The Long Ranger Express
The first part of that name is surely familiar. Henry’s Long Ranger series of more distance-friendly rifles and related chamberings has been around for a handful of years. Though they’ve offered a .223 Remington build, the common calibers included .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester. Hunters of furbearers have spoken, however, and their needs are addressed with the new Long Ranger Express, chambered solely in .223 Rem/5.56 NATO.
There’s a carbine-length 16.5-inch round barrel. The muzzle is threaded at 1/2x28 TPI for easy suppressor mounting, though muzzle brakes are an option as well. Henry’s standard American walnut stocks are swapped out for more weather-friendly pepper-gray birch laminate. The receiver has a hard black anodized finish.
Sling studs come standard, as does a hammer extension. The Express, like previous Long Ranger rifles, feeds via its detachable box magazine, this one with a five-round capacity. Retail pricing on the LR Express is set at $1,285.
Range Time
We headed to the range with a healthy mix of factory ammunition: Federal Fusion 62-grain soft points, Hornady Varmint Express 55-grain V-Max, Hornady Black 75-grain, SIG Sauer Elite 60-grain Copper HT, and Federal American Eagle Varmint & Predator 50-grain.
The 1:9 twist rifling stabilized the variety of bullet types and weights we fired with impressive accuracy from the 100-yard mark. The nature of a lever action allows shooters to stay in the gun and provide rapid follow-up shots if needed.
To that same end, we must mention muzzle rise and recoil – or the lack thereof. While expected given the chambering, we found recoil to be virtually nonexistent. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this is a 7-pound rifle empty and sans-optic. Further, the solid rubber recoil pad picks up whatever’s left.
The Picatinny rail is long enough to accommodate most optics. In a positive move, Henry includes a hammer extension, though we didn’t need it for our chosen setup. With that short barrel and lever action, the Express measures a total of only 37 inches. It looks and feels like a short gun, making it ideal when maneuverability and fast handling count.
Hits & Misses
While we’d love to see other chambering options, the .223/5.56 has proven to be one of the more affordable and available choices in recent years. Henry keeps with lever gun tradition in forgoing a manual crossbolt safety, which pleases us, though other folks may prefer to have it. There is the standard transfer bar safety. Like so many rifles these days, there are no iron sights as the build is intended for scoping, be that with riflescopes or red dots.
Having spent considerable time with earlier versions of the Long Ranger, we drew several conclusions. First, the trigger on our test Express is superior to those earlier models. This one breaks repeatedly at 3 pounds, 10 ounces on our Lyman pull gauge. The action, however, is not quite as smooth as earlier Long Rangers. To be clear, the action did smooth out some after a thorough cleaning and the first few boxes of ammo.
As we’ve found with other Long Rangers, the dropbox magazine – which we appreciate for its steel construction – has a bit of rattle when empty but resolves when loaded. It releases from the receiver with a right-side mounted push-button but does not drop free. Shooters must grab the baseplate to remove the mag.
One plus is the ability to buy spare magazines and keep them loaded for the hunt. The Long Ranger Express is not built to be a safe queen, but a practical hunting tool with the accuracy to match.
Conclusion
