The Henry Golden Boy Revolver: An Avant-Garde .22 Rimfire

What’s a lever-action rifle with no revolver as a companion? Henry Repeating Arms has dominated the lever-action rifle marketplace for over 20 years, and it was no shock that they’d enter the revolver market. In contrast to Winchester within the nineteenth century, Henry was not sure to some handshake settlement with a revolver maker. The discharge of their single-shot rifle was a inform at issues to come back. However when the Henry Huge Boy revolver hit the market in 2023, I used to be not prepared for it.

I totally anticipated a single-action revolver, however what we bought was a singular, heavy-barreled, exposed-ejector rod of an outdated Colt double-action, with the brass grip body of a Navy Colt, and a touch of Smith & Wesson lockwork thrown in. It was not till the launch of the .22 rimfire model, the Henry Golden Boy revolver, that I used to be prepared to present it a strive.

Options

The Henry Golden Boy revolver will get its title from the unique Golden Boy rifle .22 caliber rifle that’s maybe Henry’s most recognizable lever motion. Just like the rifle, the revolver shares its title and its overbuilt character.

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The Golden Boy is constructed on the identical body because the .357 Magnum Huge Boy revolver and in regards to the measurement of a Smith & Wesson Ok-frame. However as a substitute of six rounds of .357, you get ten rounds of .22 LR ammunition. The Golden Boy will even chamber shorter .22 Brief and .22 Lengthy ammunition. The cylinder is greater than lengthy sufficient to additionally accommodate .22 ratshot as nicely.

It’s a swing-out cylinder revolver with a small cylinder launch that’s activated by pushing it ahead, like on a up to date Smith & Wesson revolver. The ejector rod hangs in area beneath a blued 4-inch bull barrel, giving the impression of an outdated Colt Officer’s match. On an much more attention-grabbing observe is the truth that the cylinder is detachable through a push button on the within of the triggerguard, a helpful takedown characteristic that’s seldom seen.

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One other characteristic seldom seen is using both a spherical butt or sq. butt brass grip body that accompanies the graceful walnut shares. I’m accustomed to seeing that on Colt percussion revolvers, however not a contemporary ten-shooter.

Getting the Golden Boy on Goal

The sights are largely mounted and on the slim, however higher-profile, facet. The rear sight is a groove within the prime strap of the blued metal body, whereas the entrance sight is a serrated ramp that may be modified out with a flathead screwdriver bit.

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Fortunately, Henry provides excessive, medium, and low entrance sights to regulate the purpose of impression of the revolver. This can be a helpful characteristic for a fixed-sighted revolver, as with .22 rimfire, typically probably the most correct load doesn’t hit to the sights.

Distinctive amongst double-action revolvers in the present day, the Golden Boy comes with the selection of a Gunfighter (plow deal with) type grip or a fowl’s head grip. The revolver for consideration right here is the gunfighter mannequin.

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The Henry Golden Boy revolver is a double-action/single-action revolver with an uncovered hammer. The hammer could also be thumb cocked for a lighter set off pull, or the revolver may be fired by merely urgent the set off, which cocks and drops the hammer in a single movement.

On the Line with the Henry Golden Boy Revolver

Capturing rimfire pistols has extraordinarily excessive highs and excessive lows. On the face of it, an all-steel revolver mechanically does away with the issue of .22 rimfire dud rounds or underpowered rounds you’re sure to search out in bulk pack ammo. That platform must also be the simplest to shoot in comparison with smaller or lighter choices. There are a number of ten-shot .22 revolvers on the higher-end market, and I’ve had combined outcomes. The Henry Golden Boy is just not certainly one of them.

Accuracy

Rimfire weapons, for some unscientific purpose, have a tendency to love sure manufacturers of ammunition over others, whatever the precise high quality of the ammunition itself. The Golden Boy is just not proof against this. I began my capturing with the Golden Boy revolver at 25 yards with a wide range of ammunition. The outcomes are as follows:

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Eley Goal 40 grain LRN: 3.4 inches

CCI Mini Magazine 36 grain HP: 3.2 inches

Winchester Western 36 grain HP: 3.0 inches

CCI Stinger 32 grain HP: 2.8 inches

Federal Punch 29 grain FP: 2.8 inches

Federal Goal 40 grain RN: 1.8 inches

I might reliably put 5 rounds right into a 3-inch group at 25 yards in single motion from the bench. Satirically, the most costly ammunition I had readily available gave me the worst grouping. The Federal Goal 40-grain normal velocity load gave one of the best displaying, with constant teams beneath 2 inches vast. Greater than sufficient for tin cans, small sport, and the rest.

Initially, my teams struck to the correct of my aiming level till I noticed I used to be placing an excessive amount of finger on the set off. As a result of the sights on the Golden Boy are mounted for windage, you can not modify for side-to-side motion, in order that they need to be on from the manufacturing unit. Fortunately, after correcting my set off press, these Federal rounds hit precisely the place I used to be aiming.

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Reliability

Reliability is a reason behind concern with rimfire ammunition, but when switching ammunition doesn’t repair the problem, there’s a deeper downside. The Henry Golden Boy went via a trouble-free 300-round take a look at. This included single- and double-action capturing out to 50 yards with a number of kinds of ammunition.

Throughout testing, I shot bulk-pack choices such because the Winchester Western 36-grain hollow-point load, in addition to the Remington Golden Bullet and Federal Automatch 40-grain stable load. I even discovered and shot up a fifty-round field of greasy Armscor 40 grain rounds. The Golden Boy ate them and ejected the empties with no fear.

Capturing Impressions

In going for accuracy and reliability, I additionally bought a sense for the way the pistol itself is about up as a shooter. That comes all the way down to each its mechanical and aesthetic options.

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Mechanically, the Golden Boy is a double-action ten-shooter with a swing-out cylinder. The cylinder latch is pressed ahead, and the cylinder is tilted out of the body to the left for loading. You’ll be able to load the ammunition one after the other or with a speedloader.

I did most of my capturing with free ammunition, however I additionally made use of a 10-shot Tuff Strip (like a Bianchi Velocity Strip) and a Speedbeez 10-shot loader. The Speedbeez possibility is sort of quick, and the truth that Henry relieved the slick wooden grips for a speedloader was a sensible transfer.

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With the cylinder full, it’s then closed, and you may fireplace away by urgent the set off or cocking the hammer and urgent the set off for a lighter single-action pull weight. In single motion, the set off breaks clear at 4 1/2 lbs. The one gripe is the notably lengthy attain for the hammer with my shorter thumbs.

I did most of my capturing in double motion. Most rimfire revolvers have heavy hammer springs, which makes the set off pull harder than their centerfire counterparts. This was not the case with the Golden Boy, because the set off got here in at a good 8 lbs. on my scale. Much like a Smith & Wesson revolver, the double-action pull is hill-like: straightforward at first, then tough, then sudden ease earlier than the break.

Taking my time, it was straightforward to choose up the entrance sight and ring an eight-inch plate at 50 yards.

Dealing with the Golden Boy

As soon as completed capturing, open the cylinder in the identical vogue and rap the ejector rod to kick out the empties. The ejector rod is greater than lengthy sufficient to kick out stubby .22 LR empties. The tip of the ejector rod is enlarged and pill-shaped, so that you kick out cussed empties with out rubbing the palm of your hand. That could be a helpful characteristic as, towards the top of my take a look at, the revolver bought tougher to unload as residue was beginning to construct up within the cylinder.

The Gunfighter grip supplies a safe full-hand grip, and the bull barrel achieves good pointable stability. I can see the slick grips being a difficulty with hanging onto the pistol if it have been a centerfire. Nonetheless, it’s not a difficulty with the Golden Boy and the recoiless .22 LR cartridge.

If I needed to choose a weak spot within the Henry Golden Boy, it could lie within the sights. The inclusion of assorted entrance sights is a brilliant transfer to verify the mounted sights hit the place your favourite load prints. It additionally helps that Henry did an important job of creating positive the sights come regulated for windage on the manufacturing unit. However not like different pistols on this style, the Golden Boy’s sights are low profile and haven’t any windage changes, ought to they be wanted.

I might not be stunned if, in some unspecified time in the future, Henry comes out with a goal model of the Golden Boy that strengthens its already stable armor. However on the entire, the inventory sights don’t block small targets like extra adjustable choices would, they usually actually can’t be knocked out of alignment.

The Backside Line

It’s passe to say that we should always not decide a e-book by its cowl. The Henry Golden Boy revolver is actually proof of that maxim. On first seeing it, I didn’t know what the design group was going for. If something, I anticipated an all-steel single-action from Henry as a primary revolver line.

However, on reflection, the Golden Boy is sensible. You get brass and blued metal accents to match your present Henry rifle, and a ten-shot double-action pistol higher matches what you’ve on faucet with a tube-fed .22 rifle.

By itself deserves, the Golden Boy .22 is probably not one of the best setup for bullseye work, nevertheless it excels at what the lion’s share of us will use a .22 pistol for. Whether or not you’ve one on the belt for popping small sport for the pot or having fun with a crisp low season day on the firing line, the Golden Boy is succesful in spades.