While the Henry Big Boys have smooth actions, their lack of a side loading gate which makes loading awkward and with the muzzle pointed up, can be dangerous unless significant care is exercised, plus the excessive weight (almost 2 lbs more than a Winchester) together make them non-starters for me.
Henry lever actions?
- Thread starter Chainsaw.
- Start date
Any perceived danger in loading is offset by greater safety in unloading. 
Just keep the hammer down while loading, don't point muzzle at your face.
Simple & not really significant care.
And not having to cycle each round through the action to unload offers much lesser chance of an AD.
And while I would not, admittedly, haul a brass .357 around the woods, they're not all heavy, the steel models are lighter.
Denis
Just keep the hammer down while loading, don't point muzzle at your face.
Simple & not really significant care.
And not having to cycle each round through the action to unload offers much lesser chance of an AD.
And while I would not, admittedly, haul a brass .357 around the woods, they're not all heavy, the steel models are lighter.
Denis
My Henry 30-30 brass is just for target , the added weight of the octagon barrel is of no real significance. The added weight makes for a soft shooting rifle , especially with my cast cowboy loads. I have lots of other rifles that shoot 2200+ fps, my Henry 30-30 is specifically designated for light cast silhouette loads, and it's a TON of fun within this usage. The beefy octagon barrel almost never gets hot, most of the time barely warm so it should last several lifetimes without getting burned out.
I have to agree. Have both a Henry Big Boy and Winchester 73 Short in Steel, both are 357. Maybe it is me, but after loading the 73, after 4 or 5 time, it can get a little hard on my fingers.
Obviously, do not have that issue with the tube load of the Henry.
As Denis noted, emptying the Henry is simpler, and probably safer than cycling the action multiple times.
The weight, yes, my Winchester is lighter, but 2# lighter.
Bottom line, traditionalists will have a hard time with the lack of loading gate on the Henry's. Just like the hard core traditionalist 1911 people think a 1911 chambered in anything other than 45 is sacrilegious.
Ya gotta get that last round in past the gate. Which can get pinchy. Ive even had lever guns that’ll spit out the previous round so you have to push each one just past the gate to get it ti stay put. Also and be a little grabby. Do that for several tubes and the thumbs starts getting raw
I've tried the cartridge-pusher & it's slower & more awkward for me.
Also tends to kickback & dump rounds on the ground.
On a lever gun I intend to keep, I have to get the gate's edges rounded off, after which it's no longer as much of a problem.
The only exceptions to this are my '51 Model 94 in .30-30 & my new-this-year Winoku Model 73 in .45 Colt.
Neither of those have the typical sharp edges.
Otherwise, after putting a hundred or more through a standard lever-action in range testing, my thumb always comes home sore & torn up.
Henry centerfires are always a pleasure to work with, the loading is entirely painless.
The cartridge-pusher is just too cumbersome, for me.
Denis
Also tends to kickback & dump rounds on the ground.
On a lever gun I intend to keep, I have to get the gate's edges rounded off, after which it's no longer as much of a problem.
The only exceptions to this are my '51 Model 94 in .30-30 & my new-this-year Winoku Model 73 in .45 Colt.
Neither of those have the typical sharp edges.
Otherwise, after putting a hundred or more through a standard lever-action in range testing, my thumb always comes home sore & torn up.
Henry centerfires are always a pleasure to work with, the loading is entirely painless.
The cartridge-pusher is just too cumbersome, for me.
Denis
This discussion just shows once again that there are Ford and Chevy people. Some like Henrys and some don't. It would not be a problem for me if anyone, or for that matter, everyone else bought Henrys. I won't and that's my choice. You have yours. Make it, own it, and move on.
Late to the party, but that's not news... Of the rifles I kept when I down-sized a few years back, the only non-semi-autos are two Henrys. One in .22LR, the other in .357, both carbines. Both load the same way, so no need to adapt, and as others have said, both are easy to unload as well.
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44caliberkid
New member
I handled one of the new steel frame 44 Mags, round barrel. It's an armful compared to my Miroku and Rossi made 92's. Barrel seems excessively thick. If it was a 460 or 500 S&W it would be great.
I've got 3 Henrys. I cast and shoot mostly a 240 grain bullet but it shoots a 285 just as good. Wide flat big meplat and it does a good job in the 44 mag.
I'm shooting a 397 grain cast from my NOE mold in 45-70 but have shot some 485s a friend sent me. I like the tube loader. My other one is a 22 but eats everything I've put through it.
The accurate molds from Tom casts both bullets for my 44. I think you will like the Henrys. I've tried reloading jacketed but my gas checked cast are more accurate.
I'm shooting a 397 grain cast from my NOE mold in 45-70 but have shot some 485s a friend sent me. I like the tube loader. My other one is a 22 but eats everything I've put through it.
The accurate molds from Tom casts both bullets for my 44. I think you will like the Henrys. I've tried reloading jacketed but my gas checked cast are more accurate.
I have a BB Steel Carbine in .357 and love it. Hammer down on empty chamber loading the tube doesn't bother me a bit.
Busting clays offhand at 100 yards is just a hoot. Have to hold 6-8" low with .38 but .357 is dead on. .38 is more fun cause it's slow enough to hear the thwack on the dirt berm.
Busting clays offhand at 100 yards is just a hoot. Have to hold 6-8" low with .38 but .357 is dead on. .38 is more fun cause it's slow enough to hear the thwack on the dirt berm.