Henry vs Marlin

Good and bad in any of manufactures.
My preference is Marlin. Mainly because my first 22lr is a 39 gold. Had a 357 and it was fun to shoot and I liked being able to shoot 38s in it but for hunting I can say the 44mag carries way better punch.

I’ve come to hate Remington enough such I likely will never purchase another Marlin, but for many years, I have favored the Marlins over the Henry or Winchester action type. Buying new today, I would rather own a Marlin Dark than a Henry X, but given Remington’s mismanagement, I would forego buying a levergun at all right now instead.

From a reliability and accuracy perspective there isn't a lot to dislike. The lack of a side loading gate was always the deal killer for me, but they have corrected that on many of their models.

I still think they are too heavy, the "X" model in 357 is heavier with no optics on it than most of my rifles with optics. No reason for a pistol caliber carbine with a 17" barrel to be heavier than a 30-06. The Marlin is nearly a full pound lighter. And I've never cared for the non-traditional looks of all of the Henry rifles, they are also quite proud of them when pricing them. Not crazy about the Marlin cross bolt safety either, but the Marlin is still closer to traditional.

To my way of thinking the primary reason to own a lever gun is for the tradition and nostalgia. There are an awful lot of older used Marlin and Winchester lever guns out there is someone takes the time to look. You'll spend less and get a better, and more traditional lever gun.

Prbably hard to go wrong with either one imo. I recently went looking for a lever action PCC and had my choices narrowed down to Henry or Marlin in either 357 or 44. After handling, cycling, and shoildering both at a LGS I bought the Henry Big Boy carbine in 44 mag. It just felt the best to me on that day. I am not dissuaded by the loading tube, and I do like the lack of a cross bolt safety. The Henry is a little heavier, and overall what some might say a little bilkier than Marlin. It has beautiful wood and checkering, and cycles very smoothly.

Henry. They're very good and I'm a picky guy.

I have always preferred the loading gate on the Marlins. If that isn't your preference, Henry is the way to go for you. If budget is your big concern you can look around for an older Marlin. Better build quality than Remlin. And if you go back far enough, no cross bolt safety to contend with.

Older Marlin's new Henry's. Marlin went to crap a few years ago. Haven't recovered from it. I will buy a 20+ year marlin. Want touch any new stuff. But that's just me.

For me it really just boils down to personal taste and preference. I have 17 leverguns in all with several each from Browning, Winchester, Marlin, Henry and Uberti. In terms of quality, fit & finish of the centerfire guns, I see little reason to choose Marlin over Henry or vice versa. Lots of folks complain about the late model Marlins but my newer 1895SS is nicer than my older Marlins.

jmr40 said:

I still think they are too heavy, the "X" model in 357 is heavier with no optics on it than most of my rifles with optics.

Click to expand...

The problem with going by manufacturer weights is that they often either nominal and not specific to model, chambering or barrel length or they're just wrong altogether. In this case, I don't know where the 7.3lbs comes from but it ain't right. My Big Boy Steel .357 carbine, which is basically what the X-model is with a slightly longer barrel to accommodate threading, is 6lbs 13oz with a scope base but no optic. Marlins weights are obviously nominal because all 1894's are listed at 6.5lbs. I don't have a Marlin .357 but I have two .44's and the 20" Cowboy goes 6lbs 9oz. Best I can find on the 1894C .357 is 6lbs 7oz. So they're all pretty close.

If you like to gamble and are oblivious to quality fit and finish, then go with Marlin. Some people are, and they will argue till they are blue in the face that there is no difference in quality between older and newer Marlins.

My brand new Marlin arrived with functioning issues and razor sharp edges everywhere. One of the problems was a cracked magazine tube follower...



When I took it apart to refinish the stock and tried to put it back together, the screws just disintegrated. That's another well known issue with the new Marlins...



Go here and see what other common and infuriating problems that they have...

https://www.marlinowners.com/forum/marlin-rant-forum/

Trey Veston said:

If you like to gamble and are oblivious to quality fit and finish, then go with Marlin. Some people are, and they will argue till they are blue in the face that there is no difference in quality between older and newer Marlins.

Click to expand...

And just because 'some' have problems does not mean they all have problems.

As I said, my late model 1895 is excellent. It has better wood to metal fit and it has a better finish on the receiver compared to the old abrasive blast over rough machine marks of 20yrs ago. IMHO, the older ones were not that great and the newer ones are not all bad. The sky ain't falling either.

I loved Marlins. Loved ‘em. But steer clear of em with anything that I’ll shoot lead bullets through. Unless something has changed, the Microgroove rifling sucks with cast bullets.

TonyAngel said:

I loved Marlins. Loved ‘em. But steer clear of em with anything that I’ll shoot lead bullets through. Unless something has changed, the Microgroove rifling sucks with cast bullets.

Click to expand...

I've read it could be hit or miss with cast and the microgrooves.
I've handled one Marlin recently, and it seemed ok. stuck my fingers in the action where my rossi92 would have sharp edges and didn't find any.

That said is prefer the esthetics of the Henry better for a pcc or big bore, and liked the way the Mossberg 464 felt better in .30-30.

CraigC said:

And just because 'some' have problems does not mean they all have problems.

As I said, my late model 1895 is excellent. It has better wood to metal fit and it has a better finish on the receiver compared to the old abrasive blast over rough machine marks of 20yrs ago. IMHO, the older ones were not that great and the newer ones are not all bad. The sky ain't falling either.

Click to expand...

Nobody said the sky was falling. Not sure what you mean't by that comment.

Look, you can believe whatever you want. I invite anyone who is considering buying a new Marlin to do some research and see for themselves the abundance of issues people are having with them.

Go to the Marlin forum and read the threads about the differences and the common problems. One stickied thread is from an actual engineer who worked for the old and new Marlin.

I have the Henry Big Boy 357. Wonderful gun. The trigger is incredible. I love the weight. Hit an 8 inch target at 100 yards standing unsupported no problem, due largely to the extra weight of the barrel. It even eats my SWC reloads without a problem.

TonyAngel said:

I loved Marlins. Loved ‘em. But steer clear of em with anything that I’ll shoot lead bullets through. Unless something has changed, the Microgroove rifling sucks with cast bullets.

Click to expand...

You did miss something, Ballard rifling.

Trey Veston said:

Nobody said the sky was falling. Not sure what you mean't by that comment.

Look, you can believe whatever you want. I invite anyone who is considering buying a new Marlin to do some research and see for themselves the abundance of issues people are having with them.

Go to the Marlin forum and read the threads about the differences and the common problems. One stickied thread is from an actual engineer who worked for the old and new Marlin.

Click to expand...

I am not discounting the issues people have had. I simply know for a fact that not every Marlin made in the last several years is junk.

Henry Big Boy Steel, 20” barrel, listed by Henry at 7.00 lbs. This is on my digital scale, taken a few minutes ago, and is NOT the Henry carbine with 16” barrel, which of course would be lighter. I did remove the base and rings as I pulled the scope a few weeks ago.

This post is for information purposes only, you can see where my dollars were spent, but I am not endorsing one or the other brand beyond saying the Henry has been smooth, reliable, and accurate.

6 lbs 13.9 oz.


Not touching anything (touched floor when not elevated).


Showing caliber


Proof of barrel length.

I would buy a Henry in a split second. Don't mind Marlins either. But don't Henry actions resemble Marlin more than Winchester? I get this just from looking at my dad's Don't own one myself.

Mr. Mosin said:

The Henry's seem... simpler made, w/ less internal parts than a Marlin, and most certainly a Winchester; and in my book, simpler generally means more reliable.

Click to expand...

Henry rifles contain the same number of internal parts as a Marlin 336, because they are mostly a reverse-engineered copy of a Marlin 336.

Henry opted to use the round bolt 336 design for both rifle and pistol calibers, with the pistol caliber carbines using a shortened action with a coil spring pinned pistol extractor, and the rifle caliber carbines using the Marlin 336 extractor which is stamped and formed from sheet steel.

Marlin uses their round-bolt Model 336 for rifle calibers, including .45-70, with the 1895 using a 336 receiver specially modified to handle it. They use the 1894 square bolt action for pistol calibers.

Henry rifles also differ by having a transfer bar safety hidden in the hammer.
Henry rifles use the same two-piece firing pin safety and trigger interlock as the Marlin 336.

Henry and Marlin rifles both use an internal one-piece locking bolt that slides in a pair of vertical mortised cut-outs on either side of the receiver. The top of the locking bolt locks into the large notch at the rear of the breech bolt, The locking bolt is actuated by a hook on its' bottom end which engages with the hook on the lever.

I almost bought a Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine about two years ago, but the ejected brass seemed to dribble out of the gun. So, I ended up buying something completely different that Year.

Like I mentioned in several threads already, I did buy a new Marlin 1894 CSBL carbine in .357 mag a few weeks ago. I've wanted an 1894 for a long time and once it was in my hands I didn't let it go.

The external fit and finish of this Marlin is very good. Tight fitting wood to metal, straight sights, no sharp edges, no buggered up screws. This 1894 has Ballard rifling, no micro groove like my 39. It weighs 6 lbs. 12 ounces due to its laminate stock and lever rail on top.

The innards work out of the box, but it needed tuning. Just watch any video of any non-tuned 1894 in .357 and see what a struggle it is to stuff in rounds 2+ through that side gate. The frame opening* leading to the mag tube has to be chamfered well to get the rim of .357 to slide through easily. A pic would show why, and maybe I can get one up later. Never mind the fact a rifle length mag tube spring comes in a carbine (Dremel anyone?)

This is where a front loading .357 lever like the Henry shouldn't have the same problem. But now that the X has that loading gate, it might.

By the way, the Marlin 1894 ejection is very good. You can dribble it out or kick it out a few feet. Your choice with the speed of the lever.

*Not the side gate opening, but the internal frame opening the mag tube slides into.

If you want a loading tube, it's a Henry. I'm a Marlin aficianado, but between a Henry and a Remlin? Get the Henry.

Trey Veston said:

When I took it apart to refinish the stock and tried to put it back together, the screws just disintegrated. That's another well known issue with the new Marlins...

Click to expand...

I have heard of this before, but from the picture those screws appear to have received a LOT of torque, which would destroy the threads. From experience, I know that it is critical to ensure that the screws and fore end cap line up with the fore end hanger precisely, such that they will screw in with only finger tip pressure.
Often the factory has installed a slightly over-length fore end in place and then somehow gotten the screws in place. They want the fore end not to be loose obviously.
Perhaps the wood has swollen afterward in a high humidity location which causes those screws to be very difficult to remove. The solution is to carefully rasp, file, and sand the end of the fore end in a cut and try process such that the screws will enter easily and yet the fore end is not loose.

I removed the fore end on a .44 Magnum 1894 made in 2019 to inspect the end for roughness recently. Fortunately my location is pretty dry. After some cosmetic sanding, it was good to go.
While the screws were easy enough to remove, the fore end cap could not be reinstalled without trying to force the alignment of the cap by using the screws to pull it into alignment.
I knew that this would have damaged them, so I carefully filed and sanded the fore end in a cut and try process until everything lined up, and then applied some boiled linseed oil, and reassembled it.

Also, the fit of the fore end into the receiver is often snug, but a very nice fit.
Before reinstalling the fore end cap it helps to give the fore end a couple of careful raps with a rubber-tipped hammer, with it in position, in order to seat it in the receiver.