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Henry Classic Lever Action .22

• moderate
• Shop tier 2
• high confidence
• Rimfire Rifle
• lever action
• tube magazine
• no loading gate
• rimfire
• plinker
• beginner rifle

field strip ~5 min · reassembly ~8 min · detail strip ~30 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• Classic Henry rifles have no loading gate. They are loaded and unloaded through the inner magazine tube, which is withdrawn from the front of the outer tube under the barrel. If you are looking for a side gate, there may not be one — some later Henry models added one, many did not.
• Unloading means withdrawing the inner tube, rolling the cartridges out, and then cycling the action to clear the chamber and carrier. Three places to check.
• A .22 LR round can be fired by a blow to the case rim. Keep ammunition out of the work area, and use a light to check the chamber — rimfire cases are small and dull.
• The hammer has a half-cock position. Half-cock is a hammer rest, not a safety.
• Do not force the lever. If the action binds, something is out of position — usually the bolt or the carrier.

Under spring tension

• Magazine tube spring
• Hammer spring
• Carrier spring

Easily lost parts

Inner magazine tube · Lever pivot screw · Ejector spring

Tools

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among rimfire rifles, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. About 47 listed parts; a full strip goes past Henry's sanctioned limit into the side-plate action: lever and locking bar on springs, carrier feed lever, hammer and hammer spring. Several small springs to control and a side cover that must be wiggled on, but no carrier timing is reported for the .22 Henry.

Parts: 47 numbered parts (H001 series list (all H001 models), single list), from Henry H001 Series Lever Action Rifle User Manual — Henry Repeating Arms, p. 15 henryusa.com [1].

Bench time: about 45 min to strip, 70 min to rebuild (estimate). Strip of magazine tube, stock, receiver side covers, lever and locking bar, carrier feed lever, bolt, hammer and trigger, sights and barrel band; rebuild longer for the locking-bar spring and side-cover fit.

Small parts: 10 pins, 7 springs, 0 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Magazine / stock: inner magazine tube, buttstock bolt and stock, barrel band / fore-end screws
• Receiver: side cover screws and side cover(s), locking bar pin, locking bar and spring(s), lever pin and lever, carrier / carrier feed lever and plunger, bolt and firing pin, hammer, hammer spring and strut, trigger, sear and pins
• Sights: rear sight (dovetail) and elevator, front sight — sight pusher

Special tools

• Bent wire hook — Guiding the locking-bar spring into place
• Dummy round (.22 WMR/.17 HMR) — Holding the carrier feed lever
• Sight pusher or brass drift — Dovetail rear sight

Known pain points

• Henry says not to take the rifle apart past the manual; the inner mechanism is finely fitted and can be permanently damaged. (both)
  Source: Henry H001 Series Lever Action Rifle User Manual — Henry Repeating Arms henryusa.com [1] — “DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TAKE YOUR FIREARM APART FURTHER THAN EXPLAINED IN THIS MANUAL.”
• Refitting the lever means re-seating the locking bar on its spring (a second nested spring on .22 WMR/.17 HMR) with the tapered end rearward and tapping its pin home; the writer found it the trickiest part and it took several tries. (reassembly)
  Source: Installing the Large Loop Lever for Henry Lever Action Rifles — Industry Outsider industryoutsider.com [3] — “From here, the locking bar needs to be reinstalled. For me, this was the trickiest part. Carefully seat the spring first.”
• With the side cover off, cocking and dropping the hammer lets the hammer spring fly out; the side cover then has to be wiggled back on over the pins. (both)
  Source: Installing the Large Loop Lever for Henry Lever Action Rifles — Industry Outsider industryoutsider.com [3] — “If you cock the hammer while it’s apart, and then pull the trigger, the hammer spring may take flight.”
• With the lever out, the carrier feed lever has to be held in place with a dummy round on magnum models. (both)
  Source: Installing the Large Loop Lever for Henry Lever Action Rifles — Industry Outsider industryoutsider.com [3] — “If you have either of these models, you’ll need a dummy cartridge or empty shell at this point. This is required to hold the carrier feed lever in place.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Hammer drop and lever function test — Henry/Industry Outsider: work the lever and drop the hammer under control before live fire.
  Source: Installing the Large Loop Lever for Henry Lever Action Rifles — Industry Outsider industryoutsider.com [3] — “As usual, a function test should be performed after any disassembly or replacement of parts.”
• Sight re-zero — Sights removed for coating.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Henry Repeating Arms's own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Henry Lever Action .22 Loading Henry Repeating Arms · plays on henryusa.com clearing, operation · 2012-11-06
  Covers: Henry H001 Classic Lever Action .22
• Henry Lever Action .22 Disassembly Henry Repeating Arms · plays on henryusa.com field strip, detail strip · 2012-11-06
  Covers: Henry H001 Classic Lever Action .22
• Henry Lever Action .22 Reassembly Henry Repeating Arms · plays on henryusa.com reassembly · 2012-11-06
  Covers: Henry H001 Classic Lever Action .22
• Henry Lever Action .22 Clean and Lube Henry Repeating Arms · plays on henryusa.com cleaning, maintenance · 2012-11-06
  Covers: Henry H001 Classic Lever Action .22
• Henry Lever Action .22 Hammer Safety Henry Repeating Arms · plays on henryusa.com operation · 2012-11-06
  Covers: Henry H001 Classic Lever Action .22
• How to Adjust Semi-Buckhorn Sights Henry Repeating Arms adjustment · 2016-07-19
  Covers: Henry rifles with semi-buckhorn rear sights ("found on the vast majority of our rifles" per the description)

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Tighten the two screws when complete." (Henry H001 Series Lever Action Rifle User Manual, PDF p. 10)

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Henry Repeating Arms. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Henry H001 Series Lever Action Rifle User Manual — Henry Repeating Arms, p. 15 henryusa.com [1]) — H001 Series lever-action .22 (all H001 models per manual cover: .22 S/L/LR, .22 Mag, .17 HMR). Single list; no variant lists in manual.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify the rifle is unloaded — chamber, carrier, and magazine tube — before each step.
• Cycle the lever fully and confirm the bolt locks up with the lever closed.
• With the hammer cocked, engage the safety if fitted and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.
• Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.
• Confirm the lever safety, where fitted, prevents firing with the lever not fully closed.
• Load dummy rounds through the magazine tube and cycle them, confirming they feed from the carrier and eject cleanly.
• Confirm the inner magazine tube latches securely.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Bolt body and locking block
• Lever camming surfaces
• Carrier pivot
• Hammer and sear pivots
• Magazine tube exterior

Cleaning notes

Keep the inside of the magazine tube dry rather than oiled — oil there collects fouling and slows the follower. Clean from the breech with a bore guide where the action allows it.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 500 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Extractor · Ejector and spring · Carrier · Magazine spring · Loading gate spring where fitted

Common issues

Similar manual of arms

• Ruger 10/22
• Marlin Model 336

Sourcing