Three Winchesters in 357, 30-30, and 44 mag. Three Marlins, 30-30, 44, 444. Sold a bunch of Henrys and none have come back but I just can't warm up to them. Friends love theirs and I'm ok with that. I have had no problems with any of my levers, ever.
Marlin vs. Henry vs. Winchester lever action rifles
- Thread starter peacebutready
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I own a pre 64 winchester and a new Japanese 94. Those new 94’s are better built in quslity than the older guns but the price reflects it. Over a grand for my 94 short rifle. I own jm Marlin and a new Henry 30-30 and the Henry is a great quality firearm and has better wood than my marlin. Cant answer for new Marlin’s but The Henry is up there but not as high as the Japanese Winchesters. The best part of the Henry is No Safety to screw with and easy loading and unloading. I like the tube feed now that I’m using it.
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rayatphonix
Member
I finally bought a lever action rifle. A Marlin 45-70. I wanted the Henry, mainly because of the prettier wood and reports of a better trigger. The problem was that most reviews I read of the Henry 45-70 mentioned problems with the loading tube. Any members have that problem with that cartridge on their Henry?
The loading tubes do stick on cartridges when inserting it with ammo in the gun tube. I solved that problem easily. I used a very fine piece of metal sanding paper on the button end. There’s a slight bell on the tube, all I did was push in the button with my finger and smooth the sharp edges and bell angle. No more sticking and works great even when loading my 30-30 with six cartridges in the tube. 5 min job at best.
CopperFouling
Member
@Steve S. pretty much said it all. I own two Miroku-made shotguns and owned a lever gun in the past, and they were top-notch firearms.
cdb1
Member
It’s already been stated but not as a direct answer to your question. Miroku makes Winchester lever actions. Miroku and Howa are different companies.
I have a 13 year old Henry and a 1970's era Winchester 94. Of those two the Henry seems better built, and definitely has better wood. I've handled the Marlin1894 or 1895, the one in 45-70, and it's not for me. Seems rough, maybe it was just the one I was looking at. Some do not like the tube fed Henry but it does not bother me.
Jeff
Jeff
Vern Humphrey
Member
Find a good 99 Savage in .308 Winchester -- that's the best lever action deer rifle ever made.
cdb1
Member
Don’t know where you heard that. Howa is a Japanese company that’s been around a long time, since 1907.
People often say the Winchesters are way too expensive, and certainly they are not cheap. However, comparing MSRPs of some similar 30-30s from Winchester/Miroku, Marlin, and Henry reveals the following:
Win 94 Carbine
MSRP:
$1,199.9
Marlin high end curly maple
MSRP:
$949.0
Marlin stainless
MSRP:
$794.5
Henry std
MSRP:
$893.0
Henry all weather
MSRP:
$1,050.0
Yes, the Miroku Winchester costs a bit more and may be a bit harder to acquire but most people, perhaps not all, could afford to buy any of these if they can afford to buy any one of them. Buying a Miroku 92 (MSRP $1069) saves another $100-150.
Win 94 Carbine
MSRP:
$1,199.9
Marlin high end curly maple
MSRP:
$949.0
Marlin stainless
MSRP:
$794.5
Henry std
MSRP:
$893.0
Henry all weather
MSRP:
$1,050.0
Yes, the Miroku Winchester costs a bit more and may be a bit harder to acquire but most people, perhaps not all, could afford to buy any of these if they can afford to buy any one of them. Buying a Miroku 92 (MSRP $1069) saves another $100-150.
cdb1
Member
Do you mean Huglu?
doubleh
Member
On looks alone I think Winchester by a country mile. Marlins are a little hefty and the Henry's are in serious need of being put on a diet. I don't have any experience with any except the Winchester and I have shot mine very little. It will have it's hundredth birthday next year. It has no bluing left but the wood is still good and mechanically it's still tight and functions reliably.
Rimfires are a completely different ball of wax. All three are good looking guns and my 39A and Henry Frontier long barrel are excellent mechanically. I wish I had bought a Winchester during their production but I wasn't interested in lever action rifles then.
Rimfires are a completely different ball of wax. All three are good looking guns and my 39A and Henry Frontier long barrel are excellent mechanically. I wish I had bought a Winchester during their production but I wasn't interested in lever action rifles then.
SwampWolf
Member
Most of the time, you do get what you paid for. If you can afford them, most Jap-made firearms are worth every penny they cost. Howa-made guns (i.e., Weatherby's Vanguard line) are bargains to boot when it comes to cost.
200Apples
Mojave Lever Crew
The Winchester Models 1873 and 1892 are the most visually appealing of the late-19th century pistol-caliber levers, but nothing shoulders as well as a Marlin 1894 nor is as easy to disassemble and reassemble. Modern Henrys, while smooth in operation, are heavy and just a wee bit awkward to me in appearance.
Having said that, my Marlins continue to grow on me every day, especially my 20" 1894 FG. I now own three Marlin '94s, and they will be the last rifles to leave my possession... two are almost irreplacable and the third, a new 1894 SBL, is hard to find in stock anywhere. Too, each weighs less than 7 lbs.
They are an 1894CS357, an 1894 FG and a recently-new offering from Marlin, the 1894 SBL.
Jessesky
Member
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- Aug 25, 2016
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- 981
I’ve never liked the look of the Henry lever action. Winchesters like the 1886 are nice, but too heavy to be practical compared to today’s offerings. Marlin suffered from years of quality issues up until the last few years or so. They really started to clean up their act. I think the marlin is the best bet. Make sure it’s either a really new marlin, or a JM marlin.
peacebutready
Member
Off topic: Those .357 carbines are more powerful than many think. The .357 cartridge picks up quite a bit of power in carbine form. If you reload or use ammo like Buffalo Bore or similar ammo, it nips on the heels of the 30-30 for short ranges.
peacebutready
Member
From OP: Thanks for the replies, all.
200Apples
Mojave Lever Crew
Pbr, as either Chuck Hawks or Paco Kelly likes to say, ".357 from a rifle barrel is a whole different animal..." and it's true. It isn't a .30WCF, but it can make clean kills at 75 yards. It certainly packs a small wallop. That's where the .44 Magnum, or even a heavy Special (265 grains @1100 which gains at least 250 fps in the carbine, depending on the powder) comes in. The 1894 SBL is a .44 Mag chambering! Yee haw.
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