Henry AR7 Survival Rifle, junk or blank canvas?

[T. Erdelyi]

Many years ago I bought a Henry AR7 Takedown Survival rifle. I had some extra cash, I was makin' decent money teachin' classes in the semiconductor industry. I traveled a lot because of work so my play time was valuable to me. Besides for about the price of edc Spyderco I could have a take down .22 that would fit into my backpack and take out hikin'.

Any of you folks out there have one or ever seen one? They look like this:

Now it's a great concept although the Ruger 10-22 is a stronger platform...

...and the F.I. Industries Survival Takedown. .22 Long Rifle & .410 3" Shotgun.

In the end though back when I bought it, I thought it was the best choice. Fast forward 10 years and I actually decided to use it. The way the stock is offset to allow the the pieces to fit inside makes it difficult to shoot with any degree of accuracy beyond 10 yards. I'm not sayin' impossible, just difficult but with a little practice you learn to compensate and then it becomes a fun little rifle. It does owe up to it's advertised claims but as is wasn't as much fun beyond some casual plinkin'. I put it away in the closet and didn't pull it out till a few months ago.

I never realized what a platform it was for accessorizin'. There's a ton of add ons that turn it from this:

To this:

or this:

Or even this:

Any of you folks have an AR7 or any collapsible .22 cal rifle. If so what have you added and what do you think of the AR7 before and after mods?

One last question. If you could have a hand in making a collapsible .22 cal survival rifle, what would you like to see, what would you add to gun as it sits to make it more functional, more accurate? There are many Vids on AR7 showin' accessories and mods.

 

[tiguy7]

Ruger has a bunch of Takedown 10-22 models. I have shot the 10-22, and it is a very accurate rifle. The one I shot was not a Takedown.

 

[Cougar Allen]

If you search the survival forums here you'll find some old threads.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Thanks Coug, I'll have to do a search.

 

[Velitrius]

I had the old AR-7 made by Armalite back in the day.

Only thing I would change on it was the trigger... it was abominable... heavy, gritty, just about unshootable.

But I liked it. Was invisible in a backpack and would float (never tried it, but trusted the advertisement.)

Greatest "mod" I ever saw was when Charter Arms offered it in the "Explorer II" pistol configuration. Looked like one of those German Broomhandle Mausers. I wanted one so bad I could taste it. Alas, I never got one.

I was just a kid then though... I'm over such frivolities

 

[leghog]

I've owned an original FI Bronco for a while. .22LR only.

Never owned an AR7 because of reported accuracy and reliable issues.

 

[leghog]

Google "pack-rifle". Less than one pound.

I have yet to handle one but have been intrigued for a couple of years.

 

[jackknife]

I had an original AR7 back in the early 70's. Was a complete junker, inaccurate, and very ammo finicky. Soldit off at a gun show and never looked back. If I were in he market for a takedown rifle, I'd go Ruger in a heartbeat. Heard nothing bad about the Ruger. Have too many vivd memories of clearing jams with the AR7 to ever touch one again.

 

[JB in SC]

I worked at a gunshop in the early 70's that had an AR-7. I remember a lot of folks handled it, one guy bought it and loved it. It was cool but not my cup of tea (especially being left handed).

 

[BladeScout]

Must admit I wasnt overwhelmed by the AR7.

After having read about it I years later stumbled over one (this was also a good while ago).

I thought it LOOKED nifty but seemed a bit cheap and flimsy in execution, if you allow me to say so.

I mean no disrespect. Great, that you have one of these old warhorses.

As for other collapsible 'survival-/backpack' rifles, I of course like the breakdown Ruger 10/22, as I have a conventional 10/22 and am one of the very many happy owners.

But check out this one - Ill admit, that Ill take that over the AR any day of the week. Still ungainly and odd looking but far nicer IMO.

The Springfield Armory M6 Scout rifle in .22/410.

Now resurrected by Chiappa.

Note no trigger guard and squeeze bar trigger.

(Random pics)

 

[BladeScout]

M6 specs & review (Survival Cache review posted here as we cant cross forum link. Random review, no association ).

Survival Gear Review: M6 Scout Survival Rifle
One of the purpose built survival weapons that I always found interesting was the M6 Scout made by Springfield Armory. Based on the design for the pilots of the USAF, the Springfield Armory M6 Scout has only a few changes from the original M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon.

By the SurvivalCache.com Team

The commercially available model of the M6 is almost identical to the USAF version. The biggest difference is that the Springfield Armory version has a barrel length of 18.25 inches and the Air Force version has a barrel length of 14 inches. The only other major difference is that the Springfield Armory version has a removable trigger guard, where the USAF version has no trigger guard at all.

When you hold this weapon and put it up to your shoulder, you definitely know that this is a spartan survival weaponmade with no creature comforts. The cold steel of the stock and its hard edges were very unfriendly to the face, the sites were crude at best. Maybe I should not even refer to this as a survival weapon but more of a survival tool, because that is exactly what it is.

Features
I found the M6 Scout to be a worthy survival weapon with some cool features. My favorite feature is the over/under barrel combo of the .22 LR and the .410 Shotgun. Having the rifle or shotguncapability in a survival situation is never a bad thing. The other nice feature is the ammo storage compartment in the butt stock of the gun. You always know where your ammo is located and there is no chance of misplacing your ammo unless you lose the whole gun.

The M6 Scout is a very simple design with very few moving parts. There is almost nothing that can go wrong with this gunonce it is assembled. That is the good news, the bad news is that something could go wrong before you assemble the weapon. The Achilles’ heelof this design is that there is a small pin that is required to assemble the barrel to the stock. The guy who loaned me this weapon for the review specifically said to me “Whatever you do, don’t lose that little pin. I think it might be hard to replace.” I could see this being a problem if you were in bad weather or somewhere at night. This pin is small and if it is lost, you will be stuck trying to jerry rig the weapon which would not be fun if you are in a survival situation. Is this a show stopper? No, but it is something to be aware of if you are looking to buy this weapon.

The weapon did come with a small canvas carrying case with a shoulder strap made by Springfield Armory. I am not sure if that was bought separately or came with the gun but it fit the M6 Scout nicely.

Overall
I would put this weapon in the “Buy It… If It Fits Your Requirements” category. Disassembled, it would fit nicely in the back of a truck or in the trunk of your car (check local laws and restrictions). It could also fit into a Bug Out Bag or get strapped to the outside of your bag.

Video Review by the SurvivalCache Team

 

[BladeScout]

The OP mentioned mods.

Suggestions for modding the Springfield Armory M6:
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Thanks for all the responses folks, I'm gonna check out some of the other guns mentioned, as for the AR7, I already own that, have for a long time so my best bet for now is to buy some after market accessories and modify what I have into what I want. I certainly know I can improve on what it is, which at the moment is a door stop

 

[Gunthusiast]

I'm a huge fan of "backpack guns" for camping and portability.

 

[stevewest]

I have the Browning semi auto .22. It is a takedown. Very well made rifle.

 

[JB in SC]

The M6 (owned one of the originals by Springfield), wasn't as difficult to shoot as it seems, but the sights could have been improved dramatically with a sourdough type front (brass insert) and a more precise adjustable peep.

The original Ithaca USAF guns were .22 Hornet over .410 with an 14 1/8"" barrel. I saw one listed in an auction in 2011. IIRC, it sold for over $2000.

Springfield actually listed a short barrel version as an option but I don't know if any were ever produced.

 

[BladeScout]

Good info.

Interesting re the short barrel version - never seen one.

 

[Brules1]

I had a Charter Arms AR-7 and it was junk. I sold it off not long after buying it.
The Ruger 10-22 takedowns are THE WAY TO GO. By far the best camping/backpack 22LR.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

I bought it on a whim, I liked the concept but hated the execution. I love the fact that there is a lot aftermarket plug and play components for it, it's a simple firing mechanism and it's tikerable. Is it as accurate as my bolt action Marlin 81, hell no, not even near my Ruger .22 (mkI) Standard pistol but I think I'll have fun tinkerin' with it to make it functional as at least a .22. I have to pick me up a folding 10-22 or one of those single shot .22 cal/410 over under combos.

 

[22-rimfire]

Boys and their toys is about all I can say about the AR7. Like Leghog, I was never interested in buying one (although they're interesting) because of reported accuracy and primarily functionality issues. For the most part, I would prefer the Ruger Mark II with heavy barrel for something that can put meat on the table in a survival situation or just fun. Have a Henry Mare's Leg which was bought on a whim as a backpack 22. Shootable with some effort.... as compared to your typical handgun. Best thing out there today are the Ruger take downs if one is interested in such things built around a proven platform. The survival thing is mostly a fantasy for most of us and chances are should something happen, you'd only have a knife with you unless it was on a longer planned trip such as by canoe.