on target shooter nz: Henry US Survival Rifle .22"(AR7):

Saturday, 11 November 2017

Henry US Survival Rifle .22"(AR7):

Remember the Armalite AR 7 ? - a .22" rim fire "Survival rifle" that broke-down for storage and fitted up it's own butt stock - They were a 😈Banned Import😈 here in New Zealand - but there were some early examples around that were very highly prized (and highly priced) by their owners.

There are various stories as to WHY they were banned from entry - maybe it was because they might be converted into "pistols" with a pistol grip & short barrel (as might any rifle - illegally) - another story was that they could be made to illegally fire fully auto - or maybe the paranoid bloke behind the desk just didn't like the small package they squeezed into - but nobody seems now to know.

ARMALITE AR 7 - With Various Capacity Magazines.

Designed in 1958 by Eugene Stoner of M16 / AR 15 fame - Armalite made these until 1973 when they passed the manufacturing rights to Charter Arms who made them as the AR 7 Explorer .. well it is now being made again in an improved / modified version by Henry Repeating Arms Ltd., and it has been de-restricted by our NZ Police for importation .. well anyway - they're in your nearest friendly Gun Shop😃

I've seen these low cost Henrys offered for sale here in New Zealand at a price .. Well you judge eh.

In US the official retail price is US$275.00 - but they are being bought priced down to US$230

- here in "The Land Of The Long White Cloud" they are selling fast at $895 to $995.

My guess at a fair NZ retail price would be around NZ$600. after paying for air-freight, customs clearance fees and added 'Goods & Service Tax'. - But in all fairness - importing and selling firearms here in New Zealand is an involved complicated business conducted under the rather hostile eyes of both NZ Police National Headquarters Firearms Office and the NZ Customs Service .. with no mistakes allowed.

Henry US Survival Rifles are a clever compact design and although a little "clunky" to operate and shoot - they are a novelty item that all enthusiasts will appreciate .. at the right price.

Personally I'd stick with a conventional 'two-two' with a proper fore-end that was ready to go .. without having to peel it out of it's butt-stock and then needing to screw it together. - Sure it is a tidy package for stowing into your F-15 fighter plane cockpit (or your F-150 Truck😎) in case you crash (& survive to walk away) .. and it will float if you throw it into Canterbury's Waimakariri (River Of Cold Rushing Water).