As soon as I saw the Henry Lever Action Small Game Carbine, I knew I'd have to try it. Having a Henry Lever 22 from a decade or so ago, I knew something of the brand – and that gun's a hoot to shoot. Why then mess with this iteration of the same gun? It's short, with a barrel length of just over sixteen-inches. The barrel is octagonal, nicely polished and engraved with the maker's mark – "Henry Repeating Arms – Bayonne NJ – Made in USA" – and with the caliber designation – "Calibers .22 S/L/LR." The loop lever is over-sized, Henry calls it "glove friendly." As a great amount of small game hunting is done during cooler seasons, that's a thoughtful touch.

Henry Gun Case by Allen, ammo from Federal Premium.

Capable of holding 12 rounds of .22 LR in the under-barrel tube magazine, the gun weighs 5 ¾ pounds. If you're having to hike a long distance, the weight saving is critical. Harder to shoot a light gun, you say? Learn field position shooting, making use of anything you can to steady up and make the shot. Why the shorter barrel? They make the same gun with a 20" barrel – longer sight radius and all. And it's a little heavier – but mainly I chose it due to portability. If you're getting around in the brush or interacting with a vehicle – a pickup truck or an ATV – the short barrel is very handy. If you're not sure why this is called the "Small Game Carbine," look at the rear of the receiver. Affixed thereon is the reason. There's a Skinner Peep Sight. It's mated with a brass bead front sight. The peep sight is back by your eye, unlike the buckhorn style out on the barrel.

Skinner peep from the top. The rear screw is loosened to move the sight base left or right to take care of windage.

Buckhorns are plenty fast, but the peep has it beat for precision. The Skinner is adjustable for windage and elevation. It's no target sight – but it doesn't know that it isn't. The gun has Skinner's solid steel rear base with the fully adjustable aperture. A .096" insert is installed. Remove it for a .200" ghost ring. It lines up with the tall brass bead front sight. They say it's easy to zero. I've yet to have that experience, but the (included) instructions and wrenches make it look straight forward. I selected three loads for the first, short, range exam. First, and most elegant, was the Hunter Match load from Federal Premium Ammunition. A high velocity load, it has a 40 grain hollow point lead bullet loaded into nickel-plated brass. The first five rounds fired were this load, to check zero, at just over 20 yards from a rest. The first two hits were nearly touching. These were followed by a single hit at point of aim then a pair a bit lower. This was just over an inch, but I was close and just wanted to see where the gun was shooting. This was followed by five rounds of Federal 22 Long Rifle Range ammo – another 40 grain bullet, this one a solid, in a high velocity loading. The factory info says that it's "ideal for accurate, high-performance range shooting." Fired on the same target with the same point of aim, the group was centered a bit lower than the Hunter Match and the cluster was even tighter.

1 1/4" pasters at 22 yards were sporty targets. Covering the 'dot' with the front bead put hits at the base of the pasters.

This doesn't mean the round was more accurate – it was my second five rounds out of the gun! Three rounds touching, one around 1/8" out of that cluster, followed by a sinker provided by a loose "trigger control nut." After that, I tried five rounds of CCI standard velocity 40 grain – it was close enough to center, that I decided to play. I shot at inch-and-a-quarter pasters at about 22 yards. If I remembered to cover the black 'dot' with the brass bead, the bullets cut the bottom of the paster. From there, I shot at broken clay bird targets – 4" diameter when unbroken – set up at 58 paces. Shooting from the bench, I missed one half-target, hit four others. This was shooting with the supplied irons and using a hasty rest. I moved to the other side of the range and engaged the steel 'pig' at just about 54 yards from a standing braced position. It got too easy, so I took to hammering the swinging "chicken" silhouette – the body of which is about 3 ¼" high – at 49 paces. I wasn't missing with the Henry Small Game Carbine. A word about the sights – the peep is plenty fast enough and I kept the insert inside, not going for the 'ghost ring.' Mounting the rifle put the brass bead center in the circle. There was no need to move the front around trying to get it centered. They were pre-zeroed for my eyes and hold as the gun fell out of the box – no adjustment necessary. I don't know if they're all that way, but I'm okay with that. The lever action was slick and feeding was fine. The Henry rimfires have a safety notch in the hammer: don't lower the hammer all the way to rest over a loaded chamber. That's a bad habit that can end up being a problem. To lower the hammer, have the rifle pointed in the safest available direction. Control the hammer with your thumb. Touch the trigger only until the hammer comes to rest on your thumb.

Taking a braced position, steel targets at just over fifty yards were no real challenge.

Remover your finger from the trigger. Lower the hammer to the first notch. If you go too far, don't sweat it: just gently ease the hammer back to the first (safety) notch. As the examination continues, coverage of the manual of arms for these guns will be covered in more detail. This is a very handy firearm – whether you own rural property, like to hunt – or just to shoot, and it's extremely smart for the preparedness fan: it's easy to teach on, easy to take game with, it's light, handy and accurate. My only complaint so far? I'd like to see this in the Henry "All-Weather" format, only available so far in centerfire rifle calibers. That would add durability to convenience. Henry Repeating Arms -- Rich Grassi