Henry Big Boy 44 Mag

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deerslayer303

New member
Hey Guys,
I hope all of you are doing well and enjoy the Holidays. :D My Dad is a proud new owner of a Henry Big Boy brass Frame 44 Mag! The thing is absolutely GORGEOUS and shoots very good. Although it HATES Hornady Leverevolution ammo and much prefers a 240 grain bullet. We were sighting it in the other day at the range and I got to wondering just how long the frame on this thing will hold up. We all know the brass frames on cap and ball revolvers don't hold up well at all under heavy recoil. And well the 44 mag cartridge is a thumper. He is going to solely use it to put Venison on the table, so it will be no range hound. Although I cringed when he told me he was going to hunt with it. I read that Henry says the brass alloy they use on their rifles is strong. But still I wonder. Thoughts?
 
FWIW, the modern Henry does not have the weak toggle link action of the original Henry, 1866 Winchester and 1873 Winchester. The modern rim fires use a swinging block that locks into the frame; the center fires use a locking block system similar to that of the Marlin 336. Both are a lot stronger than the old system.

Jim
 
Thanks guys, that was some good reading. I like Dad's Big boy so much its kinda got me hankering for one in 45 Colt, you know since my side arm is chambered in the same. :D
 
I was reading on rimfire central that the receivers on the big boy are not brass, they are cast Zamak 5, which is Zinc alloy (according to the manager of Henry's Wisconsen plant).
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That's the receiver cover on the Golden Boy .22. The Big Boys are brass. The Big Boy is a totally different gun from the original 1860 which was made by the New Haven Arms Co. (later Winchester) Henry Arms Co. has no affiliation with the original Henry.
 
From the article it appears that the frames are brass alloy:

You might wonder about the brass frame of the Big Boy. You’d think brass is soft, right? On this use you’d be wrong. There are brass alloys with tensile and yield strengths as good as or better than steels commonly used in firearms manufacturing. Anthony simply told his engineers to find an alloy that was up to the job and someone who made it. So they did. Like the steel (and everything else in the Henry Repeating rifle catalog), the brass castings are made in America. The castings are inspected before, during and after they are machined and polished.
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Yeah looking at it closely. The receiver is one big honking block of brass or brass alloy. It is no flimsy piece by any stretch. It is a very well put together rifle. Very Pretty. As far as the action being as smooth as they claim, well I didn't think it was all that smooth at first. But after shooting it awhile it slicked right up!
 
I know it is supposed to look like the 1860 Henry (no loading gate), but that wood forearm isn't right (but nice to have). Does the 1860 load from the front of the magazine tube like the Civil War era rifle?
 
Does the 1860 load from the front of the magazine tube like the Civil War era rifle?
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Henry now makes a clone of the original Henry and yes it loads from the front just like the original. The Big Boy is nothing like the 1860.
 
I purchased a .44 magnum brass frame Henry big boy about 15 or 16 months ago. I'm very abusive to my weapons as far as charge diets. I shoot often, and use maximum loads MOST of the time. My rifle has absorbed a great deal of abuse and seems none the worse for wear in respect to the frame and mechanism strength. Its just gotten smoother and smoother. And the brasslite frame has developed a beautiful tarnish patina. I will say the Henry rifle line (I have three) has a weakness, it is the magazine system. The recoil has dislodged all my mag tubes several times, and actually torn the metal away in cirtain areas on a larger .45-70. My hotloading habits forced me to re-design a completely new magazine system on my .45-70 model, as the factory design simply wasn't up to my demands. I do machine work. This is not an option for every shooter. As for the 44 mag, careful screwdriver attention during assembly and a watchful eye on a cirtain set screw, and a very durable mechanism it has proved to be for me. Just my experience and opinion.
 
Hawg makes a good point....

I think it would be worthwhile to do a comparison between a Henry and a comparable Uberti.

I have a Big boy in .45 and Uberti 1866 and 1873 clones. As I handle these rifles I can see things I like about Henry over Uberti and vice versa. Of course the comparison has to be limited since the two Ubertis capture the design of rifles that are nearly 150 years old.

I know these rifles serve me equally well but then I am not a very discriminating shooter.

Next time I go out I am going to take along the Henry and probly the 1866 clone to try to form some opinions.
 
My brass big boy 44 has slicked up with only a box through it so far. It seems strong. Mine came with a rubber o ring to make the mag lock up tight. It hasn't come loose yet. I like the loading as it keeps your thumb from getting pinched and is easier to unload. The weight of the rounds can start to push the lever open when loading and then it's jammed and you'll have to start over. I wish it had a lock on the lever like the 1873 repro.

I liked it so much I bought a steel big boy in 357. It's a lot lighter not because of brass vs steel but because of the octagon vs. round barrel.
 
I imagine that the machining to get the flats removed quite a bet of metal.

I did a half octagon barrel for my 10/22. My classmate who now works for the NRA did one too, but she put a huge ivory nose and grip cap on hers. :eek:
 
The alloys can be confusing among the Henry leverguns.

The RIMFIRE Golden Boys use the same alloy in the cover as in the actual internal receiver.
The cover is plated with nickel & then the shiny Brasslite FINISH is applied & sealed.

Brasslite is ONLY the brassy finish.

On the brass centerfires, the receivers are a hardened through & through brass alloy, NOT Brasslite.
This alloy has very little relation to the brass used in percussion revolver frames, it's much harder & formulated to take the pressures of the cartridges & calibers it's used for.
Denis
 
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