Since 1959, the venerable AR-7 has been the choice of U.S. Air Force pilots who need a small-caliber rifle they can count on for survival should they have to punch out over a remote area. Over the years, the AR-7's reputation for portability, ease of operation and reliability has carried over to the civilian world as well.
Today, it's a favorite of bush pilots, backpackers and backcountry adventurers who, like their Air Force counterparts, need a rifle that's easy to carry but has the accuracy to reliably take down small game.
Like the original Henry US Survival Rifle, our latest take on this innovative, semi-automatic rifle is lightweight (just 2.5 lbs) and highly portable. At just 16 ½" long (when all the components are stowed), it fits easily into the cargo area of a plane or boat or in a backpack. And because it's chambered in .22LR you can carry a large quantity of ammunition, without adding much weight to your gear.
When disassembled, the pieces fit inside the impact-resistant, waterproof stock, which will float should it take a trip overboard. Assembly is as easy as attaching the receiver to the stock, inserting the barrel and screwing on the barrel nut. In just a few seconds, without the need for any tools, the Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 is ready for action.
The Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 comes standard with a sturdy steel barrel covered in tough ABS plastic and then coated with Teflon for complete protection against corrosion. Plus, it's engineered for perfect balance and the ability to maintain its tack-driving accuracy, even after thousands of rounds.
The Henry Survival Rifle’s waterproof stock enables it to float if dropped into water. It can be easily retrieved and will still function.
Like the barrel, the receiver is also coated with a layer of waterproof Teflon for superior weatherproofing, waterproof protection, even in harsh salt water environments. Plus, the updated receiver is grooved making it easy to top it off with your favorite optics.
The Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 is available in Black and Camo finishs. All models are equipped with an adjustable rear sight and a blade front sight.
Actually is a lot of fun. I had one, fairly accurate. Mine was threaded for a suppressor so was great for the odd bunny on the quiet.
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:00 pm
by mundaire
Some trivia - IIRC James Bond used one of these in "From Russia With Love", used it to snipe at one of the baddies while he was escaping from a window.
Cheers!
Abhijeet
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:29 pm
by xl_target
As different manufacturers have made this particular model over the years, their performance has been a hit or miss thing. Henry, though, has a reputation for quality. I have seen some of their lever rifles and they are a really decent product. People do say that the Henry AR7 is well made and the improvements made by Henry to the original design have made all the difference. If you can lay your hands on one of the Henry made ones, you should be OK.
The older Armalite made ones wore out quickly and were never very refined. They just fell apart while being fired. Another option is the Marlin Papoose. They are very similar but they have a solid stock unlike the cool Henry stock that you can store the whole gun in.
LOL, Abhijit, Sean Connery also brought down a helicopter with one of these AR-7's in the same movie. In the 80's, the US Governtment should have just give the Afghan Mujahideen a bunch of these instead of Stingers. http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/From_Russia_with_Love
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:01 pm
by timmy
I would think that one of these, or the Marlin Papoose, would be quite handily to have. I've always wondered about the accuracy of either of them, and if the barrel attachment method will maintain accuracy over long use, however.
Some trivia - IIRC James Bond used one of these in "From Russia With Love"
Sean Connery also brought down a helicopter with one of these AR-7's in the same movie.
I love this movie! So many good scenes and funny quotes. It was also the last movie of the great Pedro Armendáriz.
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:29 pm
by ckkalyan
Very cool rifle Vikram - would love to have one in my backpack!
Thanks for sharing.
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:32 pm
by Mark
Disclaimer here- I have never actually shot an AR-7 so keep that in mind while reading my comments.
I have handled quite a few though, and while I think they leave a bit to be desired as a "22 rifle", I think they do the job well of being a "survival rifle", which is what it is titled.
IMHO, a "survival rifle" is not supposed to be a daily-use gun, but one that is made available when needed. So they make it with compromises made with that in mind. They look cool, but notice how they are always photographed in profile? That is because they are quite fat, for the stock to hold everything and provide buoyancy so they float like they are famous for. A pic of how fat is hard to find, here is one that is somewhat misleading in proportion as it is shot on a white surface but at least you can see it is not svelte when viewed from behind:
Also, I do not know about the Henry manufactured ones but earlier models had an aluminum barrel with a steel sleeve (again, primarily to keep down weight) which can affect long-term durability- but again, that is not the main purpose of a light, easily packable survival rifle designed to help you stay alive until you can get rescued.
Now, for a compact 22 rifle that breaks down into a small package the Marlin Papoose that XL-Target suggest is an excellent choice. That is a tried and true action that has held up to not only rough conditions but also countless generations of children. Can't get much more durable than that!
Another really cool take-down 22 rifle you have to do a bit of tinkering to build is using a ruger 10/22 as a base, and then locate a a couple of Butler Creek stocks, which I do not believe has been made for a few years but I may be wrong.
They had a "packer" stock kit:
And they also made a side folder stock:
And some clever guys figured out they could be combined:
Hope that gives you something to think about!
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:43 pm
by Hammerhead
ckkalyan wrote:Very cool rifle Vikram - would love to have one in my backpack!
Thanks for sharing.
Disclaimer here- I have never actually shot an AR-7 so keep that in mind while reading my comments
- same here
WE ordering Dalask 12 gauge from BC for back packing and you sir going for .22 ?
It was big debate with cfo from ontario and recently NDP'rs have mentioned that in their debate that any one can buy sawed-off shot guns and people can carry them back packs that could fall into wrong hands
Getting hands on this kind of collectable piece is still sweet - Haji
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:16 am
by YogiBear
Aloha,
I HAD an original Armalite AR-7. Cost me about $50+
Useful ONLY in an Emergency.
Poor sights, Poor accuracy at 25 yards.
The rabbit had better have a BIG head and sitting still.
Barrel had to be constastly tightened, loosened easily.
Magazine function not reliable, failure to feed common.
Sold it when I found some one who really wanted one.
New versions of the AR7 should be much better and more expensive
Never handled a Papoose, heard good things of it.
A Ruger 10/22 with a cleaned up action, take down synthetic stock with scope
would be a better survival gun. It will be much more expensive overall.
Re: The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle.
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:18 pm
by Sakobav
Vikram
My uncle was very interested in this rifle years ago. There is one I heard about in Punjab. Yogi listed its pros and cons. I would rather go for Browning long barrel pistol Hunter variant
For all of you take-down rifle fans, here is the new Ruger 10/22 takedown rifle. It's no ultralight but, IMO, it would be a lot more robust and reliable than some of the others.
Not mine ,though I wish it was.
