Henry Repeating Rifle

[hollowpoint67]

Ive always had a lust for this weapon, anyone have any experience or words of caution before procuring one?

[shovel88ci]

enjoy it!

[1JimMarch]

Don't get one in 357, or at least if you do, severely limit the pressure levels you run through it to basically 38+P or a hair more. The toggle-action types like the '66 (Henry) and '73 (Winchester) are not real strong. If you must get one of these, go with the '73 and a proper loading gate.

The '92 action is a lot stronger and the current Armi Chiappa made variants (newer Legacy Sports Puma) have a very good reputation. They even make a factory handgun "Mare's Laig" version!!! Before that Rossi was the main source of '92s and they weren't half bad but the new Italian variants are better. I know Cimarron has '92s as well and they're a big Uberti importer, those might be Ubertis?

Personally, I'll probably start with a solid-top Marlin and do some of Widder's modifications homebrew:

http://marauder.homestead.com/rifles.html

Note the extensive info on tuning all the popular leverguns. The info on the Rossi '92s should be mostly applicable to Italian '92s as well.

Marlin makes a good gun for the money, a bit rough in terms of feel but that can be cleaned up, the mechanical accuracy, barrel and metallurgy is quite good...they're exceptionally strong in all calibers.

Then there's the modern Henry company. Supposedly not bad guns, but their centerfire variants load from the muzzle like their rimfires, so for tactical purposes they're out of the running. OK for anything else I guess.

I intend to score a 357 lever eventually...an Italian '92 if I can afford it, Marlin otherwise.

[ianS]

Someone who is probalby the premier 1892 specialist http://www.stevesgunz.com/ recommends current Brazilian (Braztech/Rossi) 1892's. The Italian ones (newer Pumas) have nicer wood and better finished but there seem to be some issues and he is in fact in contact with them to help improve them. Not sure if they've worked out the bugs on the Italian ones yet. (I read this at Paco Kelly's leverguns.com) The thing with the Brazilian 1892's is their fit and finish is rather "economical" and their actions are a tad rough but workable. But they're very strong (even stronger than Marlins), reliable, can take the hottest .357 loads and they're chambered up to .454 Casull. They're good shooters, affordable, based on a historical design, and a great way to get into levers IMO. I certainly do not regret getting my 92 Rossi .357 Trapper and would get them in other calibers.

The Henry's are nice looking and their actions are smooth. The things I don't like about them is you have to load them from the muzzle sorta like the original 1860 Henry's, overly heavy, and they're not historically accurate. If they actually made something like an 1860 Henry I'd be more interested in their guns. I think I like their commercials more than their guns. I do like the fact they're American made but then I'd rather buy a Marlin if I wanted an American made lever. My Marlin 336 in 30-30 is a great shooter so I'm sure their pistol cartridge levers are good too.

If you want something beautiful, functional, and historically accurate the Uberti 1873 and their other line of levers are great. You'd be proud to hang them on your wall. The only thing is their actions are not as strong as the 1892 so its recommended you stick with "cowboy loads" or standard pressure loads. And they're a bit pricey. Did I mention how incredibly awesome they are to look at and hold?

[Alan Block]

There is a difference between the brand 'Henry' and the

historical rifle called the Henry. The rifles branded Henry are not replicas or coppies of anything ever used in the old west. They may be excellent rifles in their own right but if you want an old west type gun then you need to look at the Italian replicas made by Uberti (and others).

[hollowpoint67]

had to re-bump this, do they make these rifles with the original flip up sight we saw in western movies etc?

[ComeTheDay]

Ok Hollowpoint, I registered after lurking for a while just to answer your post. The italian Henrys are mostly made by Uberti and they are fabulous guns. The original Henry was actually a .44 cal rimfire cartridge and is not easily duplicable today, so the modern ones are all centerfire, in .45LC, .44-40 and .357 mag. Of these the .44-40 is the most historically accurate (though the Henry did not come in that caliber but other Winchesters did- Henry was the first Winchester but not called that). The .44-40 case however is necked, which means you have to trim when you resize it to reload it, which is a pain. If you plan to shoot it a lot I would get .45LC, or if you want to shoot it in cowboy action and be competitive, get it in .357 mag so as to be the same reloading dies as your pistols. (if you don't want to be competitive in cowboy just get the .45LC and be a real man).

Henry Repeating Arms is an entirely different company. They do have a rifle called a "Big Boy" that is modelled after the 1866 Yellowboy, in that it has a wooden forearm, unlike a true Henry that does not. They make it in the same calibers and they shoot fantastic.

A HUGE TIP about shooting a Henry if you buy one. They do not load from the side like a regular Winchester. You turn the top portion of the barrel assembly and slide the cartridges down the tube. When you slide them down, do not use a steep angle or the bullets will impact and seat themselves deeper, increasing the pressure in the gun that can impact the tightness of the brass frame.

Also, DO NOT USE ROUNDNOSE BULLETS. As in all levergunss, roundnose bullets can set off primers of the next bullet in front of them, but in a Henry it is doubly dangerous because you are sliding the bullets down on top of each other. I personally blew the side out of my first Uberti Henry by dropping shells down on top of each other with round noses. I bent it back, but I still have the gun today and it has a big patch of ruined mag tube where the shell blew out the side.

You will absolutely love owning a Henry. There is a roll you do with your hand as the magazine pusher works its way down and you'll be able to run the gun really fast if you buy the short stroke kit from Cimmaron. Have fun.

[JTsanchez]

Had a newer lever action .22 that i regret selling very much. Wish i could get that one back

[cudakidd]

Do specifically want a Henry ie, an original Henry? They are different then other lever actions, no forend wood, the mag follower comes back as you shoot and you have to be careful with forend hand placement as a result.

ComestheDay has the same points most Henry shooters have had. I have been a Cowboy action shooter for over 15 years and the only rifles I have seen blow up are Replica Henrys for the reasons given...

I shoot a 66 and a 73. There no mechanical differences, some cosmetic ones...the easiest to take down and play with, I have disassembled mine in the middle of a match...the fastest actions out there by the way...

Marlins are the roughest POS out the box but after a action job very reliable and second only to the 66 and 73 for take down

92 are the most complex, I started with one, switched to a 66 and didn't look back...

What do you want it for?