Henry .22 lever vs. Marlin 60

[axeman_g]

Opinions actually wanted this time. I can get the Marlin for $100 at WallyWorld. I like the tube feed, and the lines, I just dont like the stock (cheap wood) and the checkering. The Henry I can get for $165 and love the wood.

Help me spend my money ... thank you.

 

[DMK]

Personally, I think the Marlin is better made and probably more accurate. My dad's had a '60 for about 8 years. It's a great little rifle. You can get them with polymer stocks too.

I've never shot one, but just by handling them, I've never been impressed with the build quality of the Henrys. It's a shame because it's a company with a rich history. If you want a lever, you may be better off saving your pennys and getting a Winny or Marlin. My Marlin 39A is built like a tank.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

From inspecting the Henry's at the store---I'd have to put them in the JUNK catagory---no matter how pretty a face they put on them---its still a POS underneath. Just a dressed up pig.

You won't catch me putting down my hard-earned dollars for one----there are a lot better choices out there.

 

[clown714]

as far as the fun factor is involved

the little handy lever henry has won me

had mine for a little over 2years and it's not for sale

i've got prettier,more accurate .22 rifles but this one gets shot the most

clown

 

[redneck]

Do a search back on TFL before you discount the henry completely, they got a lot of bad talk because they have some plastic parts, but it seems like opinions changed when people bought them. They're supposed to be pretty accurate and reliable for the price. You can't expect it to be just like their golden boy or a win94 or marlin 39 at half the price.

 

[dude]

Henry .22 lever

While the plastic front sight/band and painted reciever put me off a bit at first......but the action on my Henry is the smoothest of any .22 lever I have ever tried (including the $450 Browning that was next to it on the rack!!). It shoots just fine.

Mine is also not for sale and I might pick up the .22mag just for the heck of it when I see a used one.

 

[Jim K]

I my mind, the jury is still out on the Henry. Many owners like them, but I have just not gotten over the cheap look.

If you want a lever action, save some pennies and go for the Marlin (the best) or the 9422. As semi-auto 22's go, the Marlin 60 is not bad; the only thing that seems to stop them is crud, or the mistakes made by owners trying to clean the crud, in about equal proportions. But if I wanted a semi-auto 22 for plinking (and didn't already have one) I would look for a used Remington Nylon 66. Unbeatable. Another good choice is the Ruger.

Jim

 

[Ron L]

I've owned a Glenfield 75 (basically Marlin 60 with shorter ammo tube) for around 27 years now. Only the cheapest, low powered, lead, cheap by the brick, Remington crap won't feed through it. It's pretty darned accurate too. I put a 1960's Weaver 3x scope on it over 15 years ago and have just plain had a blast shooting it. It's been a very good gun.

 

[MLC]

Get both!

Niether rifle is a bank breaker and they are both a whole lot of fun( I have both).
The Henry is used a whole lot more because it can reliably use 22 shorts/cb caps. This is my primary means for eliminating the hordes of squirrels that are invading my attic. The CB caps really make the Henry a discreet culling device, I am able to eliminate squirrels in my attic without hearing protection or disturbing my wife!I have killed 20+ with 22 CB's from the Henry and found it to be headshot accurate out to 15-20 yards.
The Henry really loves the CB caps, my buddy and I put a 4x on it and were sniping plastic army men at 25 yards with it. It also holds a heck of a lot of 22 shorts in the tube mag.
The downside to the Henry is the quality of certain parts. The plastic, one piece barrel band/front sight is poor. The painted receiver is a joke, mine is very chipped from kicking around the farm.
The Marlin on the other hand we used to snipe the same army men and empty shotgun shells at 100 yards. The Marlin is quite accurate and with a cheap 4x I won dinner by popping off a row of 38 special cases at 25 with no misses. My Marlin loves the cheap bulk Federal from Wally World. As far as the stock goes, I think you can get Mossy oak stock as well as other synthetics.

 

[Kcustom45]

I have a Henry lever action that I got from Wally world a while back, and I love it. It is just plain fun to shoot. I took that front sight hood off because I didn't care for it, but other than that it has been with me on many walks through the woods. The trigger on mine is great.
I like to shoot those Colibri's from it, they feed fine and I can shoot in my garage if I wanted to. Most of the time however I shot at an old phone book in the back yard. However, I don't think you could go wrong with either gun.

 

[Hazwaste]

Henry=Junk

My son has a Henry lever action .22. Frequent and multiple failures to extract. I keep a tiny screwdriver and a pair of needle-nose pliers with me whenever we go out back to shoot it. Don't waste your time on one.

It's a shame too, because it was his first rifle.

 

[goon]

If you are asking about a lever action 22LR, I can suggest the Win 94/22. I had one, and it was a great rifle. Mine was the legacy model with the semi-pistol grip stock. I would still have it if I hadn't discovered the CZ-452.
It makes all other 22's look like kiddie toys.
I had never seen a 5 shot .25 inch group at 50 yards until I shot that gun. All told, I have about $200 in it with the cheap 3x9 and the extra mag. I plan on getting another in the future, the version with the synthetic stock.
Be warned, if you buy a CZ, you will not be able to stop at one.


Back to your question, I don't know about either. In fact, I probably should have just kept my yap shut and read what everyone else said. But I have always been a hard headed child.

 

[9 m&m]

I don't know a whole lot about the henry levers but I used to have a Marlin 60. To me it really didnt live up to nearly what I expected. Mine was VERY picky on ammo and had terrible extraction problems. It wouldnt shoot any bulk boxed ammo and wouldnt even eat any stingers. It USUALLY fed Mini-mags pretty well but not much of anything else. It left my gun rack pretty quickly. I have a HENRY lever action on the way for Christmas and it looks pretty solid so I'm gonna give it a try.

 

[dfaugh]

My Marlin 60 is the best gun I have...WAY more accurate that an inexpensive gun has any right to be, and mine's as reliable as a brick...Shot almost every type of ammo throuhg it (trying to find waht I like best)...Probably 5000 rounds with only 3 or 4 FTEs..wouldn't trade it for any othe .22 I've ever seen.

 

[pauli]

lever action 22s are unique among firearms, to my mind, in that you actually get what you pay for. the marlin costs $400, and it's... worth it. the browning costs more, and it's that much nicer. the henry is a lot cheaper, and you can tell... but the thing is, it's not necessarily bad cheap. it can be hit or miss, but it's generally a decent value.

between the henry lever and the marlin 60... i'd get the marlin. it's not a lever, but it will still be running when your kids are teaching their grandkids to shoot.

(that said, i'd save up for a marlin or browning lever action)

 

[Mal H]

I wonder what axeman finally did get - almost 3 years ago!!

 

[BozemanMT]

Marlin 60
no contest
much better gun than a Ruger, and the Henry isn't even in it's class.

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Henry all the way. I bought one of these at wally world and have taken out 2 peky groundhogs with it. Took one out with an eye shot at abomut 25 yards, the other with a center mass shot at 50. Hit right where I aimed in any case. Best thing about the reciever being painted is I don't worry about it in the trunk

 

[newfalguy101]

I wonder what axeman finally did get - almost 3 years ago!!

ha ha ha good point

 

[Dollar An Hour]

Marlin 60
no contest
much better gun than a Ruger

Why do you think so? When I hold the two, the Marlin screams cheap, and the sights, to me, are nicer on any of the 10/22's.

 

[deputy tom]

I'm sorry but my vote is for the Ruger 10/22 if buying new at Wal-mart.. I've owned three model 60's and all were jam-o-matics as were two AR-7's and a Stevens something or other semi.I've owned a couple of Win.94/22's that were perfect but out of the above described price range unless you want to buy used then go that route.I've handled a few Henry levers but compared to the Win.94/22's that I owned ,and were spoiled by,was un-impressed with their overall quality.They reminded me of twenty year ago Iver-Johnsons.YMMV.tom.

 

[axeman_g]

hahahah

I just saw that this thread had resurected for a day in Dec.

I actually went and bought a CZ 452. Very accurate and reliable. Henry was just not what I wanted. I got a Marlin also a couple years ago for $80 on sale at WallyWorld. Love it for what it is, but the CZ is a beaut.