45/70 Lever Action

B

Biskithead

Inactive
I am looking at 45/70 lever action rifles i like the marlin and the henry. What rifle do you think would be better? i prefer the henry but it has a price premium over the marlin but the action on the henry is unmatched in my opinion is it worth it? The main purpose of this gun is just for fun i don't really plan on hunting with it but it would be nice just in case.
 
Depend on the manufacture date of the Marlin.. don't buy a new one, or you'll likely be sorry.

Don't forget the Chiappa offerings which look interesting, but I don't know if any good.

The Mossbergs don't look very high quality to me, but they may be ok....I dunno.

The best bet is an OLD Marlin (pre-Remlin manufacture).... Not sure when they changed over exactly, but 2009 and prior is good.... be very leery of rifles made in last 4 years.
 
.

AFAIK, Mossberg doesn't make a .45-70 levergun - only .22's & .30-30's.

The Henry's worth the difference & better than Remlins - A pre-safety Marlin 1895's better than either.


.
 
I have no experience with Marlin pre or post but love my Henry H010. Customer service is equal to Dillon in my experience.
All the best,
Bill
 
If you get a chance to handle a Henry side by side with the Marlin you'll have your mind made up. The Henry's action is so much slicker and smoother out of the box than the Marlin, it just doesn't compare.
 
I own a Winchester and consider it the best. However, it costs twice-three times as much. If I had to choose between the Marlin and the Henry, the Henry would win hands down for two reasons. Looks and customer service.It also is slicker right out of the box. Nothing wrong with the Marlin if you get a good older one except getting it serviced if you need factory work done to it. Henry service is super fast and they really stand behind the products they sell. I'd suggest you just get the one you like the best.
 
Before you make a decision based on he-said-she-said,
See http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...8&postcount=13
Click to expand...

Thank you good sir - this is *extremely* helpful to everyone in general, and to the OP if he is inquiring about NEW only. But since he didn't specify, the warnings stand, if he goes used (but not too old)...... I'm assuming there's a LOT of used ones from the last 3 years which are trying to be pawned off on the unsuspecting, in a desperate manner, making the warning all the more important.

It may be time to get a new SBL, though!! :)
 
I have questions for Henry owners, if anyone knows

How is they can only fit 4 rounds in the mag in the .45-70? Looks like it would hold 5+1, not 4+1, with 18.5" of bbl to work with.

In general, what specific method does Henry use to get all their lever actions so smooth - what do they do different from other makers to achieve this? Is it just polishing of all the surfaces or some unusual technique?

http://henryrepeating.com/rifle-45-70.cfm
 
I own a Winchester and consider it the best. However, it costs twice-three times as much.
Click to expand...

Same here. I really like my Winchester (Miroku) Model 1886 "Extra Light Weight" repo but will concede that they are getting harder and harder to find and, when you do, can be "pricey" in comparison to the Henrys and Marlins. But well worth the extra money, imo.
 
Well, other than the Henry Repeating arms rifle (pretty much all of them) is just outright GHASTLY in appearance. I'm sure they are well enough made and would do more than well for anything you would need it for.

But if it were me personally, I'd look for one of these:

1895 Cowboy
1895cb_3.jpg
 
Having to load the henry from the front of the mag tube would be a deal killer for me.
Click to expand...

Do you think it's easier to lever each one out individually? I can't think of anything easier than dropping them down a tube to load and getting them out the same way. I'd be happy if my Winchester was that easy.
 
Unlicensed Dremel as to the magazine capacity I think it to protect the magazine spring from fatigue. I managed to weaken mine by forcing a cleaning brush up the magazine tube rather than the barrel:( Note: Nothing is fool proof to the sufficiently ingenious fool.) Henry sent me a new one no questions asked:).
BerdanSS as it is said, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" but my wood on my H010 looks better:)
All the best,
Bill
 
Marlin all the way, just look it over really good before you take it home. The Quality control problems of new Marlins is overblown.
 
Bill Daniel

Oh I don't doubt that for a second sir. I've seen some downright B E A utifuly figured wood on the centerfire Henrys. I ment the design look of the centerfire caliber rifles themselves, the 45-70 in particular. In my opinion they are just awful to my eyes. They just look like poorly designed toys to me. Of course that's just my opinion, and I don't expect anyone else to agree with me. But for some odd reason, I find the golden boy .22s to be a fantastic looking rifle. Even though its just a smaller scale version.
 
dgludwig, I agree the extra light 86 is a beaut....I had an early made Marlin 1895 CB that was a tack driver at 100 yards with some of my own handloaded 405 grain hardcast ammo ! Sold it ! I'm a diehard 1886 fan....just love the actions more but the old Marlins are fine shooters !
 
I own the Marlin 1895 45-70 and love it. Mine is one of the older models. It was manufactured in the mid 1970's. I highly recommend it for the looks, handling and accuracy (to a point). You can check the manufacture date by calling Marlin and having them look up the serial number. I believe the ones made after 1979 are the ones you want to avoid but I am not sure about that. When I purchased mine I was told to avoid anything made after that year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top