The AR-7 first came to the attention of many folks when it was used by James Bond in “From Russia with Love” way back in 1963. The rifle’s history actually dates back to 1959 when it was part of the emergency ejection gear carried by Air Force pilots for survival purposes. The rifle design has evolved with the use of more modern materials but all of the basic features and benefits remain.
Overall length of this rifle, assembled, is 35 inches. When disassembled and stowed in the stock (more on that in a moment), the unit measures 16.5 inches long. It has an overall weight of 3.5 pounds. The rifle is comprised of three main components: the stock, the receiver and the barrel. The barrel measures 16.125 inches. It has a peep rear sight and a blade front sight and is set up to mount a scope on the 3/8” grooved receiver. Remember, there is no storage spot for a scope in the disassembled configuration. Two 8-round magazines are included with the rifle and they stow in the stock as well.
I like the rifle for backpacking and hiking in unknown conditions. With a backpacking trip, you know you’ll be out for a night or more and the rifle serves more as a tool in case of the unexpected. If it’s disassembled and packed or strapped onto your pack, it’s not quick to get into action, but it’s available if needed. If you go on a hiking trip in unknown conditions, then you never know what you might run into, where you might end up, or if your hiking trip will become an unexpected camping trip. If it does, you should have some minimum survival supplies with you and the AR-7 is the ideal rifle for this purpose.
In fact, one of the packages you can get from Henry Repeating Arms is their “U.S. Survival Pack,” a grab-and-go pack that contains the rifle, emergency food rations, a water filtration straw, fire starter steel, a Buck Rival folding knife, an emergency blanket and more. The pack itself is more of a carry bag (I don’t see any shoulder straps for wearing like a backpack), so you may want to repackage the contents or build your own kit.
The disassembled rifle unit, with the butt stock cover in place, floats if you drop it in water. The rifle looks unique and feels odd to shoot due to the lack of a fore end to hold, but holding the front of the receiver works well and the rifle is as accurate as you’d expect any .22lr from Henry Repeating Arms to be: in other words, excellent accuracy. MSRP on the rifle is $319 and MSRP on the Survival Pack is $577. The rifle is available in three finishes: Black, True Timber-Kanati Camo and Viper Western Camo. Check out henryusa.com for more information. This is an excellent addition to any survival or outdoors kit!
