Nobody travels halfway around the world in pursuit of dangerous game with a rifle they don’t trust. That’s how we found ourselves on the Dark Continent with Henry’s just-introduced All-Weather Picatinny Rail Side Gate. That’s a mouthful for a short-barreled, matte-hard-chromed, scout-sized big bore with a large loop lever and chambered in the throwback hard-hitting .45-70 Government. Several wild crocodiles, a Cape buffalo, and numerous plains game animals later, the bond was complete. This rifle cemented itself as one of our go-tos.
With an 18.4-inch barrel, industrial hard-chrome-plated steel, large loop lever, and stained American walnut stocks, this one is both a looker and performer. While any of the all-American company’s All-Weathers will do, this newbie shows the shift to side-loading gates now found on most of the company’s lever actions.
Loading and unloading via the tubular port are simple enough before and after the hunt, but rapid top-offs are easily accomplished in the heat of the pursuit from a belt pouch to the side gate, should the need arise. Further, the rifle we came to know as Henry’s Scout is not only compact and practical in rough conditions, but also topped with Skinner Sights’, an extended optics rail, and rear peep that makes both optics mounting and iron-sighting a snap. Whether chasing dangerous game abroad, big game at home, or simply blasting on the range, there are few things more pleasurable than running nostalgic rounds through a slick, all-American lever action, and this model hits the pinnacle.
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