Henry rifles &, Ruger Super Wranglers?

[IWAC]

Lately, I have been considering a new .22 rifle and pistol. I have had a hankering for a good lever action .22 it seems like forever. But, it seems the economics have eluded me, and continue to do so. I really like the trapper model Marlin 39s, and the Browning BL 22. No telling what Ruger may do with the 39, but like the 336, it will likely be priced out of my market.
hear good and evil spoken of Henry rifles, mostlly around the Zamak(?) receiver, and the Aluminum receiver cover, and complaints about the Skinner aperture rear and the front sights not matching. I am a real fan of aperture sights, resulting from my military service, and it seems like Henry will make a wrong match right. I do like quality in a firearm, and don't know if guns like the Ruger Super Wrangler or Henry will be worth passing on to my Grands or Great Grandkids.
Sooo...what say, owners of Henrys or Wranglers? Do I atttempt to find a good used Single Six, or Marlin 39A Mountie, or buy the Henry/ Super Wrangler as funds may become available?

 

[Coyote3855]

I don't own either but have shot both. The Henry .22 was an excellent firearm. I have no issues with the material used in construction. I am a Ruger fan. The Wrangler variations seem to be decent guns for the money with the occasional lemon. I shot the standard, not the Super. I don't know if either the Henry or the Wrangler are "heritage" guns. The 39A and Single Six probably are. I have owned a couple of the Marlins. Excellent guns and worthy of grandchildren. A Single Six was my first handgun in 1961 and it still gets range time. Just my opinion.

 

[Matthew Clark]

Lately, I have been considering a new .22 rifle and pistol. I have had a hankering for a good lever action .22 it seems like forever. But, it seems the economics have eluded me, and continue to do so. I really like the trapper model Marlin 39s, and the Browning BL 22. No telling what Ruger may do with the 39, but like the 336, it will likely be priced out of my market.
hear good and evil spoken of Henry rifles, mostlly around the Zamak(?) receiver, and the Aluminum receiver cover, and complaints about the Skinner aperture rear and the front sights not matching. I am a real fan of aperture sights, resulting from my military service, and it seems like Henry will make a wrong match right. I do like quality in a firearm, and don't know if guns like the Ruger Super Wrangler or Henry will be worth passing on to my Grands or Great Grandkids.
Sooo...what say, owners of Henrys or Wranglers? Do I atttempt to find a good used Single Six, or Marlin 39A Mountie, or buy the Henry/ Super Wrangler as funds may become available?

Well personal preference, as is usually the case, will likely win out when you go to handling them while shopping for the one that speaks to you. You can usually find what your looking for on broke gunner but you will pay dearly for it and you don't really get to look them over before you commit to the purchase.
Me personally, I own Henry, Winchester, Rossi, Browning and Marlin rimfires all lever actions. I also own Ruger Single Six, and Wrangler versions, as well as Heritage and other brands of rimfire SA revolvers. I have never been a brand snob, if it feels good to me and points right when I pull it up, I usually buy it and shoot the heck out of it. Out of all the brands I have purchased I have had exactly one firearm give me trouble. A Heritage Rough Rider, took it back to my LGS and she sent it in for me. Turn around time was 2 weeks and it was fixed right the first time. Excellent customer service. I take very good care of my firearms, that is a key aspect in the longevity of a firearm.
Quality in steel and workmanship go hand in hand with price to a great degree. Aesthetically speaking, the prettier it is, the more it's going to cost as well.
Pick a firearm based on your expectations of its performance and longevity and be prepared to pay for what your expectations will cost. The higher the expectations, the higher the price will be.
All of mine go "bang" every single time I pull the trigger. Big +! Some just do it with more proficiency than others. As for the Henry 22cal rifle recievers, do you really think that a company with that name to hold up, would build a piece of crap that was unsafe or wouldn't last? I don't think so in all honesty. Nothing is built the way it used to be built and the materials are being replaced with technologically advanced materials. I do not know the tensile strength of that material they make those covers out of, I am betting you don't either. And I would wager that most folks who criticize those covers don't know either. They have been around for a while, never heard of one failing, only complaints of what it's made of. Just saying.
Enjoy whatever you decide.
Happy shooting!
Matthew.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I have all the big lever 22s. The Henry will shoot as well as the others. And my dads old Ithaca/Henry still works perfectly after several lifetimes worth of shooting.

I don't care for Henry and would prefer the bl-22/winchester 94/Marlin 39 to it. But I know my dads old rifle will still be going strong for my great grandkids just like all my own 22s. There just isn't much to break in the Henry design.

Never messed with a wrangler but have some single six and a gp in 22. None of my single six shoot incredibly well with 22lr but are good built guns and do great with mags

Id buy a GP or 6-17 to pass down.

 

[doubleh]

I have owned a Henry 22 rifle for several years now without having a problem. It is also a shoot any LR ammo I have tried in it. I prefer CCI-SV for accuracy. As to to the wranglers you are welcome to my share, super or regular.

 

[Tallinar]

Hi there,

First, I have had a Henry Frontier 20" .22 LR for a year or so. Have shot it quite a bit. Great trigger out of the box. Shoots straight. The receiver material and design does not bug me in the slightest. It's plenty hardy for what the gun is, and should stand the test of time just fine with the same general firearm care you'd give anything else. The receiver by no means feels cheap, and doesn't give the vibe that corners were cut. My advice is that you don't overthink this. Rimfire 22 rifles are pretty low maintenance, and 22 LR is fairly low chamber pressure, with a lot of steel surrounding the chamber in the barrel body. The bolt and lever are plenty sturdy. The design is just fine. Seriously, don't overthink it.

As for the Skinner aperture sights, the issue seems to surround the Small Game Carbine/Rifle series. The Skinner aperture sight itself I trust is as high quality as anything else Skinner makes. The issue is that the stock front sight just doesn't match the height. I've read many anecdotes online which lead me to think that Henry is fairly responsive to send replacement front sights if people need them with these models. Alternatively, you can just budget a plan to replace the front sight yourself. Replacing the oversize bead with a patridge sight would be my play anyway, if I had one of these, and Skinner happens to make some really nice patridge blades. So yes, the Small Game Carbine/Rifle sight issue appears to have been an honest and embarrassing oversight for Henry to ship them like this, but I wouldn't let this dissuade you. In short, I'm a big fan of the Henry rimfires and would recommend them to anyone who wants a lever action or just wants a rimfire with a little personality.

As for the Wrangler, I have owned an original Wrangler for a few years. I've also owned an older Single Six, a new model Single Six, and now a Single Ten. I can state unequivocally that the Single Sixes/Tens are far better guns. The Wranglers are certainly functional, and I find them to be more attractive in quality than the Heritage Rough Rider (its main competitor), but when you hold one you definitely know you're holding a budget gun. Everything that they could get away with using aluminum for or skeletonizing, they did. Hammer spring is excessively heavy. Loading gate is rough to get open. Ejector rod has some sharp edges. Accuracy is certainly passable for the kind of plinking the gun appeals to, but it's no tack driver like my Single Ten.

For the price, I think the Wranglers are fantastic, and I can totally recommend them. But it's still a case of getting what you pay for in comparison to higher dollar options if you save your pennies.

Here's my Wrangler with some Altamont grips, and my Single Ten.

 

[Frulk]

My single six is built like a tank. Don’t think I’ll ever wear it out. Heirloom quality for sure.

The Henry .22 rifle had been in my possession since new the first year they started making them. Beautiful wood. Not shot much. Not because of any issues but it competes with a lot of other .22s in the stable and it’s my daughters. I mentioned in a current running open thread that’s discussing the Henry .22 models I needed to replace the plastic barrel band with a metal one. It’s the only thing about the rifle that bugs me. Zamak receiver is a non issue for me. Gun is accurate enough and exceedingly smooth to cycle. I’d hand it off to a grandkid and not feel like I cheaped out on them.

The Heritage .22/.22 Mag had some issue from the git go. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was but I resolved it. There is a quantum difference to me at least in the build quality of it and the Single 6. I haven’t shot the Heritage in years.

While I don’t own a Wrangler I’ve handled them. To me they seem to be on par or at best a half step up from the Heritage. That’s an opinion comparison and not meant that either gun is bad in my estimation.

 

[tubeshooter]

The vaunted all-steel .22 leverguns of days past are likely gone forever. I don't know if Ruger plans on making the 39A, but even if they do - you can imagine what they will elect to charge for it(!).

I have a Henry SGC that I got about 5 years ago. Actually in order to semi-retire the 39A. It's been fine for me, a great plinker. My sights (front and rear) were regulated fine from the factory and required no adjustment on my part. That being said, it's just a shooter and I didn't get it especially to hand down to anyone.

I feel like if you have to ask what you're asking here... then go ahead and hold out for something else with that higher price tag. It's obviously on your mind, and likely always will be. At least in the very back...


A Wrangler can be a fun shooter, but it's no Single Six IMO.
My advice is the same as above.

 

[Doug444]

I have a Marlin 39A, Henry Golden Boy Youth, Henry standard, Ruger Single-Six, two Heritage RR's (w/Mag cylinders), and a Wrangler. Sadly, I really can't add much to this conversation that hasn't already been said, except that I still shoot ALL of them, just depends on my mood or application (training new shooters I tend to use the lesser firearms, likely out of pure selfishness, but they still learn how to use them just fine). My guess is that if the grandkids do inherit them, they'll be just fine with them as they were "Granpa's guns".

 

[plainsdrifter]

The wranglers feel like a toy compared to the Super Wrangler which is all steel. Definitely a heritage piece. Heavy, solid and shoots great from both cylinders.
I'm keeping an eye out for a .22WMR rifle to go with it but I don't really like Henry.

 

[3Crows]

Lately, I have been considering a new .22 rifle and pistol. I have had a hankering for a good lever action .22 it seems like forever. But, it seems the economics have eluded me, and continue to do so. I really like the trapper model Marlin 39s, and the Browning BL 22. No telling what Ruger may do with the 39, but like the 336, it will likely be priced out of my market.

If a new 39A, should Ruger ever produce such a thing, be priced above your market then I can assure you that either of these would be above your market:




It is not that the Henry .22 or Heritage revolvers do not shoot okay or even great and cannot enjoy them, it is the cheap construction of the Zamak, they are not going to be prized as heirlooms by most. They are cheaply built and feel cheap in hand.

 

[tubeshooter]

I do want to say that my experience has been with the original Wrangler and not a Super Wrangler (yet). The improvements might make the difference to someone as far as heirloom quality or not. I expect the Super Wrangler product line to supplant the Single Six line eventually. Maybe at least as far as availability, if they don't drop the product line entirely. So if I wanted a brand-new Six to hand down, I'd get going on procuring one.


I also want to say that I am happy with my Wranglers and my Henry products as well.

 

[DMW1116]

I paired my Henry with a Heritage. No issues with either for what they are. The Henry came with a front sight that was too short so I called Henry and they sent a new barrel band and I filed it down to zero for high velocity ammo on the lowest sight notch. It shoots anything but doesn’t like the lever to be run slowly. This will nose the bullets up and they won’t feed.

I need to spend a little time with the Heritage and a file and get the elevation set. It shoots low for me but windage is spot on. It also shoots anything. I even tried some 22 Short CBs. They move so slowly you think you can catch them like flies, but they’re quiet as advertised. You may have just inspired cowboy action day next trip. Marlin (336) and Henry with Ruger (Blackhawk) and Heritage.

 

[unspellable]

I have my dad's 22 single action. It makes a Wrangler look like a class act. But it's my dad's .....

 

[Varminterror]

I have my grandpa's Marlin 99-M1 and my great grandpa's Iver Johnson Champion - the stocks on both are tanked, the finish on both are tanked, I've replaced tons of parts in both (almost the entire lockwork of the Champion), and my son loves both of them dearly. Neither are fine, neither were expensive nor are they valuable now, but they're loved and used, 4 and 5 generations later.

 

[doubleh]

I look at it as whatever floats your particular boat. I have a Henry LB frontier and really like it. I also have a Wrangler and will never own another. If anyone else''s opinion differs I have no problem with that.