Henry Arms has a whole new platform now that is both for fun and business. The Henry Homesteader is a 16.37″ inch round blued steel barreled carbine that is clad in the usual beautiful walnut furniture this all American company is well known for. Chambered in the popular 9mm cartridge (and it’s +P rated) with a 1:10 rate of twist for the rifling it has already become a popular product since its introduction at Shot Show 2023. I had to get my hands on this handy little long arm that is only made right here in the good ole U.S.A. to test out and my friends at Henry Arms made that a reality.
I requested the Henry Homesteader with Glock® Mag Well. I had a supply of Glock® original 9mm standard capacity magazines that hold 17 rounds and the “good ole stick mags” that hold 33 rounds. While Henry supplies a 5 round and a 10 round magazine standard with their Henry Mag Well the Glock® Mag Well will certainly up the fun factor with extra firepower. The above image shows the Homesteader sporting the Glock® Mag Well and a Glock factory 17 round magazine and the previous image the supplied Henry Mag Well and 5 round magazine.
A call from my buddies at Silverado Arms meant the all new Henry Arms Homesteader had arrived. Right out of the box we all gazed at the incredible grain on the stock and forearm.
The barrel muzzle sports threading (1/2 x 28) for popular add on accessories such as noise suppressors for quieter shooting. The muzzle protector nut keeps the barrel threads safe until needed.
The Top Mounted Thumb Safety is right where it should be for fast shooting. I really like the position of this safety as I use for small game at times shotguns that have the safety in the same spot. Nothing is faster for me and more natural than a thumb flick of the safety while shouldering the firearm. Also note the receiver is drilled and tapped for a Weaver 63B scope mount base if you prefer to add optics.
The American Walnut Stock sports a really nice rubber butt pad (I can’t call it a recoil pad because the recoil of the 9mm cartridge is very light). Length of pull is a very shooter friendly 14″.
The stain on my sample sports a lighter coloration on the forearm. I feel it is a nice accent to the already classy carbine. It also has that great sure grip texture perfect for holding onto in rain, snow, and anything inclement weather on the homestead or afield throws at it.
The charging handle is actually ambidextrous. Pull out the charging handle and pop it in on the chosen side. This is a great feature for left hand shooters. The charging handle stays firmly in place so no worries about loosing it.
Here is a close up image of the Henry Homesteader with the Glock® Mag Well in place and a Glock® 17 round standard capacity factory magazine. Switching the mag wells is quite easy. Just drift out the 3 receiver pins, pull stock section from receiver, and remove mag well. Reverse the order to place in another mag well version and reassemble. On a side note when the carbine is disassembled in that manner the components are short and would fit in the “takedown rifle” category. The barrel component is then 22.5″ long and the stock component is 17″ long. That might be handy for traveling or other occasions a carbine would be handy but the length might be an issue.
A Glock® 33 round stick magazine looks quite business like in the Henry Homesteader. It certainly has a more vintage and nostalgic look over other synthetic stocked models from other makers on the market. Henry’s have style!
Testing out this handy 6.6 lbs. rifle was quite a joy. The short and quick 35.75″ length made tight spots easy to manage and when slung over my shoulder with a quality sling a pleasure to carry afield and while doing farm chores.
The Henry Homesteader is certainly at home no matter where the job takes it. Light and quick this is one fast shooter that won’t be left in the house or truck.
So how does it shoot? Well after a cleaning recommended in the instruction manual by Henry before firing (and a good idea on all new firearms) I headed to the back acre shooting range for an early test with the supplied Henry Mag Well and 5 & 10 round magazine. The carbine performed flawlessly with white box Winchester Bulk Pack 115 Grain 9mm ammunition. Off hand at 30 yards the group was quite tight in quick shooting and after a quick adjustment and the wind slowing down that was blowing from my left side I was in the bullseye. The Henry supplied magazines were quite tight as all new magazine springs should be. These great targets donated by the good fellows over at Silverado Arms have 1″ square grid blocks for easy group comparison.
Waiting for Ohio’s unpredictable late winter weather was certainly not cooperating. This lead me to a thought I would not even contemplate with a target rifle. Why not test it out on a really cold day in blustery winds like you might experience on your homestead or property? This is a self defense and property protection themed carbine. After a foot of snow was on the ground, I chose a windy morning to head out to the range in a balmy 20 degree Fahrenheit temperature. This is real world testing and not a sunny, no wind summer day. I was about to find out how it would do in the brutal late winter weather.
I set up 50 yard targets for a variety of ammunition I brought. The icy wind was blowing in my face and then the bright sun came out and wreaked havoc for glare off the snow. Well sunglasses only work so well and with eyes tearing up I bench rested the Henry Homesteader and worked at a methodical quicker acquisition speed doing the best I can firing 5 shot groups. The results were quite interesting with some ammo selections certainly outperforming the others in this real world test.
The first group after I made sure to fire some fouling shots to assure target group integrity was full fledge self defense loads. I loaded up the Henry 5 shot magazine with Federal Premium 124 grain Hydra-Shok JHP “Law Enforcement Use Only” 9mm cartridges. Squinting through the wind and the sun glare I squeezed this group off firing in a steady but quicker timed rate. I do have to say I am impressed!
The next target was engaged with an odd cartridge. This 9mm frangible ammunition in a plain brown box marked “AA16 MK 254 MOD 0 N00164-03-D-0004” and headstamp “WWC +P 04” is meant to avoid dangerous fragments when firing at steel targets up close. I had little hope they would perform well but I was completely wrong in that assumption.
One of my old favorites for target practice has been the Sellier & Bellot 115 grain FMJ cartridge. The group was quite tight with one flier probably as shooter error.
Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ cartridges grouped the most mediocre of the ammo tested though it would still be acceptable for plinking and critter control.
While 50 yards is the perfect distance for testing out a 9mm carbine a 100 yard test still is important in case a cattle rustler is stealing your cow while peppering your ranch with buckshot loads. Below is a silhouette target that was targeted at by the Henry Homesteader secured in a bench rest and firing the spicy Federal Premium 124 grain Hydra-Shok +P+ JHP cartridges. Of the 5 fired, 3 shots would have been lethal to your bipedal adversary and the other 2 would have done serious damage.
Also targeted was swinging steel plates that were about human torso size at 100 yards. With the Glock® Mag Well loaded with a 17 round magazine I went to work on it quick fire, off hand and soon as I had a decent sight picture. The cling/clang of all of the 9mm projectiles hitting those steel targets was quite rewarding. As my U.S. Army Military Police veteran friend stated “I like it, it’s like an M1 Carbine”. This seasoned veteran knew a winner when he first handled the Henry Homesteader.
I will honestly state with good weather and no wind, no glare, and some more practice on the trigger and sights a shooter can certainly out do the above groups. During my testing the Henry Homesteader ate all 9mm ammunition fed to it without and malfunctions. That was with both the supplied Henry Mag Well and magazines and the Glock® Mag Well using my Glock factory magazines. This little carbine is just so handy in the hands and with the peep sight quick on target. You could certainly add a scope and that would even tighten up on groups, but my thought is this little shooter is for fast and furious shooting when you have but moments to fire. This is a handy little protector in the chicken yard when coyotes are on the prowl or in your abode when things go bump in the night.
The Henry Homesteader has become a fast shooting favorite of mine for protecting my poultry flock, trekking through the woods, and plinking at various targets for fun. The recoil is light, the weight is light, and it is indeed quite accurate when the shooter does their part. I love the workmanship on the Henry Homesteader and it is the quality I have come to expect from the fine folks at Henry Arms. As their slogan says “Made In America, Or Not Made At All!”. If you are looking for a fun little carbine that is also a reliable tool for protection be sure to check it out and also the other beautiful and well built rifles, shotguns, and mares legs they offer on their website. They are indeed investments that will last several lifetimes.
