not the one I grab. If you already have a precision piece, the other bolt won't compare. In short, get a pump!

 

[Hopper]

Appreciate the comments from everyone, thank you! And it appears unanimous across the board except for that nagging voice in my head telling me to be practical.

But it's kinda like buying a Jeep. Life is too short to be practical ALL the time; there's nothing wrong with having a little fun on the journeys we've been blessed with. So now the search begins!

 

[Jaybird1980]

Some things are just plain fun and a pump .22 is one of those things. You already have a bolt gun.

 

[Twangbanger]

If you get the pump, would love to hear your thoughts about it. I've been eyeing that one.

 

[Hopper]

Henry Pump is now in the house!! I'm excited about this and and plan to beat on it next weekend like it owes me money. Shout out to IN Gun Club for having it in stock and giving me a bit of a price break for a cash deal.

I've given the barrel a quick patch cleaning with some Bore Snake Venom (might be snake oil but I've had decent results with it), and given the bolt a very light coat of Slip 2000 oil.

Henry didn't install the bottom screw in the pump stock, and the side screws were inserted but not tightened down at all. No big deal, just a few minutes with the right-sized flathead screwdriver and I'm in business.

The sights seem ok based on my laser bore. I think the next question is to scope it or leave it open iron sights.

The action is not quite as stiff as reviews made it sound.

Side-by-Side with the Golden Boy:

 

[Noble Sniper]

Congrats those are great 22’s!!!!!

 

[Hopper]

I promised @Twangbanger an update, and it's ALL good! Oh my was this an absolute HOOT today. Not a single mishap. And I was using some Armscor 22LR that I was gifted for Christmas a couple years ago. Kinda dirty and waxy, but the Henry ate up every single round.

I've seen more than a few comments that the Henry pump is kind of stiff. I don't have any experience with some of the other gallery-style guns (like Winchesters) to compare it to, so I suppose I'm a little biased but I didn't find the action difficult to cycle at all.

I gave it a pretty thorough cleaning this evening. I didn't completely tear it down but did remove the receiver cover and the bolt. Not too terrible to get back together (I had watched a Henry video ahead of time), but I will say removing the cover to clean the bolt wasn't necessary as it wasn't all that dirty. The manual even says you don't have to, but I couldn't resist. The barrel of course was filthy, but under the hood wasn't that bad. Something I'll probably do maybe every 3rd or 4th outing depending on round count.

All in all, this was a HUGE thumbs-up! Every bit as fun as a lever, and for sure quicker follow-up shots because your hands never leave the business ends of the rifle.

 

[22ishplinkster]

This is going to be a hot take, but an idea for you is to throw a red dot or prism sight in that bad boy and go to town! An ACSS reticle comes to mind.

 

[22ishplinkster]

Oh and when does your bolt piece come in? You surely need to complement your pump action with a nice CZ

 

[Twangbanger]

I promised @Twangbanger an update, and it's ALL good! Oh my was this an absolute HOOT today. Not a single mishap. And I was using some Armscor 22LR that I was gifted for Christmas a couple years ago. Kinda dirty and waxy, but the Henry ate up every single round.

I've seen more than a few comments that the Henry pump is kind of stiff. I don't have any experience with some of the other gallery-style guns (like Winchesters) to compare it to, so I suppose I'm a little biased but I didn't find the action difficult to cycle at all.

I gave it a pretty thorough cleaning this evening. I didn't completely tear it down but did remove the receiver cover and the bolt. Not too terrible to get back together (I had watched a Henry video ahead of time), but I will say removing the cover to clean the bolt wasn't necessary as it wasn't all that dirty. The manual even says you don't have to, but I couldn't resist. The barrel of course was filthy, but under the hood wasn't that bad. Something I'll probably do maybe every 3rd or 4th outing depending on round count.

All in all, this was a HUGE thumbs-up! Every bit as fun as a lever, and for sure quicker follow-up shots because your hands never leave the business ends of the rifle.

I like that. Have you filled it full of shorts yet? A friend had an old pump 22, and damn if I couldn't empty that durn thing without short-shucking it one time...

Would you say the action is as slick as their levers?

 

[Hopper]

I like that. Have you filled it full of shorts yet? A friend had an old pump 22, and damn if I couldn't empty that durn thing without short-shucking it one time...

Would you say the action is as slick as their levers?

Nahh, the pump isn't nearly as slick as the lever on the Golden Boy. But it's a different type of action, and the pump has to move the same-sized bolt back with a different geometry than the lever does.

But still, SUPER fun! And no problems with short-stroking the pump at all. I haven't tried shorts, it was a 22LR day, but if I see some shorts I want to pick some up and try them out!

 

[doddg]

I appreciate your dilemma.
I have had two Henry Lever action.
The last one I bought from a member here & I wish I would've kept it.

Since I like to shoot paper for accuracy I found the lever action to be distracting in that regard.

Picked up a Henry pump summer of 2020, just for fun.
I took the scope off b/c it wasn't in the same league as others I had
but it did OK.
I put a red dot on it and just have a blast shooting steel at 100 yards with it.

It's been on my list of rifles to sell,
but
it is fun fun fun & I just haven't parted with it yet!

 

[Mongo59]

One day it will be as old as this one here. This is a 'Premier' that was made by no less than three different companies in the day. Smooth pump, take down and if you look real close on the top tang just behind the receiver it has a cocking indicator. These were big just before the depression and then like most things it dwindled. They are considered rare now but come in multiple variations mostly from Savage and Mossberg. This one is a Savage. The finish on these feels 'sandblasted', they had a name for it but I am old...