With a fighting weight of 6.6 pounds, the rifle carries well, and most of the mass seems forward in the forearm, which aids in felt recoil and provides, as previously noted, a tremendous offhand feel. In this shooter’s opinion, the under 36-inch measurement and length-to-weight ratio is ideal. The rifle throws down like a dream and feels ultra-maneuverable. The rubber buttpad feels solid against the shoulder, and the thin grip of the stock’s throat with its narrow top, married with the raised metal receiver, promotes solid cheek weld and fantastic sight acquisition. Henry wanted to build an excellent offhand rifle, and the width and flat nature of the forearm promotes in-hand feel and overall balance. The 14-inch length of pull feels good, as does the width of the American walnut forearm. The safety button isn’t overly stiff but neither is it sloppy. I like the location of the safety-a top-mounted thumb switch that shows a red dot when the rifle is hot and an “S” when safe. The bolt slides cleanly and quickly without a magazine, and the dual bolt latch locks open the bolt, which I feel boosts functionality and efficiency. Once the magazine is inserted, a light rearward pull unlocks the charging handle allowing the bolt to spring forward where it grabs a round and sends it cleanly into the chamber. The charging handle is not inserted into the action for shipping but is easily attached to either side of the action to accommodate right- or left-handed shooters. The mag-release button, located forward of the magazine for quick index-finger activation, propels empty mags with a little force, so be ready. Drive a trio of cross pins out of the receiver from either direction and make the swap.īoth Henry magazines load quickly with zero slop and seat cleanly with an audible click. I swapped in the adaptor for testing’s sake, and the process took about 10 minutes. The 9mm shooter comes standard with a pair of magazines-a five-round and 10-round-and can also be purchased with a magazine well adapter to accept Glock, SIG or S&W M&P 9mm magazines. The muzzle is threaded for a suppressor, but I did not add one for testing. After shouldering the rifle, the words maneuverable, balanced and compact come to mind.ĭrilled and tapped for scope mounting, I love the old-school feel of the rear peep sight with the raised front iron sight. The Homesteader has eye appeal for sure, but my mind immediately went to thoughts of home defense, fun on the range for any sized shooter and an excellent companion to ride shotgun.

Henry’s new-for-2023 Homesteader isn’t a lever-action, but this 9mm carbine screams the Henry name, and the 16.37-inch-barreled, semi-auto shooter made an immediate impression on me. I’m a fan of Henry Repeating Arms, and I’ve tested and hunted with the manufacturer’s lever-action wonders for two decades.

Ruger 9mm carbine review