Looking at the MSRP of their lever actions and then checking gunbroker and online dealers for what they are actually asking shows retail prices at about 25% below MSRP. I would imagine these single shots could be had for around $300 or possibly a bit less, making them price competitive to the RAR's of the world which are currently going for the mid-$300 range for blued models.
The folks who buy purely on price will still wander into Walmart for the Savage scope combo packages no matter who offers anything else.
But those who want a decent single shot because they want a decent single shot shouldn't be deterred by the price. And this is blued/walnut. At 7 pounds for the rifle and a tad over 6 1/2 for the shotgun it's not a lightweight so there must be a fair amount of steel and walnut in there. I haven't seen one and AFAIK no one else here has to really comment on the quality of the wood, metal finish and overall function of the trigger, lever and such - I'd love to hear first hand accounts if anyone has.
I have to admit I've turned my nose up at Henry's products as cheap clones of Marlin (plus I can be snob sometimes) but apparently they are well made and well finished so I might have to give them a look. Those 16 1/2" lever action carbines are interesting. I had a Marlin 16" .45 and IMHO that little short barrel was the perfect match for pistol caliber rounds - very fast handling but with enough barrel to squeeze out as much velocity as those rounds can give.
Anyway, kudos to Henry for offering this, I hope it sells well for them. More choices is always better than fewer choices.
I've owned H&R 158s in 22 Hortnet and 30-30, H&R/NEF Handi-Rifles in a variety of chamberings, and a couple of Savage 219, so I'm fairly familiar with them. I think that they were exactly what most of them were built to be, entry-level economy-grade utility rifles. I'm not a Henry fan, have yet to see a Henry that I'd want to own, so their success or failure isn't even on my radar.
Since the Freedom Group is a for-profit business, you'd have thought that if they were making a profit on the NEF Handi-Rifles, they would have kept them in production. OTOH, we're talking the Freedom Group, so the exercise of common logic can easily be suspended. I mean, why would they suspend production of a sweet platform with a lot of potential like the Marlin X guns if they were exercising common sense?
BTW, if anybody has a need/want for a minty NEF Handi-Rifle in 280, I've got one that is getting dusty and can be had for $225.
