Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR Lever Action 20 in. Octagon Walnut – Superb Smooth

Description

The Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR is the rifle people buy when they want the shooting to feel like an occasion. Henry part number H004V. A twenty inch octagon barrel, a Brasslite receiver, American walnut furniture, and a tubular magazine full of the flattest shooting rimfire cartridge there is.

It is worth saying what this listing used to call it, which was simply a Henry lever action in 17 HMR. That undersells it badly. The Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR is the Golden Boy, Henry’s flagship rimfire, and the brass receiver and octagon barrel are the reasons it costs what it costs.

What the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR gives you

• 17 HMR, tubular magazine
• 20 inch octagon barrel
• Brasslite receiver
• American walnut stock and forend
• Iron sights fitted from the factory
• Receiver drilled and tapped for a scope base
• 1:9 inch rate of twist
• 38.5 inches overall, 6.75 pounds
• Made in Bayonne, New Jersey

Why an octagon barrel lever action rimfire is still worth buying

• A flat shooting cartridge in a rifle you will actually enjoy carrying
• The octagon profile steadies the muzzle offhand
• Lever actions suit a range where nobody is in a hurry
• Nothing on it will look dated in twenty years
• Rimfire costs a fraction of anything centerfire to shoot

Henry H004V specifications

• Manufacturer part number: H004V
• Caliber: 17 HMR
• Barrel length: 20 inches, octagon
• Receiver: Brasslite, drilled and tapped
• Metal finish: blued barrel, bi-tone overall
• Rate of twist: 1:9 inches
• Action: lever, tubular magazine, not detachable
• Stock: American walnut
• Sights: fitted
• Recoil pad: none. Swivel studs: none
• Overall length: 38.5 inches
• Weight: 6.75 pounds

What a 17 HMR lever action rifle does that nothing else in the class does

The Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR pushes a 17 grain polymer tipped bullet out of a twenty inch barrel at around 2,550 feet per second shoots flat enough that holdover stops being a conversation inside 150 yards. On a groundhog or a crow that is the whole point. CCI 17 grain V-Max is what we hold deepest by an enormous margin, with CCI VNT polymer tip, CCI A17 in 200-round packs and Browning BPR all in stock in quantity. Unlike some rimfires we sell, 17 HMR supply here is not a problem.

A Brasslite receiver walnut rifle with an octagon barrel

As an octagon barrel lever action rimfire the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR carries a twenty inch octagon barrel, which is heavier at the muzzle than a round profile and steadies the rifle noticeably offhand. The receiver is Henry’s Brasslite, which is where the Golden Boy name comes from. On the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR the brass is a cosmetic choice rather than a functional one and nobody pretends otherwise, but it is the reason people buy this rifle rather than a plainer one, and it is the reason it gets handed down.

Sights and optics

Iron sights are fitted to the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR from the factory and the receiver is drilled and tapped, so glass is an option rather than a requirement. An EGW scope base cut for the Golden Boy is the clean way to mount one, and the BSA Sweet 17 3-9×40 has turrets calibrated for this cartridge specifically. Note there is no recoil pad and no sling swivel studs fitted — on a six and three quarter pound rimfire neither is missed, but if you want a sling you will be adding the studs yourself.

Loading the Henry H004V tube magazine

Henry H004V loads through the muzzle end of the tube rather than through a side gate. Twist the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR inner magazine tube out, drop the rounds in, push it home. It is slower than a gate and faster than a detachable magazine once you are used to it, and it is the reason the rifle has an unbroken receiver with no loading port cut into it.

Cross-shopping

The Golden Boy in 22 LR is the same Brasslite receiver walnut rifle in the cheaper cartridge, and is the one to buy if most of your shooting is at cans. The Bergara BMR-X in 17 HMR is the modern bolt gun answer to a 17 HMR lever action rifle: more accurate on paper, none of the charm.

Worth knowing before you buy

• 17 HMR is a SAAMI standardized cartridge, so factory ammunition is consistent across brands. See the SAAMI published standards.
• Distributor records disagree on capacity: Sports South lists 12+1 and Zanders records the magazine as 11 rounds. Either way it is eleven or twelve rounds in the tube. Ask us and we will count one.
• No sling swivel studs are fitted. A sling means adding them.
• This model cannot be direct shipped to Rhode Island.

Buy the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR if you want a varmint rifle that is a pleasure to own as well as to use, or if you are buying a rifle for someone that they will keep. It is not the most accurate 17 HMR on the shelf and it is not trying to be. It is the one that gets taken out of the safe.

MAG5 Firearms is a licensed dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Every firearm ships to your FFL. Ask us about ammunition, scope bases or rings for the Henry Golden Boy 17 HMR before you order, because the mounting question on a lever gun is the one people get wrong.