Brass Or Steel Henry .327?

Big Boy receivers are solid brass.
Big Boy Steel receivers are solid steel.

The 'undesirable' alloy is only used for the little guys.
 
My LGS got two 20" steels , I bought 1 and I am holding out for the 16" steel carbine.
Discreet Defense , Red Bluff, ca
 
Last edited:
turkeestalker said:
Aside from a few lever action rim fires, I only own four levers chambered in center fire cartridges.
One in each caliber offered in the Winchester 94AE Big Bore 'series' with 20" barrels.
I think they all weigh just over five pounds unloaded, definitely less than six.
I've never considered any of them to be punishing when it comes to recoil, though the .356 surprisingly seems sharpest to me measured against the .375 and .444.
Doubt that would even be a consideration with the .327 Federal.

I've always preferred flatter shooting smaller projectiles placed just below the jaw line when hunting for meat from whitetails so I am definitely interested in hunting them with it.
I like the idea of something 'different' with the brass receiver, though I'd not really considered it being like lugging a quality wood stocked bolt action w/scope through the woods regarding weight.
Also is the brass receiver really that prone to marring?
Never having owned one I'd not considered that aspect either.
I'm not abusive to my hunting arms, but accidents do happen.
I mean they say 'hardened' brass, but how 'hard' can brass really be?
Click to expand...
I had a 375 big bore. Loved that rifle. 3 shots 3 bucks. Gave it to my nephew. He "lost" it in the woods behind his house. Found it 3 years later.

I'll never forgive that kid for that. Is there ammo or hrass available for these ?
 
FrankenMauser said:
Big Boy receivers are solid brass.
Big Boy Steel receivers are solid steel.

The 'undesirable' alloy is only used for the little guys.
Click to expand...
Makes sense now why Henry put the .327 in the Big Boy and not the rimfire rifles. I thought the .22's were steel receivers, but I guess not.

Were Henry to make the receivers from steel, would they be strong enough to handle .327?
 
I'm not a metallurgist, nor an engineer. But I think it would be borderline - not enough meat around the chamber. The action, in my opinion, would need to be redesigned, as well.
 
the .22 caliber "brass" frames are actually Zamak (zinc alloy) sideplates that are brass plated.
Click to expand...

Not plated. The color goes all the way through. Zamak 5 is some pretty tough stuff it just has a low melting point.
 
No.
The Zamak receiver & receiver cover on the rimfire leverguns come out of the machine/molds a dirty grey color.
Depending on which model, they're cleaned up, polished, either coated with the black finish(basic model) or nickel plated & left that way (shiny nickeled models), or they get a gold-colored finish on top of the nickel plating.
Or an actual 24KT gold plating on top of the polished nickel to highlight certain features on engraved models.

The gold-colored finish on the Golden Boy rimfires is not a brass plating.

The "brass" centerfire Big Boys ARE the same color all the way through.
Denis
 
I had a 375 big bore. Loved that rifle.... Is there ammo or brass available for these ?
Click to expand...

Both ammo and brass are available from Winchester Ammunition in very limited quantities by what they call a 'seasonal run'... though that season seems to only come every couple of three years if that.
In anticipation, I had purchased over 200 pieces of new brass some years before I found the particular rifle that I wanted and was able to then purchase it.
 
The Zamak receiver & receiver cover on the rimfire leverguns come out of the machine/molds a dirty grey color.
Depending on which model, they're cleaned up, polished, either coated with the black finish(basic model) or nickel plated & left that way (shiny nickeled models), or they get a gold-colored finish on top of the nickel plating.
Click to expand...

You may be right but Henry calls it Brasslite and used to say the color went all the way through.
 
Brasslite is just the term they came up with to refer to that "brass" color where applicable. More of a marketing description than anything else.

It is only a surface treatment & I don't think they ever specifically stated it went all the way through.

The black models, the "brass" Golden Boys, and the "silver" model rimfire leverguns all use the same Zamak 5 composition. Mottled grey all the way through out of the diecast molds. Each, after cleaning up artifacts leftover from the casting process, gets whichever further processing and coating or plating is appropriate to the model.

Believe me- it's not a matter of "may be right".
I have a pair of raw castings, the receiver & the cover, I've published a photo of 'em in a print mag on the 28,000-round endurance test I did on a Golden Boy, and I've discussed the materials & processes used with one of the Henry plant managers.

They won't give me the exact formulation on the "brass" colored coating (proprietary), but they were quite open in everything else.
And the two raw castings were sent directly from Henry.
Denis
 
I have the 327 rifle in brass. I passed on several steel frame models until the brass ones started shipping. I am very happy with it but I was an old target shooter. Heavier rifles are used in target shooting in no small part because they are easier to shoot accurately. The Henry is even better for this as much of the weight is where you want it, out on the barrel. However if lighter weight is what you are looking for, steel is the better way to go. YMMV
 
I'm not so big on "shiny" coated things to get scratched, I'd get one of the black ones.

I am pretty happy that .327 lever actions are now a thing. I've wanted one for a while, always thought a carbine to rifle length barrel would really utilize it's potential.
 
Yes, I hope the 327 continues to gain. Probably not best for the shoot-em up plinkers, it should be a dandy small game round. I might have to think long and hard were Ruger to do a 77/327. Preferably with a realistic MSRP.
 
I've been barking up the 77/327 tree since 2010.
Considering that Ruger killed off the entire model line, I don't think we've got a chance this decade ... if ever. :(

---
Edit: It looks like some models are back. ...But not all.
---

I've had my eyes peeled for an affordable 77/22H (Hornet) to convert, for over five years. Still no dice.
Even the beaten, broken, battered, and abandoned 77/22Hs go for stupid money.
 
Last edited:
If Ruger is ever going to put .327 or .357/.44 in a bolt action, it's going to be in the American rifles.

I would still rather get the Henry, quality is just better.
 
I want a tough 327 bullet. One that will stand up to 327 rifle velocities on a pig.
Click to expand...

That is the biggest challenge. I got a NOE bullet mold that casts a gas check bullet at 120 grains. That puts the profile at the same section density as a 357 mag at 158 grain or a 10mm at 200 grains. Out of the rifle it takes that bullet which makes 615 ft/lbs of energy out of the Ruger GP100 to over 1000 ft/lbs at the rifle velocity.
 
Accurate Molds used to have two designs in the catalog that would probably work well for larger game at BHN 16-19.
One was a 136 gr LFN. The other was a 148-ish gr WFN. Both were designed to use every bit of available length in the Blackhawk's cylinder. They would probably work in the Henry(s).


If casting is not your thing, then give Hawk Bullets a call.
 
If Ruger is ever going to put .327 or .357/.44 in a bolt action, it's going to be in the American rifles.
Click to expand...

Take a peek at the Ruger website. The 77 bolt guns come in 357 and 44. Agree about the Henry's. Just picked up my 327 Big Boy the other day, it's pretty nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top