Henry or Marlin, Help me make a decision.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Guns&Religion

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
132
Ladies and Gentleman, I'm having a great day:D

I'm in that happy zone that we shooters get into of being in the position of buying a new rifle. I can barely contain my excitement as the winds are blowing in the right direction and the stars have aligned, and I'm ready to put down some cash to buy myself something nice.

I've decided to get a lever gun in .357. Right now my choice is between a Henry Big Boy, and a Marlin 1894c.

I've been waffling for a while between these two. I like the Henry for it's appearance and smooth action. I like the Marlin for the fact that I can easily mount an aperture sight or scope on it. (I really like aperture sights, though I might want to mount a scope instead).

I will probably not hunt with this rifle, (I have a .308 already for big game, if I ever get the chance to hunt deer). I have other guns for self defense. This gun will be strictly for using at the range or out in a field somewhere for recreational shooting.

I've read reviews on both rifles, and both rate well, though a few with Marlins have complained about them, and some reviews have been lukewarm. The reviews for the Henry are almost all positive.

I welcome your comments. Let the voting begin.
 
I have Marlin 94c and it is light ,Compact lever gun but when I first got it a first few hundred lead bullet lead up the bore badly. It smooth up after use. The lever is a bit hard and never as slick as Winchester. I handle Henry Big boy once and really like it but it weight a ton ,It felt like it weight more than M1 Garand. I bought my Marlin 10 years ago ,not sure about their Q.C. and customer service now.
 
Marlins are due to be re-introduced, factory's a bit behind on their planned re-intro, making sure they've got it right this time.
The sample I have here, pre-pro from last July, shows marked improvement.

I have a Henry 16-incher that's outshot several scoped boltguns.
They are smooth, and they tend to be quite accurate.

Marlin's much lighter for extended carry, the Henrys get heavy fairly soon.
Henry has an excellent rep for customer support.

Marlin loads from the frame port, can wear on your loading thumb at extended shooting sessions.
Henry loads from a tube port, like a .22. No wear & tear on your thumb, but does require the muzzle to be tilted up for loading.

Good sights on both.
Denis
 
I'd say get the 1894 since I have one and love it. Mine is an older pre crossbolt model. The newer Marlins have bulkier forearms for some reason which isn't a plus. Never shot a Henry. For what you're doing either would probably work well. If buying a new Marlin I would go over it with a fine tooth comb. You should be able to easily mount a peep on the Henry. Skinner makes one. Marble makes a tang sight.
 
I would say the Henry, Unless you are real lucky on the Marlin, Ive wanted a 45-70 for along time, But the Marlins I have looked at lately are not worth what they are asking for them, QC is terrible, I asked the guy at LGS are you sure you want to sell this to a customer, He looked gun over worked the action, Took it off the shelf and was sending it back, It was terrible
 
I'd say Henry's reputation of late is better than Marlin's. For brand new, I vote Henry.

If it were me, I'd be shopping for an older Marlin (pre-cross-bolt) in .357 Mag. Check out Gunbroker, Gunauction, etc.
 
A 9 lb lever action 357 mag makes as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. Buy the Marlin.
 
Just a note on Henry. They will be making a blued receiver version of the big boy this year.I emailed about blued receiver and that was the reply I received. So if you want blued receiver you will need to wait.....Don
 
Weight on the steel Henry should be 7 pounds, the brass version is 8.68 pounds.
Might help in your decision there.

The 16-inch carbine in brass is 7.76 pounds.
Denis
 
marlin or winchester, i just have never warmed up to the henry line. eastbank.
 
Our 1894c became a family favorite very quickly and is now in the rank of a never sell gun.

We have had ours about ten years it is a pre safety model and has been reliable and accurate.

Spend the time to find the very best used/old rifle you can find, and don't be too concerned about the price.
 
Haven't owned a Henry - have heard good things about customer service if needed-
Since Remington took over Marlin they went down hill quick- reports are they have made improvements but don't know.
I have a older Marlin 357 and one of the favorite for family to shoot.
My vote get older Marlin with the JM stamp.
And a Marlin in 357 will take a deer in this state in a heartbeat.
Its about bullet selection and reasonable distance- Remington 158 SP gets it done . You are pushing a handgun bullet faster so you need a tougher bullet.
Good luck - whichever you chose its a fun caliber.
 
If you want a life time gun, get the marlin. if you want a gvun that will last get the marlin. If you want the cheaper gun get the henry. JM stamped marlins, if you can find them, are running around 800-900 right now.
 
Just from how much I love my pre-safety Marlin 1894C I say go Marlin. You might get lucky like me and find one for $350 that looks really rough with beat up wood, bent sights and a couple decades of gunk on it... But cleans up into a beautiful specimen after a stock refinish, skinner sights and detail strip/clean. Like was mentioned above it is a family favorite and I'll never sell it.
 
FWIW, I have the .44 version of the Marlin which I bought, used, at the Medina, OH Gun Show in the late '80s. I quickly added sling and a Williams aperture sight to receiver.

I have found it to be very accurate and reliable. It is also relatively light, so I can carry it on walks around the farm without its weight becoming an issue.

The recoil is stout with magnum loads, but that is probably not a potential issue with the .357 version.
 
I've decided to get a lever gun in .357.

Then Marlin is not an option, as the 1894C is not in production currently, and hasn't been since late 2012...

I have seen exactly one confirmed barrel date in that time...

The 1894 (.44 Mag) has even been sporadic in that period...

Gallery Of Guns show no 1894 in stock, and the 1894C has been labeled "Allocated" for over two years...
 
The Henry functions like a scaled up version of their rimfire rifles... Which isn't really a bad thing, because they are all quality arms - its just a pain in the neck if you want to mount an optic or even just do any real amount of shooting with one. I hope you enjoy pulling the tube follower ever few rounds if you decide you want to plink with some 38's...

I own a Golden Boy .22 Mag. Its as high a quality rimfire as you can get for anything like a reasonable price - My opinion is that they are a screaming deal in the quality department... But even with a 13 round capacity, pulling that silly tube out to reload every few minutes gets old. That makes it mostly a hunting weapon for me, as it really puts a damper on recreational shooting.
 
These are my thoughts on your subject: Everyone has personal likes and dislikes but in America (for the time being) we can still share our honest feelings.

The Henry will be heavier - you said you would probably not hunt with it, so weight might not be an issue for you.

Marlin has a loading gate - Henry uses a removable tube. I personally prefer the removable tube over any cartridge storage. Loading gates can bite, magazines are not always easy to load (even the rotary ones).

The new Henry's have tapped receivers for mounting scopes. They can also accept skinner aperature sights and possibly the XS Ghost ring sight similar to the ones used on Henry .45-70 lever guns.

I do not own a Henry .357 but I own the .44 magnum big boy (similar to the .357). I also own 4 other Henry lever guns (including the .45-70). I would not trade them or sell them. They are American made and their customer service is outstanding. I am 63 years old and these guns will be passed down to my children and grandchildren.

Listen to the various opinions and advice and then follow your heart.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top