Henry Repeating Arm's Secret Weapon for Modern Hunters with Dan Clayton

From the Otis Technology booth at Shot Show 2025, where the hosts, Jessica Adanich and Erica Chin, are joined by Dan Clayton from Henry Repeating Arms. They discuss the company's innovation, starting with the new Lever Action Supreme, which the host shot and praised for its smoothness and accuracy.

Dan explains that the rifle, four to five years in the making, represents a new platform combining classic Henry looks with modern features like AR magazines and a threaded barrel.

A major focus is the new Special Products Division (SPD), which aims to create use-case specific firearms, such as a suppressor-friendly lever action using a weight-saving BSF carbon fiber barrel. Furthermore, Henry plans to grow its revolver and shotgun product lines to be recognized as a full firearms company, not just a lever action leader.

Links:

• Otis Technology (00:05): Location of the podcast booth at Shot Show.

• Shot Show 2025 (00:05): The event where the podcast is being recorded.

• Henry Repeating Arms / HenryUSA.com (00:48 / 18:18): The guest's company; their main website to order a free catalog.

• Lever Action Supreme Rifle (01:25): Henry's new rifle model taking AR magazines.

• Special Products Division (SPD) (07:18): Henry's new "skunkworks" division.

• BSF (08:52 / 12:12): The company that makes the carbon fiber barrel used in the SPD rifle prototype.

• WOMA (Women's Outdoor Media Association) (21:28): Organization to follow on social media for podcast updates.

Key Takaways:

1. Innovation Through Questioning: Henry fosters innovation by challenging engineers to design firearms starting from a blank sheet of paper, forgetting past constraints.

2. Specialization Drives Excellence: The creation of the Special Products Division (SPD) demonstrates a commitment to designing highly specialized, best-in-class firearms for specific use cases (e.g., predator hunting, suppression).

3. Modernizing the Classic: Henry successfully blends its heritage look (American walnut furniture) with modern, high-performance features (AR magazines, threaded barrels, rotary locking bolt).

4. The Premium Experience is End-to-End: Even the packaging and unboxing experience are considered critical elements of a premium product, worthy of the same design focus as the firearm itself.

5. Expand Beyond Core Competency: To grow into a full firearms company, a brand must commit to seriously developing and growing product lines outside of its historic core, like Henry is doing with revolvers and shotguns.

Key words

• Henry Repeating Arms

• Shot Show 2025

• Lever Action Supreme

• AR Magazines

• Special Products Division (SPD)

• Suppressor Host

• Carbon Fiber Barrel

• BSF

• Revolvers

• Shotguns

• Unboxing Experience

• Ranch Rifle

• Hunting