Henry Lever Action Axe .410

Chopped Up Versatility
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I guess the .410 shotgun has always fascinated me since my misspent youth.

When my grandfather was still alive, he had friends who owned those old H&R Handy Guns — a .410 single-shot pistol that was a favorite of road hunters, especially during the Depression when the grouse or rabbit someone encountered in his travels might be all there was to put on the dinner table. Those old shooters just made sense to me, but the stroke of a pen back in 1934 made a lot of those guns contraband.

When I was in school, a pal of mine had a .410 double barrel cottontail killer extraordinaire. Many years later, I acquired a .410 side-by-side with double triggers for the sake of nostalgia — it’s a dandy grouse gun, and I may even try quail hunting someday.

Shortly after announcing their new side-gate .410 shotgun, Henry Repeating Arms is back with another new lever action .410 with a twist that might be the “firearm” to give another lease on life to an old friend.

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At First Glance

From the exposed hammer forward, the new Lever Action Axe looks like any other Henry shotgun. But behind the blued steel receiver and rounded lever is an unconventional stock — unconventional because it’s not a stock at all.

Much like the Mossberg Shockwave and the Remington 870 TAC-14, the Lever Action Axe may look and shoot like a shotgun, but it is legally classified as non-Class 3/NFA “firearm” according to the BATF and the Gun Control Act of 1968, all thanks to its “axe handle” grip and short barrel, giving it an overall length just over 26″.

It’s as if a Henry product manager chopped a traditional American walnut stock lever gun behind the woodshed and came out with what was left.

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Lever Action Axe

What’s left is a 26.4″ overall length firearm with 15.4″ round blued steel, smoothbore barrel weighing just 5.75 lbs. Much lighter and with much less recoil than a 12- or 20-gauge, the Lever Action Axe .410 is versatile in its possible applications.

Whether for target shooting, range plinking or utility as a self-defense or truck gun, the side-gate Lever Action Axe chambers up to 5 rounds of 2.5″ .410 shells. The receiver is also drilled and tapped for Weaver 63B mounts, providing strong-armed and brave shooters the ability to scope the firearm for up-close-and-personal hunting or predator control.

The firearm otherwise sports a single brass bead front sight with no rear sight, as guns of this kind are most often fired from the hip.

Regardless of how you choose to use it, the Henry Lever Action Axe is a handy firearm that can be tucked away in a vehicle scabbard or thrown over your shoulder with a sling, making use of its front and back studs, and is sure to put a smile on the face of anyone who shoots or sees it. MSRP is $970.

For more info:
www.henryusa.com, Ph: (201) 858-4400

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