Henry Model X

[Gtscotty]

Fixed it for you. I’ve owned one Henry a lever .17hmr and when the paint started chipping off the zamak around the bolt slide after not much time, so down the road it went. I hadn’t realized it was a zinc receiver until then. Haven’t bought another since. No thanks.

but back to the OP subject, I’ve never really been interested in a “tactical” lever although I do like some custom one offs of takedown Winchester and marlins that are out there that are duracoatwd/cerekoted and have some good upgrades done to them.

The Henry X Models list blued steel as the receiver material, shouldn't be any Zamak on these models. I'll probably wind up getting either one of these or a Marlin Dark 1894, I thought that the Henry pistol caliber rifles had a better reputation for accuracy, but maybe that's no longer the case.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'd buy a Marlin in a heartbeat over these Henrys. In fact, I nearly did just that with a straight-stocked Marlin in .45 LC just the other day.

 

[<*(((><]

The Henry X Models list blued steel as the receiver material, shouldn't be any Zamak on these models.

That's good to know, I'll be honest I'm out of the loop as I completely wrote Henry off after that experience.

 

[Gtscotty]

I'd buy a Marlin in a heartbeat over these Henrys. In fact, I nearly did just that with a straight-stocked Marlin in .45 LC just the other day.

Why? I'm not up on modern lever action offerings.

 

[somethingbenign]

That's good to know, I'll be honest I'm out of the loop as I completely wrote Henry off after that experience.

I'm pretty sure zinc is only on the rimfires and even then I heard a rumour they were getting away from zinc altogether but don't have anything official on that. I do agree that I would like to seem them get away from paint though, even cerekote would be an upgrade.

 

[Obturation]

Yeah, only the rimfire use the zamak (or whatever). My h010 is very accurate, smooth as silk, has nice wood and fit and finish is far better than any modern marlin I've seen. I highly recommend them. Glad to see the loading gate when I like the removable tube too, safer unloading and if you don't want to score up your brass pushing it through the loading gate you don't have to. No lawyer safety nonsense either. Henry does it right.

 

[Newtosavage]

Why? I'm not up on modern lever action offerings.

Smoother action, better bluing, more attractive rifle overall IMO.

Plus Marlin was around for over 100 years before some city boys from Brooklyn figured out they could take advantage of the Henry name. Smooth marketing and cleverly disguised infomercials produced by city folk doesn't work for me. Never has.

Henry Repeating Arms takes its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, the inventor who patented the first repeating rifle in 1860, known as the Henry rifle. There is no affiliation or lineage to Benjamin Tyler Henry or to the New Haven Arms Company, who sold the original Henry rifle from 1862 to 1864. Anthony Imperato secured the trademark to the Henry name in 1996.

And they certainly can't claim the "priced right" anymore.

 

[Gtscotty]

Smoother action, better bluing, more attractive rifle overall IMO.

Plus Marlin was around for over 100 years before some city boys from Brooklyn figured out they could take advantage of the Henry name. Smooth marketing and cleverly disguised infomercials produced by city folk doesn't work for me. Never has.



And they certainly can't claim the "priced right" anymore.

Interesting, the Henry 45-70 I played with at the store struck me as better finished and smoother than the SS 1895 compared it to. That's been a few years though, and I didn't like the tube-load only setup of the Henry. I don't think I'd mind having the tube to unload the rifle as long as I could load through a gate though.

Marlin is adding the 1894 in .44 to their Dark series, I haven't seen anyone report it yet at Shot, but the SKU has been floating around for a few weeks hopefully they used a faster than normal twist. I'll have to compare these two in person, subsonic suppressed .44 is too much fun in a bolt gun, I'd like to add a lever to the mix as well.

 

[Newtosavage]

Interesting, the Henry 45-70 I played with at the store struck me as better finished and smoother than the SS 1895 compared it to. That's been a few years though, and I didn't like the tube-load only setup of the Henry. I don't think I'd mind having the tube to unload the rifle as long as I could load through a gate though.

Marlin is adding the 1894 in .44 to their Dark series, I haven't seen anyone report it yet at Shot, but the SKU has been floating around for a few weeks hopefully they used a faster than normal twist. I'll have to compare these two in person, subsonic suppressed .44 is too much fun in a bolt gun, I'd like to add a lever to the mix as well.

Don't get me wrong, I commend the Imperatos for continuing to manufacture traditional styled rifles. They hit the market at the right time - when the boomer generation was waxing nostalgic, still had enough money to buy things, and the ability to get out and use them. I don't see their business doing very well in another decade or two when the black rifle crowd takes over completely.

I do like their tubular magazine with the side gate option. That's something I wouldn't mind having on my Winchester, since I always thought that unloading my 30-30 was more complicated and less safe than it needed to be.

 

[qwert65]

If they made them in 30-30 I’d get one

 

[Old Stumpy]

If they made them in 30-30 I’d get one

It's odd that they don't yet.
However, I'm sure that a loading gate version of the .30-30 steel receiver rifle with the walnut stock will soon be announced. The loading gate issue is, and has been, pretty much the deal-breaker for many who would buy a Henry otherwise.

 

[Old Stumpy]

I'd buy a Marlin in a heartbeat over these Henrys. In fact, I nearly did just that with a straight-stocked Marlin in .45 LC just the other day.

I did buy a Marlin Cowboy in .45 Colt, and an 1894C in .357 Magnum, and an 1894 in .44 Magnum.
Not because of quality issues, but mainly for four reasons:

1) No loading gate on the Henry Big Boy brass or steel.
2) The brass Big Boy is too heavy at 8 1/2 pounds.
3) The Marlin 1894 quality had vastly improved.
4) The price was right.

Even so, I would buy a steel frame Big Boy when they come out with the loading gate model, because:

1) Henry center-fire rifles have superior stocks and finish, where the Marlin 1894 rifles are well-finished, but not the equal of the Henry.
2) The Steel Big Boy rifle weighs 7 pounds which is comparable to the 1894 marlin at 6 1/2 pounds.
3) Henry barrels have a well-deserved reputation for superior accuracy.
4) The Henry round bolt action (borrowed from the Marlin 336) is smoother to operate than the Marlin 1894.
5) I am willing to spend a little more for a better fit and finish.

 

[Newtosavage]

Interesting. Every Marlin I've handled has had a smoother lever action than every Henry I've handled. But for whatever reason, Henrys just look cheap to me. Maybe I'm old fashioned. I'm not sure how to explain it, but they just do. I actually had high hopes for a Henry Long Ranger that I looked at one day in Cabelas. I liked the idea of that rifle in a .308. But when the clerk handed it to me, I immediately noticed it was heavy as a tank, and the matte finish didn't appeal to me at all (again, looked cheap) plus it had a super long throw and stiff action. So I passed.

 

[DM~]

I'm also a little annoyed Henry is releasing every single configuration of .410 ever made and then making up new configurations before moving onto other gauges of shotguns but that is a whole separate issue.

Other gauges won't fit in that platform, and it would take a whole new platform for limited sales.

DM

 

[somethingbenign]

Other gauges won't fit in that platform, and it would take a whole new platform for limited sales.

DM

I fully understand but when has technical arguments kept gun guys from complaining? I'm not like others that will swear off an entire company just because one product though. This X series is very tempting but not enough to bump a double shotgun and new holster/belt down a notch.

 

[Old Stumpy]

Every Marlin I've handled has had a smoother lever action than every Henry I've handled. But for whatever reason, Henrys just look cheap to me.

Like I said, I own 1894s in 3 different calibers. I also own a near-new condition Marlin 336 in .30-30, made in 1969. The round bolt action of the 336 is smoother than all of the 1894s.
The Henry action, incidentally, is simply a reverse-engineered copy of the Marlin 336 round bolt action.
Internally it's virtually identical.
The .30-30 and .45-70 models even use the same extractor design which is formed from a hardened steel stamping. The Big Boy retains the round bolt action but uses a spring and claw extractor.
Most people that own them comment that the action is very smooth. And you get an octagon barrel and high quality Marbles sights on the Henry brass Big Boys. Henry rifles all have decent triggers as well, where Marlins often have heavy ones.

I was very impressed with all of the Henry Big Boys and .30-30s and .45-70s that I have examined. They all had beautiful walnut, glowing brass, and superior smooth blued steel finishes, with first class workmanship.
And, the use of Marbles sights was also higher quality. The standard Marlin front sight has been a brass casting painted black for many years. Not great.
You only get the Marbles sights and an octagon barrel on the Cowboy models, and you pay a considerable premium price for these features.

The only things that I disliked, other than the weight of the brass Big Boy and the lack of a loading gate, was the look of the trigger, which seemed a little odd compared to the Marlin ones.

In the end, I would encourage anyone wanting to purchase either rifle to examine each of them in person before you buy. It's the only way to know for sure which one to buy.

 

[CraigC]

I just discovered these and have to say, I'm very interested. A big advantage of the Henry is that the .44's and .45's have the proper 1-20" and 1-16" twist rates. That's a big deal, especially if you want to shoot heavy bullets at subsonic velocities through a suppressor. I also like the little section of rail and M-lok slots in the forend, in case I want to mount a light.

It is sad that this thread degraded into mostly Henry-hate/Marlin-fanboy nonsense. Much of the hate here is unfounded. I ought to know, I'm infamous on some forums for my disdain for all things Henry. However, I've had a complete change of heart and I'm glad DPris was around to witness it.

From a hater, I now own three Henry leverguns with more on the way. Two rimfires, which I always hated because of the zinc alloys used and the nonsense from Kool Aid drinkers and a Big Boy Steel .357 carbine. All three are excellent and I find plenty of room for them in my heart and in my safe, right alongside my Winchesters and Marlins. Ya know, this doesn't have to be Ford vs Chevy.

 

[LoonWulf]

"very well made" is a matter of opinion I suppose. I prefer well blued steel over painted steel.

I too appreciate blued steel and wood, but blued steel quickly becomes painted out here, or rusted.

I sought out and handled a long ranger and they lost me with the 7.5 lbs. weight. Absolutely no reason for a lever action carbine to weigh that much.

I think the BLR weights something like 7-7.5lbs
Savage 99 7ish depending on configuration
win 88s about 7
LR is listed at 7, but I've never handled or weighted one.

compared to a 336 or 94 that's on the heavier side, but all of those were ment for cartridges the slimmer lighter lever guns can't handle.


I like this rifle in .44, and may eventually end up buying one. dont like the big loop, but at least it's not one of those huge ones.

 

[chicharrones]

I've only fired one Henry and it is my shootin' buddy's H001M in .22 Mag. I've fired it several times over several years.

I can tell you that particular Henry came out of the box with a smoother action and smoother/lighter trigger than my early 1990's made Marlin 39AS. Even after doing some mild trigger work on the 39, that Henry still has a better trigger.

 

[CraigC]

I don't expect a levergun chambering a ~60,000psi, .308 family cartridge to weigh the same as one chambering a relic of the blackpowder era. It's simply not realistic.

I see the Long Rangers all listed at 7lbs even. I'm sure that's a nominal weight that will vary with chambering. The one I handled didn't seem heavy. I probably would've bought it had it been something bigger than a .243.

 

[Newtosavage]

Fixed it for you.

Even worse. It's a cast receiver.

 

[Newtosavage]

I don't expect a levergun chambering a ~60,000psi, .308 family cartridge to weigh the same as one chambering a relic of the blackpowder era. It's simply not realistic.

I see the Long Rangers all listed at 7lbs even. I'm sure that's a nominal weight that will vary with chambering. The one I handled didn't seem heavy. I probably would've bought it had it been something bigger than a .243.

What's not realistic about a Winchester carbine in .307 or .356 Win?

 

[LoonWulf]

What's not realistic about a Winchester carbine in .307 or .356 Win?

Im not very knowledgeable about lever or the levergun specific loads, but werent both the .307 and .356 well short of their bolt gun counterparts? Im literally remembering this from my old speer manual. I dont think ive seen data for either since the .308 and .338 marlin express came out, both of which dont quite match the .308 or .338 federal.

 

[CraigC]

The .307, .356 and .375 Winchester cartridges are rated 52,000CUP and we know the big bore 94 does not survive full pressure .454 loads at 65,000psi.

My .375 is 6lbs 4oz. My Marlin 1895SS is 7lbs 6oz. My Winchester 1895 is 8lbs 1oz. So somehow the 7lb Long Ranger seems to be not at all unreasonable.

 

[CraigC]

It's a cast receiver.

So is the Freedom Arms 83. Sorry but your hatred for Henry comes off as completely irrational.