New Henry Rifles

Anybody got one? Do you like it? Any problems? I looked at one yesterday, 30-30 It seemed very barel heavy, heavy in general but muzzle heavy for sure. My model 94 Winchester is lighter and better balanced. I wonder if you could take some weight off that barrel safely?

Don't know what model you looked at but they make a really nice rifle.

The only 30-30 one I have shot was this one with steel frame and round barrel, I loved it...seemed very well balanced. The "classic" models with octagon barrels are quite a bit heavier.

Lever Action .3-3 | Henry Repeating Arms

As said, the model matters quite a bit to the answers you might get. Now, obviously the 1866 "Henry" is not what you are talking about but I have one (wife got it for me for Christmas) and it is very well made as well as being manufactured here in the good ol' U.S. of A. I am sure the rest of their line is of equal quality.

-Ron

The one I looked at was brass/octagon barrel

I'd assume it's the one on the bottom:



Yeah, they do tend to feel a bit "front heavy" but there is a lot of steel hanging out the front there and even more mass up front when it's loaded. I've gotten used to that with my lever actions (My Winchester 1894 in .30-30 is most comparable). Lately I've been seriously considering one of Henry's offerings in a .45-70 w/octagonal barrel.

-Ron

MetalCarnage said:

I'd assume it's the one on the bottom:

Yeah, they do tend to feel a bit "front heavy" but there is a lot of steel hanging out the front there and even more mass up front when it's loaded. I've gotten used to that with my lever actions (My Winchester 1894 in .30-30 is most comparable). Lately I've been seriously considering one of Henry's offerings in a .45-70 w/octagonal barrel.

-Ron

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After I looked at the Henry I looked at my '94 Winchester, mine was made in the early 50's and is for sure lighter than the Henry. The steel receiver/round barrel version is supposed to be lighter. I'll try to find a dealer with one in stock.

I have shot the .22LR and .44magnum big boy. While heavy, I do prefer heavier platforms. Both functioned amazingly well and were not at all heavy.

the Big Boy was new last summer, the .22LR new in Xmas 2014.

moonlight machine said:

The one I looked at was brass/octagon barrel

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A friend of mine has one of these, his is chambered for 45 LC like the original. It is a little barrel heavy, but it's a cool riffle.

I don't know about taking anything off the barrel, I thought it was plated.

Those are such BORING looking rifles. No life to the design or the finish on the wood. I have seen them at gun shows,but never bothered to pick one up. Look at that squared off fore arm. What is with the huge,square front sight? No grace at all. You won't see such careless design on a WINCHESTER. Preferably an OLDER one. If you want a pistol caliber rifle,the 1892 Winchester is a beautiful rifle. But, sought after by a LOT of cowboy action shooters,so they cost a bit.

put some lead in the butt end

moonlight machine said:

The one I looked at was brass/octagon barrel

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I got a new Big Boy rifle in .357mag as my token cowboy gun. Bought it new a year or so ago. I know 357mag isn't an old fashioned cowboy cartridge but I was also looking at ammo prices, and I don't yet reload. I also feel ok shooting deer with it. a .38 cal projo at over 2k fps is right up there with a lot of common deer cartridges. I didn't expect to use it for deer when I bought it, but after seeing some ballistics numbers I saw the potential.

Anyways, I really like mine. I've taken it down to individual pieces, but I don't know if I'd recommend it for people not used to taking apart guns. It's not bad, so someone "mechanically inclined" like most on this board should be, it shouldn't be a problem. Just be careful. Tape off any areas if you're planning to take a punch to anything. I think all the hardware was screws, though, so use THE RIGHT SIZED driver and everything's ok. The machining in the inside of the receiver has a lot of chatter but who cares - it's the inside. The parts that mattered were all finely finished. The stock was pretty well fit to the receiver, more so than a lot of factory rifles. I mean there's no terrible gaps, and the wood blends into the metal receiver smoothly - no large ledges from over/under sized wood. I have a Ruger shotgun I spent a decent bit on that has wood which is considerably thicker than the receiver, and creates a pretty decent 'step' where they meet. Like the Henry, I mainly bought the Ruger because it's "made in America" unlike the vast majority of other similar shotguns in my price range.

The bolt was slick as fuck and lockup was crisp and secure. I can make that puppy rock and roll. I got a couple bowling pins hanging from a tree on the family 'range' and love standing at 50yds and making them dance. I don't have one complaint about the parts, fitup, or workings of the rifle. Maintenance is easy - just take the bolt back and lube 'er inside. I bought the 'big loop lever' because I have big hands and if you add gloves it'll be even tighter.

Just make absolutely sure you're ok with a mag tube loaded rifle instead of having a loading gate on the side. Some of my friends hate taking the tube out. I don't mind it, other than the fact that I want to thread the barrel for a sound suppressor one day. I got a couple creative solutions for that, though, when the day comes.

I bought the receiver mounted rail for it, and put on a decent red dot, and now I'm even faster. Love it.

I wouldn't reduce the barrel weight either. I don't think it's uncomfortable at all to shoot it standing up, through a whole mag, taking well aimed shots at a slow pace. It's heavier than some, but manageable.

I mainly chose the Henry because it's made in USA, I did want the octagon barrel, and the brass receiver. That really left only one option and I don't regret it at all.

gwilson said:

Those are such BORING looking rifles. No life to the design or the finish on the wood. I have seen them at gun shows,but never bothered to pick one up. Look at that squared off fore arm. What is with the huge,square front sight? No grace at all. You won't see such careless design on a WINCHESTER. Preferably an OLDER one. If you want a pistol caliber rifle,the 1892 Winchester is a beautiful rifle. But, sought after by a LOT of cowboy action shooters,so they cost a bit.

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I'd have to agree that the Henrys' aren't as aesthetically pleasing as the old Winchesters. I am sure that much of the reason is due to manufacturing costs. That being said, the Henrys' are made in the U.S. while the newer Winchesters are coming out of Japan as the company was bought out and manufacturing was moved there. Where are Winchester firearms manufactured'?' I have a number of older made in the U.S. Winchesters and while I wouldn't rule out buying one made in Japan, there is still something nice about being able to get an "American' lever-action rifle.

-Ron

I have a Japanese made 1895 Winchester rifle. It is said by many to be equal in quality to the Winchesters. But,the old 1895's had a nice polished blue on their receivers,while mine has a finely sanded and blued finish,which has a grayish caste about it. The finish looks like the USFA co's "Armory" finish. TOO BAD THEY ARE GONE. GREAT quality guns. I have a .22 "plinker full size 1873 Colt pattern. Shoots right where you point it,UNLIKE some S.A. Colts! I paid only $500.00 for the 1895. The 1895 might have been used. I can't recall,but it is in like new condition.30-06 caliber.

I do not think Henry is the only choice for US made lever actions. I am pretty sure the Marlins are made here, plus you can put a scope on them and keep using them when you get old.

FredC said:

I do not think Henry is the only choice for US made lever actions. I am pretty sure the Marlins are made here, plus you can put a scope on them and keep using them when you get old.

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Right you are - I had discounted the Marlins for some other reason. Might have just been because I wanted the brass receiver.

FWIW - you can put a scope on /any/ rifle. Even a top ejecting rifle can be fitted with a scope - either forward mounted "scout" style, or side-mount it with a rail that puts it back over the bore, with enough clearance for ejection.

That said, I bought a side-ejecter

Henry's .22 lever actions look like the much more expensive Winchester 9422. Function seems to be excellent, but some plastic parts are disappointing. On the other hand, the large caliber Henry has the appearance and feel of a heavy, clunky imitation of no other weapon I know of. The Henry firm owners are smart and responsive, so I expect their product line to evolve for the better. Regards, Clark

sealark37 said:

Henry's .22 lever actions look like the much more expensive Winchester 9422. Function seems to be excellent, but some plastic parts are disappointing. On the other hand, the large caliber Henry has the appearance and feel of a heavy, clunky imitation of no other weapon I know of. The Henry firm owners are smart and responsive, so I expect their product line to evolve for the better. Regards, Clark

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Heavy clunky imitation....that's what I was thinking.

If I wasn't wanting a very-specific type of lever rifle, which led me to the Henry, my next favorite lever action rifle is the Win 1895 that gmatov was talking about.

It's a rifle made famous-er by Teddy Roosevelt. It's box-mag fed so you can shoot spitzer bullets (aside from recent polymer tip advances) like .303 Brit, 30-06, etc. I always thought it'd be neat to get one of the Winchester 1895s the USA made for Russia for WWI chambered in 7.62x54r. Cheap ammo to shoot, an interesting bit of history, and has an extended forestock an can be reloaded from the same stripper clips the Mosin-Nagants use, which is a minor neat thing. But... finding -good- ammo is not terribly easy. Hornady does make a steel cased round with their SST bullet, so I guess there's that. Probably a couple others making decent expanding bullets for it. But it's not like you can just walk into any gun store and get a box to verify zero in before hunting season. So I suppose I'd just stick with Teddy Roosevelts good ol' 30-06, if I were to do it again. Would have to settle for the 'sporter' style stock and forestock with those, most likely, due to availability.

Not your traditional Western cowboy gun but it's my next-favorite lever action rifle. Would have to find one in very good condition, used, to get by, though. Their reputation is quite good.

I have having a senior moment,but Teddy had a .405(?) caliber 1895.

The Henrys look Marlinish. Except Marlin had a DECENT eye for design. I love my 1894 .22 Marlin lever action .22.

gwilson said:

I have having a senior moment,but Teddy had a .405(?) caliber 1895.

The Henrys look Marlinish. Except Marlin had a DECENT eye for design. I love my 1894 .22 Marlin lever action .22.

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IIRC, I thought I read about Teddy using 30-06 to kill every game animal in North America and many in Africa, thinking it was the best cartridge in the world (at the time of course) but I do read that he had .405 for Africa, looking at some quick Teddy history w/ Win 1895 google results.