Eve Flanigan 04.13.23
Fans of Henry Repeating Arms and a good semi-auto should be hearing strains of a certain Ella James song about now. The company’s first semiauto, called Homesteader, is now shipping, and I was lucky to be one of the writers to test one. The experience left me really pleased, and has left others wanting more, in a good way.
I purposely didn’t watch or read any media about this gun before having it in my hands, so as to have no pre-conceived notions about this brand new carbine. Upon unboxing, it was immediately apparent Henry had struck a good chord, at least style-wise. When I laid eyes upon the traditional components of its walnut stock and forend, and its broad-top, black anodized receiver and adjustable rear peep sight, and a naturally handy 16.73-inch barrel, I knew I was seeing a potentially perfect marriage of old and modern styles.
That walnut stock is unexpectedly richly-grained, and backed by an aesthetically pleasing but unnecessary rubber butt pad. Atop the grip, set in attractive but non-fussy checkering detail, is a two-position safety that’s ambi-friendly. The receiver shape brings to mind the Ruger Mini-14, originally designed as a contender for the Army’s battle rifle, losing out to Stoner’s idea. Its side charging handle is reminiscent of the Ruger 10/22, but with the critical and oh-so-handy difference that the Homesteader’s is ambi. It plugs into the action on the left or right as easily as any 110 electrical plug, and is surprisingly secure there. Likewise, the 10/22-like bolt catch is located discreetly in front of the trigger guard, cloned on both sides for easy operation by either hand. The same goes for the mag releases, which are easily operated by either trigger finger. Henry not only made this gun fully ambi, they accomplished it being nearly effortless to change around.
Walnut furniture continues on the forend. Again here, it’s not grandpa’s hunting gun style, nor is it fashioned like that of an SKS or AK. It’s light in the hand, so much that I wondered at first if it was wood-colored polymer. The customary “U” shape is squared off at the corners, but rounded enough that it won’t scratch on its first outing. There is checkering here again, with a textured undertone that made me wonder if I was looking for the first time at a high-tech machine checkering job. As of this writing, the Henry rep hasn’t confirmed.
The Homesteader is not short on practical accoutrements other than those already mentioned. It sports a threaded barrel for those who want to tame the bang. Sling studs are included on the receiver and stock. And the receiver is drilled and tapped for a Weaver 63B rail. It’s already accurate as can be, as the ammo test confirmed, but would be even more so with a well-mounted optic.
As if all that weren’t enough the Homesteader will accommodate, with a little effort, the most popular double-stack pistol magazines. The stock carbine comes with a 10-round detachable magazine, branded by Henry. A five-round version is available for those living under the dark cloud of severe capacity restrictions. Buyers have the option of purchasing the 10-round Homesteader packaged with their choice of either a Glock or Sig Sauer P320/Smith & Wesson M&P compatible magazine (that’s two choices, in case it’s not clear). Our sample gun came with a Glock adapter.
Before installing the Glock mag adapter, which was used for the accuracy trial, approximately 75 rounds were run through the carbine using the stock magazine. A mixture of grain weights and case materials were used. After installing the Glock receptacle and firing over 100 additional rounds, the Homesteader never hiccupped. Where reliability is concerned, this rifle is a star.
Henry delivers a nice-enough user manual with this gun, complete with font big enough for my aging eyes to read unaided and replete with photographs showing its various features, with the notable exception of a demo of changing out the magazine receptacle. There are pins in the receiver that are obvious points of attachment. But, we questioned, which side should be punched through? And do they just release on one side or come out completely? Carefully, we played the “mess around and find out” game, and soon had the job done without excitement. Turns out, the pins must be completely removed, and that can be done from either side. Removing the Henry magazine well and installing the Glock one was simple, after all. We used Glock OEM magazines from Models 19 and 17 as well as Magpul mags for the same models. The Homesteader had not one misfeed.
Accuracy testing was done from a prone position, supported by my Lyman shooting bag. Targets were 1.5-inch stick-on bullseyes, also from Lyman. I fired five rounds each of the following ammunition. Two groups had obvious shooter-induced “flyers,” so in fairness I measured each group using four rounds only. I was a little surprised that the load specialized for short, concealed carry barrels performed best. Here are the results:
- 2.75″ – Federal Syntech 124 Grain TSJ (Total Synthetic Jacket)
- 2.00″ – Winchester USA Ready Defense 124 Grain +P
- 1.75″ – Hornady Custom 124 Grain XTP
- 1.60″ – Federal American Eagle 70 Grain Lead-Free
- 0.80″ – Sig Sauer 365 115 Grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket)
Many thanks to Federal, Sig Sauer, and that outstanding online ammo retailer, Lucky Gunner, for their support of this review.
This is the place where specifications would normally go. Since I’ve already mentioned most, I’ll only put the ones here that were left out. The Homesteader is 35.75 inches long and weighs an easy 6.6 pounds. The round barrel is blued and threaded with a 1:10 twist. MSRP is $928 for the standard magazine only and $956 if a spare Glock or P320/M&P mag is included.
After spending a morning behind the Homesteader, I was truly impressed. It may be Henry’s freshman effort at a semi, but it delivers advanced-grade reliability and handiness, all while having a profile that, while all its own, manages to evoke thoughts of both traditional hunting and military guns without looking a lot like either style. I did mention it leaves some people wanting more. During this trial, no less than three others I spoke with about the Homesteader said they wished it were available in 10mm. My colleague contacted the Henry rep about whether new chamberings, say 10mm, are on the horizon. The answer wasn’t no, but there are no set, public plans for that either.
