These days it's difficult to overstate the popularity of the .223 Remington (.223 Rem.) cartridge with American shooting sports enthusiasts. This mid-size, bottleneck cartridge began as an experimental round developed for the new lightweight Armalite rifle (AR) back in 1957. By 1964 the U.S. Army had adopted a fully automatic (and later select-fire) version of the AR which was designated the M-16. It was chambered for a slightly modified version of the .223 cartridge known as the 5.56x45 mm NATO, or just 5.56 NATO. The AR platform and the 5.56 NATO round have been synonymous with each other ever since.
Rifles chambered for .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO are among the most popular in the United States.
Throughout firearm development history, shooting technologies and ammunition designs originally developed for military applications have regularly made their way into the civilian marketplace. In this case, the .223 Rem. cartridge went on to become a popular sporting round. In the field, its low levels of felt recoil and flat-shooting characteristics make it a great fit for varminting and pest control. Some folks also choose to use it for hunting hogs and small deer in jurisdictions where its use is allowed. The round is favored for formal target shooting competitions or casual plinking and it’s proved to be an effective option when pressed into service as a survival round or for home defense.
The .223 Rem. is commonly used in sporting rifles like the Long Ranger (top) and AR-15-pattern semi-automatics like the Palmetto State Armory PA-15 (bottom).
The ongoing popularity of the .223 Rem. here in the United States is due in no small part to the widespread adoption of the semi-automatic version of the Armalite rifle better known as the AR-15 (sometimes referred to as the Modern Sporting Rifle, or MSR). But despite its modularity, flexibility and utility, the AR-15 is not always the best option for everyone. Some shooting sports enthusiasts live in regions of the country where ARs are heavily restricted or banned making them difficult, if not impossible, to own. Others simply prefer more classically styled rifles with sporting wood stocks employing hinged, bolt or lever actions. And there are those of us who enjoy both platforms!
The stocks are shaped from weather resistant birch wood laminate.
For those who are seeking ways to enjoy the benefits of the .223 Rem. cartridge with as little AR-ness as possible, Henry Repeating Arms offers a lever-action rifle called the Long Ranger Express. I've worked with other members of this rifle series with positive results, including the model chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. I've wanted to know for a while now just how this slim, handy and handsome platform would handle when using soft shooting .223 Rem. ammunition. Recently, I found out for myself and here's what I learned along the way.
The receiver is formed from aircraft grade aluminum.
The Long Ranger Express is configured for use as a multi-purpose ranch gun. The round-profile, free-floated barrel is made from blued steel and has been trimmed down from 22", used on the hunting rifles, to a handy 16.5". The front sight has been omitted in favor of a muzzle threaded at 1/2x28 TPI to accommodate a variety of popular .223-compatible muzzle devices, including flash hiders, compensators and sound suppressors. A knurled thread protector is provided. In place of the rear sight is a removable 5.75" long Picatinny-compatible optics rail mounted to the receiver.
The rotating 6-lug bolt locks into the barrel extension.
This rifle's bolt assembly is machined and chromed with a 6-lug rotary head which locks into the barrel's rear extension to contribute to better accuracy. The exposed hammer features an internal transfer bar safety and is grooved to accept a knurled hammer extension. The matte black hard anodized receiver is made from aerospace-grade aluminum alloy. On the right side of the receiver, just below the front end of the ejection port, is a round button which releases the 5-round removable box magazine.
The flush-fit box magazine holds five rounds.
The standard-size lever houses the smooth-faced steel bow trigger. This is a single-action trigger which means that the hammer must be cocked manually, or by cycling the action, for the rifle to fire. With the hammer cocked, the trigger exhibits a short arch of travel with just a hint of take-up before breaking cleanly with 3 lbs. 8 oz. of trigger pull.
This version of the Long Ranger has the same sleek fore-end and shoulder stock lines as previous models. However, the walnut stocks have been traded out an uncheckered, weather-resistant gray and black birch wood laminate. Other features include a steel end cap for the fore-end, front and rear sling swivel studs, a 14" length-of-pull (LOP) and a soft rubber recoil pad. Unloaded, this rifle tips the scales at 7 lbs. 4.8 oz. with an empty magazine.
This lightweight, compact Leupold scope is a great fit for guns like this one.
For the range test, the rifle was topped off with a Leupold VX-3DH 2.5-8x36 CDS ZL rifle scope secured with a set of Leupold's Back Country rings. This 1" tube optic has proved to be a great fit with other lever guns, so I put it to work for this test as well. The .223 Rem. version of the Long Ranger proved to be a smooth operator with mild levels of felt recoil. All the gun's features and functions worked properly, as did the magazine and all the ammunition tested. I did manage to short stroke it twice while getting a feel for the lever, but that is a user-induced malfunction. As with any lever gun, just make sure to swing the lever all the way forward firmly before beginning the return stroke. Otherwise, it was utterly reliable.
The Long Ranger proved to be soft shooting and reliable at the range.
Before diving into the range results, here's some handy information for those who are new to the .223 Rem. cartridge and the rifles that fire it. A very common question is this: are the .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO cartridges the same? The answer is a somewhat confusing yes, and no. Both rounds share the same external cartridge dimensions, so they look the same. Without going into too much detail, internally they are different, including their operational pressure levels.
Test ammunition included bullet weights suitable for the barrel’s 1:9 rifling twist rate.
The .223 Rem. ammunition sold in sporting goods stores can be loaded to SAAMI maximum pressure levels of up to 55,000 psi. However, the 5.56 NATO can be loaded up to 58,000 psi or more making it significantly hotter than the .223 Rem. In short, if a sporting rifle's barrel is stamped “.223 Rem./5.56 NATO,” like that of the Long Ranger, then the gun can safely fire both rounds. If the barrel is stamped “.223 Rem. Only,” then the hotter 5.56 NATO should not be used in that model. This is because it can potentially damage the gun in ways that could result in injury to the person shooting it.
The best single group of 1.26” was fired using the Sierra Bullets load.
In addition to the cartridge markings, another facet of a .223 rifle’s design is the bore's rifling twist rate, or how fast the rifling spins the bullet as it travels through the barrel. This is important to know because .223 Rem. twist rates are tuned to stabilize a particular range of bullet weights. For this rifle, a bullet will have completed one rotation (1) after traveling nine inches (9), or a twist rate of 1:9. Slower twist rates, such as 1:12 and 1:10, do a good job of stabilizing light-weight bullets while faster twists, including 1:8 and 1:7, work better for the heavy weights. The 1:9 twist is a middle-ground option well suited to the bullet weights and types favored for sporting and hunting endeavors.
Formal benchrested accuracy testing was conducted by firing three 3-shot groups using three different loads at 100 yards. The ammunition tested includes factory manufactured loads from Hornady, Remington and Sierra Bullets. Bullet velocity was measured using a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. Here are the results:
The American-made Long Ranger Express is another well-made gun from Henry which provides the flexibility and fun of shooting .223 Rem. in a handy lever-action package. The receiver-mounted rail allows for the use of a variety of magnified or low power optics depending on your needs. Use it to dispatch pests and predators around your property or for harvesting small and medium game for the dinner table. And there's no good reason why this gun could not be staged for personal protection in those regions where semi-automatic rifles in this caliber are restricted. For more information on this and other members of the Long Ranger series, visit henryusa.com.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Henry Repeating Arms
Action Type: lever-action, centerfire, repeating rifle
Chambering: .223 Rem./5.56 NATO
Receiver: hard anodized aluminum, matte black finish
Barrel: 16.5" round profile; blued alloy steel; 1:9 twist
Muzzle: 1/2x28 TPI threaded
Magazine: five-round detachable box
Sights: none; Picatinny rail
Stock: grey and black laminated birch wood
Trigger Pull: Single-Action Trigger; 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Overall Length: 37"
Length of Pull (LOP): 14"
Weight: 7 lbs. 4.8 oz. with empty magazine
MSRP: $1,324
