Buying Henry Lever Action, Need Help!!!!

C

Countryboy90

Inactive
Hey all I am in the market for a henry lever action. I either want 357, 44 mag, or 30-30. I want to be able to plink and take small game, as well as take deer size game if need be. I also want my wife to shoot it as well. I am just worried a 30-30 wont be as fun to shoot, but i know that round has much more range and stopping power. Ive never had a 44 mag before and am not sure how its going to kick compared to the 30-30. Please help!!!
 
Can't give you much help.
The .44 should be good to easily 150 yards, if you can hold it still & learn the trajectory.
Pretty much the same in the .30-30.
Both CAN take game farther, but that's the practical range for most people.

One Henry .357 I shot put 3 holes under an inch at 100 yards.

Steel Henrys are lighter, if weight's a factor.
The .357 will be the easiest on your shoulder.
A rubber buttpad version in the two other calibers same.

Recoil in the .44 & .30-30 may be roughly comparable, depending on ammunition used, both will be greater than .357.

The .357 can take deer.
Denis
 
I'd think 30-30 is a little overkill for small game. If you do not reload, cost of .44 or 30-30 may be more prohibitive than .357. I have Levers in all three. The handgun calibers are more fun and much less expensive to shoot a lot. Handloading is a good thing, but if you don't reload, ammo for small game is much more readily available in the handgun calibers. 30-30 will give you more range than the other two with the .357 giving you the least of range. But in the right hands at the right distances, all will do a good job on deer. They have for me anyway.
 
.357 will be cheapest to shoot, and easiest on the shoulder, with an option to shoot 38 specials in it for the wife's enjoyment and for small game with round nose bullets.

Great for eastern woodlands deer, as the added velocity extends its reach of a .357 pistol.
 
I appreciate all the insight from everyone. I think I am going to go with the 357. It should be fun to shoot and enough to take deer or hogs if need be. If i love this one maybe I will get the 44 mag or 30-30 later on.
 
I'm old and any lever action rifle was a 30-30 and we called them a deer rifle. A deer or bear were all they were used for. Smaller things were only shot with a shotgun or a 22.

My lever action Henry is a 22 and I got it so I could have an affordable gun to shoot to live my childhood fantasies along with a "cowboy" revolver that is also a 22.
 
I bought a Henry Big Boy Steel .357 carbine and love it, fun plinking with .357 and .38spcl both. Now I'm starting to eye the Henry Long Ranger in .223.
 
I picked up the 357 today and love it, now i have to decide if later down the road I want to get the 44 mag or 30-30. Decisions decisions
 
Be careful. Next thing you know you'll have to start having "Little Brothers" for the Big boys. Tradition would say a single action .357 revolver would be in the works. Then maybe branch out to a large DA for the 44. (or 45). The excuse, if any is needed, being that the pistol and rifle use the same ammo. There are even single shot .30-30 pistols.
 
The beautiful thing this that is the the .38 special does what it what needs to do at 100 yards with no fuss, and if you spend a bit of time at 100 yards that .357 mag will do, as well.
I have not yet found the .357 magnum Henry rifle that wouldn't do what was necessary.
They are really good rifles.
My brother has a Rossi that was in the same .38/.357 magnum caliber.
My Henry had no issues being able to be more accurate than the little Rossi rifle was able to able to able to do.
 
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I currently own Win 94 Trappers in 357 and 44 mag and in the past have shot a couple Win 94 in 30/30.
If wifey isn't really "into guns", she's not going to like shooting either the 30/30 or 44 mag(unless you find one that feeds/fires 44 SP). With magnum loads, my 44 has a sharp recoil and the 30/30 always seemed to kick beyond what it's actual performance was worth.
For your proposed purposes, the 357 mag is adequate and far more fun to shoot(again, especially if it will feed 38SP ammo). For short range deer hunting, the 357 is very close to 30/30 performance.
 
I don't really understand recoil with a 30-30 or .44 mag. To me neither one kicks much more than a .22.
 
I usually don't notice recoil in a model 94, but I have a Trapper in .44 that bucks a little with Hornady factory 225 grain. The shorter barrel might be part of it.
The Big Bore 94s run about a pound heavier. They are in 356 and 375 Winchester. They don't seem to recoil much either. I confess growing up with a .30-30 could be part of it.
 
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