Henry Repeating Arms has a well-deserved reputation for producing high-quality lever-action rifles with a vintage twist. Nevertheless, this company has not shied away from offering more modern finishes and features to satisfy customer demand. Early in 2016, Henry launched the All Weather series with corrosion resistant hard chrome plating for the steel components and hardwood stocks with a special moisture resistant coating. By 2020, Henry was ready to release the X Model series of rifles and shotguns sporting threaded muzzles, polymer furniture, M-LOK accessory slots and a short Picatinny rail for light and laser modules.
The SPD HUSH is the first offering from Henry’s Special Products Division.
However, over the last couple of years, we've seen the ultra-modern “tactical” lever-guns growing in popularity. At first folks were taking their more traditional hardwood stocked guns and swapping out the furniture for aftermarket parts including AR-15 inspired aluminum handguards and skeletonized shoulder stocks. In keeping with this trend, some gun makers have started offering models kitted out in black aluminum from the factory.
The SPD HUSH ships with a hollow laminated hardwood shoulder stock.
But Henry has taken things a step further with its Special Products Division, or SPD series, launched in the spring of 2025. In addition to new furniture, the company is taking extra steps with the barrel and other hardware in order to reduce the rifle's weight. This evaluation takes a closer look at the first model released in the series, the SPD HUSH. Designed to be an ideal sound suppressor host, it is available chambered in the popular Big Boy revolver calibers, including .357 Mag., .44 Mag, .45 Colt, along with the popular hunting rifle calibers .30-30 Win. and .45-70 Gov't. In this case, I requested the H10 model chambered in .45-70 Gov't. to test fire.
The receiver is formed from a tough carbon steel alloy.
This version of the Henry SPD HUSH center-fire, lever-action rifle is based on the X Model series H010X. At the heart of the gun is a sturdy carbon steel alloy receiver which is drilled and tapped for an optics rail and features a right-side loading gate just below the generously sized ejection port. The receiver and other carbon-steel components are treated with a non-reflective matte-blue finish.
The serrated spur of the exposed hammer is grooved to accept an optional knurled extension. This aids in manually cocking the hammer when a longer magnified rifle scope is installed. Inside the hammer is a transfer-bar safety that drops down away from the firing pin to prevent the rifle from firing if the hammer is bumped.
The action and trigger of this Henry rifle are buttery smooth to cycle.
The steel bow trigger is couched inside of a lever which features a generously sized loop that has been opened up and rounded out to a greater degree than the company's standard size loops. This loop style provides additional space for shooting with gloves on while also being kinder to the knuckles of bare shooting hands. The action and the trigger both exhibited that buttery-smooth cycling that Henry is famous for with the single-stage trigger breaking cleanly with a trigger pull of just 2 lbs. 9 oz. right out of the box.
This model sports a magazine loading port in addition to the receiver’s loading gate.
The fixed tubular magazine for this particular model holds up to four rounds of .45-70 Gov't. ammunition. Prior to 2019, the H010 models did not have loading gates on the receivers. Ammunition was fed into the magazine via a loading port at the front of the tube which is exposed by twisting and removing the brass magazine liner. Thankfully, when side gates became a standard feature for the X Models in 2020, the removable magazine liner was left in place. This configuration allows the gun to be quickly topped off through the loading gate when needed and the magazine liner can still be removed to either dump out unfired rounds or for easier cleaning.
The slim aluminum fore-end features a series of M-LOK accessory slots.
Several of the SPD HUSH features are unique to this model. It leaves the factory with a forged carbon fiber Picatinny optics rail mounted to the receiver. Made by ARRIS Technology, the rail is formed by mixing short carbon fibers with resin. This mixture is then compressed into a mold under high heat and pressure to “forge” a rail that is strong, light weight and holds the scope’s zero. This was the first time that I've worked with this type of scope mount and I was satisfied with the results. It kept the scope zeroed despite the fairly stout levels of .45-70 Gov't. recoil without showing any signs of chipping or breakage.
The forged carbon fiber optics rail is lighter than an aluminum rail.
The light weight fore-end is a thoroughly modern, AR-15 inspired skeletonized aluminum design. It was developed for this gun in collaboration with TAPCO, The American Parts Company. It has a slim, comfortable to hold profile with a plethora of M-LOK slots for mounting a variety of accessories including sling mounts, lights and bipods.
The 16.5" round profile, match-grade barrel is a brand new feature not seen on Henry rifles before now. Made from 416R stainless steel, this barrel is wrapped in a tension-loaded roll of carbon fiber. Manufactured in partnership with BSF Barrels of Delavan, Wisconsin, it is designed to provide a 95% air gap between the carbon fiber and the stainless steel. This in turn reduces the barrel's weight and promotes faster cooling. As the barrel heats up, the carbon and steel expand together to prevent delamination and maintain tighter group sizes during extended shooting sessions. The barrel's muzzle is threaded at 5/8x24 TPI with a knurled stainless steel thread protector provided from the factory.
TAPCO offers a tactical shoulder stock that matches this rifle’s aluminum fore-end.
The features of the SPD HUSH trim this rifle's weight down to 6 lbs. 11.6 oz., unloaded, compared to the X Model which tips the scales at 7 lbs. 8 ozs. Although a shift of roughly 12.5 oz. may not seem like much of a change, it does noticeably contribute to this gun's handy feel. But the primary purpose of these modifications is to contribute to this model’s use as a sound suppressor host. The rifle's natural center of gravity remains in place when a big-bore suppressor is attached to the muzzle.
The TAPCO stock ships with an adjustable riser and an ammunition quiver installed.
In place of an X Model style polymer stock, or a skeletonized aluminum stock, Henry opted to outfit this gun with a hollow laminated American hardwood shoulder stock that provides a 14" length-of-pull (LOP). It sports a checkered pistol grip, a vented rubber recoil pad, a sling swivel stud and a gray, water-resistant finish similar to that seen on the All Weather model stocks.
Their reasoning for this choice is that the wood stock is relatively light weight and provides a more familiar and comfortable feel than the aluminum stocks. This hollow stock is good looking and handles quite nicely. But personally, I would have thought that an X Model style polymer stock would have been more in line with the ultra-modern upgrades. It's interesting to note that the company did go with a polymer shoulder stock for the SPD CRUSR model while reverting to all-wood furniture for the SPD PREDATOR rifle, both of which were added to the line up near the end of 2025.
The Ranger Point Precision Comet muzzle brake successfully worked to tame muzzle flash and felt recoil.
Out of curiosity, I checked in with the folks at TAPCO to see if they offer a shoulder stock for this rifle that matched their fore-end. Sure enough, they make an aluminum stock sized for the X Model series H010 (#TAP22089; $279.99). This stock assembly weighs in at 2 lbs. 1.4 oz., which is 10.4 oz. heavier than the factory installed hollow hardwood stock. Extending the LOP to 14.5", the TAPCO arrives ready to use with an integral checkered aluminum grip, a height-adjustable carbon fiber cheek piece, a reversible aluminum 6-round cartridge quiver and a soft rubber recoil pad. It is simple to install using the same screws that secure the factory stock. Overall, this is a top notch fit for those who are looking for a tactical stock to match the fore-end of this particular rifle.
Test ammunition included modern hunting loads topped with 225- to 300-gr. projectiles.
At the shooting range the SPD HUSH was put through its paces using a Swampfox Arrowhead LPVO 1-8x24mm SFP III scope mounted to the rail using a lightweight 7075 aluminum Swamp Fox Freedom cantilever mount. The threaded muzzle was fitted with a Ranger Point Precision Comet muzzle brake (#850078124883; $99). Made from salt-bath black nitrided carbon steel alloy, this brake is intended to reduce recoil and muzzle flash by at least 25 percent. Having tested it with another .45-70 Gov't. carbine, it was a welcome addition to the SPD HUSH when shooting on or off of the bench rest.
The best individual 3-shot group of 0.78” was fired using the DoubleTap Hunter load.
Formal bench-rested accuracy testing consisted of firing three 3-shot groups, using a trio of hunting grade loads, into paper targets posted at a distance of 100 yards. The test ammunition included DoubleTap Ammunition Hunter, Remington High Performance and Underwood Ammo Xtreme Hunter loads. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was on hand to measure bullet velocities for 10-shot strings. Here are the results:
It has been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Our pioneer progenitors would be surprised by some of the lever-action rifles in production today. But what remains the same is Henry's dedication to producing high-quality long guns made here in America, or not at all! The SPD HUSH is a top-notch, feature-rich tactical lever gun that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. It will be exciting to see what other models join the SPD line up. For more information, visit henryusa.com.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Henry Repeating Arms
Model: H10 SPD HUSH Lever-Action
Action Type: lever-action, repeating, centerfire rifle
Chambering: .45-70 Gov’t.
Barrel: 16.5" carbon fiber tension-wrapped 416R stainless steel, round profile, 1:22" RH twist, 5/8x24 TPI threaded muzzle
Receiver: black-oxide-finished carbon steel alloy
Magazine: four-round tubular, fixed
Sights: none, forged carbon fiber Picatinny optics rail
Trigger: single-stage; 2 lbs. 9 oz. pull (as tested)
Overall Length: 35.25"
Weight: 6 lbs. 11.6 oz. (factory configuration)
Accessories: owner's manual, knurled thread protector, lock
MSRP: $2,000
