Best NEW lever actions?

V

Venom1956

New member
So my dad has always been a huge marlin guy when it comes to lever actions then Winchester. But he hasn't purchased a new one since Marlin got bought out. I know they've had tons of QC issues and negative press which makes me hesitant of encouraging him to get a new one.

Is Henry a good alternative for levers? he seems to feel that they are lesser then marlins and is very stubborn but perhaps when he was my age they weren't that good I am not sure. Only Winchester I got was a old 94 and called it good.

he's looking @ a 45-70 and a Mare's leg models (seperate of course) :p
 
I have fired a couple different Henry 22's and a Henry 30-30. All were nothing short of rock solid and silky smooth.

I wouldn't shy away from a Henry. Very nice rifles and a little cheaper than a new Winchester 92 or 94.

Only drawback, they are fairly heavy.. Very noticeably more heavy than a 94. But this could be a drawback for one person, and a positive thing for another. Depends on personal preference....
 
I have a henry 357 and a rossie

Henry. Heavy but butter smooth, tube magazine
Rossie. Light , cheap sights, feed issues,

If I had a choice it would be marlin
 
Your father must be extremely young.
The Henrys only go back to the mid 1990s.


I don't have their Mare's Leg, but I do have a Henry .45-70 here.
Nice rifle.
Denis
 
Anyone care to elaborate on current quality status of Marlins? Improving any or still the same?

I've got a hankering for a 45-70 lever and the stainless Marlin has got my eye.

Thanks in advance.
 
The Henrys only go back to the mid 1990s.
Click to expand...

That could be why he is so skeptical of them? He seems to like the 'big names' Colt, S&W, Winchester, Remington. I just told him since Remlins came about new Marlins might not be as nice as the guns he remembers buying.

I wasn't even 10 in 1995 so Henrys have always been around for me. :D I didnt realize they were that recent. Were early ones bad?
 
There are two issues that cause people to turn up noses at Henry.

The first is with the company associating itself with BT Henry, the inventor of the Henry rifle that laid the foundation for the Winchester "empire".

The second is the alternative construction methods of the rimfires that Henry (the company) started out with.

The Henry rimfires are not carved out of a solid block of steel like the Wins & Marlins, they use an internal receiver and a hollow outer receiver cover.

The use of a Zamak zinc-based alloy for the cover bothers many traditionalists.
The rimfire Henrys have always been the smoothest leverguns ever, their accuracy more than equals the Wins & Marlins, and despite the lower-end models' inexpensive finishes, those guns do hold up.

The early ones were not bad, just not designed by John Browning, founded by Oliver Winchester, or traceable back to John Mahlon Marlin.

People have a hard time getting past the modern design & use of materials other than steel in the rimfire receiver covers.

Henry's spreading out in their centerfires, and those use more traditional steel & brass frames.

The company puts out very shootable guns, they just go about it a bit differently. :)
Denis
 
Are you referring to all of the lever rimfires or just the "Golden Boy", as far as the cover?

I have a Henry lever (blued receiver) and Henry pump, like them both, however, I still like my Winchester, my Marlin and my Browning levers a bit better (tactile feeling). As far as accuracy, each is a different gun-the short throw lever on the Browning is simply superb for plinking. The Marlin feels more like a center fire gun than it does a rimfire (22 mag.). The Winchester just feels like the "Old West"!

I have a 1966 vintage Model 94 in 30-30, and the receiver of that gun appears & feels cheap compared to the Model 94's you could get a few years earlier. But it was my first center fire, and will be with me till the end of my days, with the action now smooth as butter.
 
The big difference to me is side load Marlin is way more user friendly than end loading of the Henry. Imagine how adding a round to the Henry in the field is gonna work out...
 
I have to agree with Nathan as well.... Being a front loader is one thing I don't like about the Henry... I like the loading gate on the receiver.

But even that has an upside.. If you hunt with it, you don't have to rack each round through the chamber to unload when your hunt is done for the day. Just pull the follower and dump em out.
 
I have an 1895 Guide Gun. It's smooth and goes BOOOOM every time I want it to. IIRC it's one of the last New Haven-built ones. 3 years old I think?

Now, of course if I had been able to buy a Winchester 94 in 45-70 I would have been all over it. My Trapper in 357/38 and 9422M (22WMR) are flat-out the best lever guns ever. To me, anyway. :)
 
You would have to wonder what the selling price would be today for some of the great vintage lever guns: for example, how much would a company need to sell a Savage 99? A pre-64 Model 94? A Winchester 88 (IIRC the model number!).
 
My Henry is buttery smooth, accurate and has a lifetime warranty. What more could I ask for and I don't care about the details. The whining about loading doesn't seem relevant to me. How many times do you go hunting and have to reload with the capacity the gun has?
 
I would hardly refer to people expressing their personal opinions as "whining"....

OP asked for some opinions, and he is getting them.

They are design differences that are worth noting.

FTR: I see an upside and a downside to both methods.... my personal opinion.
 
My $0.02 worth. I bought a Marlin 45-70 back in the early '90s. It will go boom and slap you every time you pull the trigger. I've used it to slay more hogs than I care to remember. My son, who is a Game Warden, bought a Henry lever in 44 mag. At first, I thought it was a bit heavy, until you take aim and shoot. The balance and smoothness of the action and trigger pull is awesome. I'm 61 yrs old and I have handled a lot of rifles and short of target and some tactical bolt actions, these Henrys are great. In fact, I bought both a .22 brushed stainless (Evil Roy version) and a .45 Colt blue with the octagon barrel. Very accurate and balances very easily. My son wants to get a Henry 45-70 now. Call me a Henry fan!!!
 
I think Henry's are a darn good choice for a couple good reasons. NO button safety and their 45-70 model has a factory installed peep sight. My thoughts on this Henry model: Looks like it can surely handle those heavy weight powder charges and different cast weights many home reloader's like to experiment with. The (Ghost Ring) peep is also a very nice addition verses that old Buck Horn rear blade. As for the missing Button Safety. No one that I know has ever had a good word for its being period!!

As for a mare's leg. Looks like a Rossi import for that want.

http://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

http://www.rossiusa.com/product-list.cfm?category=17
 
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