.357 Lever Action Rifle

M

MINSH101

New member
I am thinking of getting a Henry Big Boy .357 Lever action rifle. I plan on using it as a home defense/hunting/SHTF/all purpose rifle. I currently have a GP100 as my thump in the middle of the night defense weapon and a SP101 as backup and CCW. I have hopes of getting into reloading and it makes sense, practical and financial, to master loading one caliber (okay, two if we include the 38 special as a separate caliber, which I don't since I can use both from the same .357 platform).

Thoughts on the Henry Big Boy or any other similar lever rifle. Experience with that type of firearm (I've heard most rifle eject .357 rounds pretty well while the 38 gets caught more frequently while ejecting).

Any details you can add are appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
I just got one two weeks ago.It shoots good right out of the box. It's smooth and egects 357 and 38 just fine. I like the way it loads and unloads through the toob.My next one will be in 45 Colt.I have the 44 mag now for three years.
 
I have an older (mid 90s) Marlin 1894 Cowboy, in 38/357. I haven't noticed any problems with it ejecting 38s, or 357s. I do shoot a lot more 38s then 357s.

Its accurate too. Only thing I use is cast bullets. And with todays $4-5.00 a box for 22 LR, I can shoot 38s about have the price of 22s. It's my primary plinking/small game rifle.
 
Henry Big Boy

I had the opportunity to put 20 rounds from my brother-in-law's Rossi lever gun at the weekend...now i want lever gun of my own :D

If I had funds to spare it'd be the Henry big boy that'd be getting my money, though that said the Rossi is a sweet shooter! I've heard bad things about them, but I was able to ping small plates at 50 yards...standing :eek:

In terms of ammo used in the Rossi, we had a mix of Blazer and Magtech, cast and FMJ...chewed up everything we had. The 20 rounds I put through her were cast .38 specials.

Hope it helps!

Peace
 
I've had my big boy .357 for about a year and I love it. I've mentioned it before that my only dislike is the tube load but that's it. I've reloaded both .38s and .357 for it- Missouri's 158 g rangers which are a flat nose. If I cycle it slow they can hang up but as long as I throw it quick it's fine with both. I've decided to stick with 158g for the extra length as I expect shorter bullets would exacerbate the problem. I found the tube was hard to twist(big hands) to get it to unlock especially with cold hands so I removed the o ring and replaced with a smaller thinner one. Great improvement. No arthritis here yet but I could see where that would be an issue with the way it was. I am very happy with it and would gladly buy another.
 
When my daughter turned 19, she bought herself a little Rossi trapper (16") in .357. I've had one in 44-40 for about 25 years and love it, and am equally impressed with her little camping, hiking HD gun. It's worked great with every 38-357 load we've found with the exception of course with the 148gr. 38 wadcutters( I knew this wouldn't feed but just had to try). I recommend a lever gun for everybody.
 
A Henry Big Boy in .357 is at the top of my list when my AR sells. I got a Golden Boy for my birthday this year and haven't had an interest in taking the AR out since. The Henry is just more fun to me. The AR was an impulse purchase that I've not enjoyed as much as I thought I would.

The Big Boy should satisfy the want for a bit more than the .22 has.

Who wouldn't want a matching Golden Boy and Big Boy? :D
 
I've always been intrigued by having a rifle/handgun combination shooting the same cartridge, so I kind of get this idea.

BUT---you WILL be carrying around a RIFLE and you COULD have it in a real honest to goodness RIFLE cartridge.

With this thought I always back out of the deal.
 
Kinda based off what DaleA said, I have a 44-40 carbine a pistol set but really don't need it except if I'm loading for one gun I might as well have a couple or more. When carrying both a rifle and handgun I've always thought , if I'm carrying around a 22 rifle for pasts or squirrel hunting, if I'm going to carry a handgun, it's going to be a big bore. If I'm carrying a high powered rifle, chances are if I carry a handgun it will be something small, light and sufficient for a finishing shot or to maybe bag a grouse on the way home.
 
As the owner of 2 Rossi 357mag leverguns (a 20" Carbine and 24" Rifle) I can say that they are absolutely a ton of fun to shoot. If you handload, you can make up a wide range of loads from a 90grn 'mouse fart' plinker up to a 200grn thumper. Buffalo Bore makes 357mag Heavy 158grn ammo that they claim produces 2,153fps from an 18.5" Marlin levergun. That's near 30-30 level.

I've looked at the Henry Big Boys and they look sweat, however, unlike my little Henry 22lr, which is a hoot to plink with, the Big Boys leave me flat. No side loading gate so they load awkwardly like a tube mag 22lr doesn't do it for me and then they are pounds heavier and bulkier than the carbines patterned after the Winchester '92 as the Rossis are.

All in all, my Rossis are decent shooters, not necessarily great lookers, however, with a bit of TLC using Steve's Gunz $58 DVD and parts kit, you can have a accurate, slick actioned, nice triggered, faithful reproduction of one of the best designed rifles ever made; the 1892 Winchester.

DSCN2830.jpg


My carbine is a lightweight shooter that's handy, accurate, and a ton of fun. The 357mag cartridge, even loaded as a 158grn full power load, doesn't produce a strong recoil so the carbine is a favorite of everyone who tries it. Accurate even at 150yds with the irons, it's a joy.

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My rifle is set up as a long range, 300yds steel plate shooter. Yep, 300yds with a 158grn pistol rd produces a great platform when coupled with a tang and globe front sight giving an impressive 30" sight radius. Accurate with a target aperture and another joy to shoot. Out at the range shooting steel at 300yds with irons, it brings a smile to eveyone's face. When I let someone try it they are amazed at the light recoil and accurate shooting ability of the Rossi.
 
I'm not a Henry fan so I'll stick with my Rossi. Very slick, light, and compact. It's a good general purpose carbine that does a lot of things reasonably well. Your brass should last awhile if you don't get crazy with your plinking loads.
 
I just flat out love my Henry Big Boy carbine in .38/.357. I put a Skinner peep on it and it's just a blast to shoot. I have to hold a bit low with .38 but .357 is dead on.

The owner manual says the only .38 you should use for reliable feeding is 158gr, which is what I shoot in it.

I bought a couple of these magnets on Amazon and some stick-on felt pads and keep it mounted above the inside of the closet door in my bedroom. Easy to grab in the dark at 3 am.

 
I also am one of the Rossi 357 owners and they are super fun with 38's they feel like a 22 with no recoil. a pistol cal lever gun is super fun to shoot and usually cheaper.
 
CO steve I know why you have the leather wrap on your lever. Action shooting takes a toll on your knuckles. Nice looking firearms. I've thought about a Rossi for the side gate. I agree .38s are like plinking with a .22, especially with the Big boys heft.
 
As a few may have mentioned, the tube magazine is probably the least liked feature of the Henrys, but it is very easy to load (initial tubeful) and unload. It's speed reloading that most can't get by. Speaking for myself, I got used to it fairly quickly. The smooth action is generally what wins you over. Around my way, the Henrys are pretty much the most common make for sale.

I've got the .44 carbine version and I really love it. It's my all around, all purpose rifle.

Henrysling.jpg
 
I've got a mid 80's Marlin 357 and it's shot everything I've put thru it. Accurate, reliable and quick handling. I reloaded for it for many years and fired some higher pressure rounds thru it and coupled with a 3x9 scope it hit anything I wanted out to 250 yards with some impressive velocities.
Worked great for coyotes and jack rabbits until I got my varmint rifles.
 
My Henry Big Boy Carbine in .357 shoots very nice (actually better than the Ruger 77/357 it replaced) and doesn't have a problem cycling .38s. I have old eyes so mine wears a low powered variable scope.

Henry%20357SC_zpsphvhf7p2.jpg
 
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