As I was wandering along the Gunny Trail, I happened upon this new thing:
It’s from Henry Rifles, and they’ve apparently created a new department called “Special Products Division” (SPD). This particular model is known as the HUSH line.
“Why ‘HUSH’, Kim?”
Thought you’d never ask.
Long Time Readers will be all too aware of my antipathy towards plastic stocks, and especially so when used on classic rifles like Murka’s own lever action repeater.
I have to say, though, that this one’s not that horrible when there’s a suppressor attached (although how well a suppressor is going to work on the booming .45-70 Govt cartridge remains to be seen).
Let’s just say that when suppressors are freed from the stupid red tape and registration nonsense (not to mention the average cop’s hostile attitude towards them), I would be tempted — not towards a .45-70 Govt chambering (as pictured), but certainly the .357 Mag model — and certainly still more if I were to shoot the Hornady Critical Defense 110gr light loads — which achieve just over 1,000 fps out of a 4″ revolver… now imagine them emerging from that 24″ barrel, suppressed.
Excuse me, I need to take a quick cold shower.
Sorry. Anyway, I’m not saying I’m going to become a Plastic Fantastic fanboi anytime soon. But there’s just something about that HUSH rifle that intrigues me.
Being Henry and Made In The USA, these rifles are gonna be spendy, my guess in the almost-two grand area, but these are the times we live in.
The plastic stocks garner no affection because they simply are not beautiful. Wood grain is individual to that piece of wood and can take on a beauty of its own. Plastic is utilitarian and bland which is good feature on a hardworking tool.
I’m not well versed on sound suppressors but it has been my understanding that you want the cartridge to typically move slower so it doesn’t approach the sound barrier. I would think that a 45/70 would do very well with a suppressor. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Unless you are shooting loads made to 19th century standards, you are exceeding the sound barrier by a lot. My 405-grain jacketed flat nose from Buffalo Bore have a muzzle velocity of 2000 FPS
How many people do you find lugging around a wood stock on rough country hunts, whether we like or not the plastic stocks are here to stay with rough service weapons. You can always keep the wood and reinstall at a later date. For a hog/deer, rifle you throw in the truck this is a great option. There are some videos with guys shooting sub-sonics with a can and they are very quiet. I have a Marlin 95 45/70 with blue and wood but a brushed stainless with plastic, optics and a can will be the next add to the list.
I like all guns (can’t be helped) but I like some guns more.
I like this’n, with or without can, and the bigger the caliber the better.
I recently purchased a Henry Big Boy model X which is very similar in appearance to the hush series. It has all the features I wanted (side loading, fiber optic sights, threaded barrel, and nicely proportioned lever. To my delight, Henry also sells beautiful wooden stocks for this carbine that are a perfect fit. For an additional $125, my new Henry is now beautiful too.
I’m with you, that in a .357 would be much better.
Let’s see, I’ve got one, two, three, uhh, four and five, hmm, does that count? Maybe? Six lever actions already (lost in that canoe accident). So she probably won’t notice if I put a seventh in there.
Any bigger straight wall pistol cartridge, 45 lC, 44Mag, 41Mag, 357Mag, even 38Spl all are assisted with the longer barrel. Also the pistol cartridges are a lot less spendy which is nice. I wonder when they try and bring out 45/90, 50/90, 50/100, 50/110 back out for those that have to have the biggest beast in the cage.
I think the 38 special has the same issue as the .22LR in that the powder charge is completely consumed before the bullet exits the barrel of a rifle, meaning that for the last several inches the bullet is no longer accelerating and basically coasting before exiting the barrel. The magnums however see a much bigger improvement as they usually have more powder and hotter powder. I have a Rossi model 92 in .357 and you can tell the difference between 38’s and 357’s. Either way, that Rossi is a fun fun rifle.
I’d even be tempted to deer hunt with the .357, although a .44 mag would be more appropriate.
It’s not coasting, it’s actively being decelerated by friction with the barrel and rifling, which is pretty considerable if you’ve ever had to hammer out a bullet stuck partway down the barrel after a squib round. Granted, you’re having overcome static friction each time and don’t spend much time against the lower dynamic friction, but it’s still considerable.
I’m sort of agnostic about that. I love wood stocks but its not a deal breaker. I remember SOTI somewhere ( I think Lucky Gunner) that Henry’s build quality has slipped.
Kim – I have a levergun in .357 (a Rossi, not a Henry, but she shoots just fine). And you would love it. All the pain of .357 in a 4″ revolver is gone when from the levergun; it feels like a .22. Suppressed would be just so much the better.
And yes, suppressors work better with subsonic ammo (as I’m sure yo remember, I use mine with 300BLK and heavy subsonic 9mm), but it is also a substantial improvement, even on supersonic loads. You’d like it.
BTW – .38 SPL out of that same rifle is positively almost BB gun-like.
Kim – am I missing the plastic on the Henry HUSH? Wood laminate buttstock, aluminum handguard – where’s the plastic?
I cannot comment on the 110 gr Hornady but I did test the Hornady 158 gr XTP in a S&W 686 with a 6″ barrel against the 158 gr XTP FP from a Marlin 1894C with an 18″ barrel. This was for hunting so it might be of less interest to you but the difference was significant. The revolver averaged about 1300 fps whereas the carbine came in at 1840 fps. That’s a 40% greater muzzle velocity and twice the muzzle energy from the carbine. Using the published ballistic coefficient for XTP FP (0.199) I calculated the bullet velocity at 100 meters for the carbine to be about 1450 fps. Still clocking faster at 100 meters than the revolver at the muzzle.
No PCC is going to equal a rifle but at “normal” urban ranges a suppressed 357 carbine would, I think, serve very well. If I ever get out of California to a free state a suppressor for my lever is a definite priority.
MSRP for the Henry HUSH in .45-70 is $1999.00! (Davidson’s webpage)