Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Does Henry really make a quality rifle?

The Henrys seem to sell out quick.
It took me about a year of looking to find a Henry .44Mag sidegate.
Had to buy it online.
Damn nice rifle.

Good quality materials and workmanship.

I'd buy 6 MORE Marlins before ever buying a Henry.

... now that Ruger has taken over and judging by the two new Marlins I checked out this summer Marlin is making real guns again ... Henry ruled the roost during the Remlin years but Marlin is back and Henry will make a respectable runner up

Not sure what I like the most about them……..the high quality silver or gold plating or the rolled engraving. Would make the guys that used to work in Winchester, Marlin, or Remington’s custom shops really proud of American craftsmanship. Certainly to each their own but I will pass.

PennDog

I have several lever action rifles from Japan, Brazil, Italy and the USA.
I own 3 USA made Henry's, a Long Ranger in .308, a BB steel in .357 and a newer Color Case BB in .44 magnum.
They are extremely nice rifles with smooth actions, good wood to metal fit, great triggers and fine exterior metal finishes.

I Have two Henry's the single, and a lever in .41mag. They build a good gun, they've had a couple recalls, and they tend to be pricey, especially the Single. I got mine at a bankruptcy auction, otherwise would never had thrown the coin. Rebounding hammer takes a bit getting used to. I'ld prefer a half cock.

I'll take ANY JM over a Ruger. The only thing I congratulate Ruger on is getting rid of micro groove. Was every JM off the line perfect? Hell no. And mark your calendars, there will be a Ruger recall. Its what they do. When was the last recall on a JM ? Anyone? Buhler?

The Rag Writers kicked around Marlin pretty good unjustifiably. That's their job. Hype sales. ANYTHING new is always the greatest in their eyes, look who pays them. Remington is who damn ruined the brand. Put the blame where its due

Marlin is not back. There is no Marlin anymore. Its Ruger.

Its the original Marlin round bolt 1894 II. They shoulda kept with it rather than caving to nostalgia, and going back to square bolt.

MARLIN PART REPLICAS

I like my browning and savage lever guns. Don’t have any interest in a Henry. I’m just not interested in a tube fed centre fire rifle.

Henry rifles the wood stock rifles really do look good .

Henry doesn't make anything from scratch, save for 2 the 9mm Carbine, and that absolutely abysmal revolver. Everything else is s variation of someone elses design. That may or may not tell you something about the Company. Tony is a nice enough guy, the fit finish and quality of materials I find on par or better than most

They have sidegates , and both

Yes they do

I’ll let you know. I have a Big Boy X 44 inbound. I’m more traditional, as are my 357 levers, but as I age, the bigger holes and optics options are just more fun.
Search of you’re looking for on, because folks on GB just run the prices and there’s less expensive “new” guns online.

I’ve got a Henry .45 and a stainless Rossi .454. I had a JM .44. I don’t like to fret over scratches and such, so once I got the Rossi slicked up, the JM was sold. To be honest, I think most that love their JMs do so for sentimental reasons. Don’t get me wrong. They’re a quality piece, but I think modern prices are a bit much for the way I’d treat it.

The Rossi matches my utilitarian needs (light, accurate and dependable), so its my favorite. It gets strapped across the handlebars, thrown in the truck, leaned up against trees goes out in the rain (all uncased).

The Henry is an art piece….a heavy art piece. It was my pa’s, so it stays. If It were between a new Henry and a JM, I guess I’d go with a stainless JM for the reasons explained. At that price point, however, I cringe at every ding or scratch.

Just my 2 cents.

Picked up the X model in 45 Colt yesterday. Went with the X because I wanted a handgun cartridge carbine in a model that I wouldn't worry about scratching up the wood.

For now, my impression is it's a smooth nicely finished rifle. Decent trigger that I may have cleaned up before the season starts. I'm hoping to use it iron sighted, but will use a scope if I have to. I will use a scope for the near future as I work up a load for it.

Agree 100%. My son just bought a NIB Ruger 1895 SS Big Lever 45-70. It has more trigger creep and trigger weight than any Marlin or Remlin I've handled. NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL especially for the price!

I recently bought an 1895 GBL 45-70. I liked the fit and finish. However, the trigger was nothing short of horrible. I wouldn't even take it to the range to shoot it until my gunsmith did a trigger job on it. He did an outstanding job. It went from a heavy, gritty 11 lb. trigger with a lot of creep to a smooth, crisp, creep free 4.5 lb trigger. When I first tried it, I thought the pull was about 3 lbs. until the smith put the trigger gauge on it.

At the range, I was able to put four of five shots into a ragged hole.

The Henry X model mentioned above has a smooth and relatively light trigger compared to the GBL. It does have creep that I'll probably have cleaned up.

Ruger revolvers almost always need trigger work and I'm not surprised to hear their interpretation of a Marlin does too.