Henry Leverguns

For clarification, on Henry .22 lever actions, is the entire receiver made from zamak or just the receiver cover?
 
The receiver cover and internal receiver are made of ZAMAK. The bolt is steel and the bolt rails ride in ZAMAK “grooves” formed by the cover and internal receiver. The bolt lock and bolt lock pin are also steel, as are the lever and hammer.

The design’s use for 22Mag and 17HMR would indicate that it has more than enough strength for the 22LR. I would say the reliability and durability of the design has proven to be good.
 
Regarding manufacturing and branding off brand guns, Browning made maybe millions of firearms at FN and a bunch of others in Japan. Colt sold lovely rifles made by Sauer. Stoeger is no longer German. Yes, that list goes on forever.

I'd like to try the tube fed centerfire. Loading through the gate on my .357 rifle with my not entirely oversized hands borders on impossible. I'm sure that larger rounds are easier to work with.
 
I'd like to try the tube fed centerfire. Loading through the gate on my .357 rifle with my not entirely oversized hands borders on impossible. I'm sure that larger rounds are easier to work with.
There's no doubt that reloading through the tube involves an extra step--but I'm not sure if it actually takes longer than a side gate--plus there is not as much of the resistance issues getting all the cartridges in. Being a side port ejection--rather than top--in my mind is a superior design--allows a scope to be mounted closer without worrying about cases clearing, I think over-all likely more reliable--or at least less likely to have ejection issues.
 
I could just see John Wayne yelling at Stumpy to throw him a box of 44-40's while crouched behind a wagon looking for his mag tube that he just dropped somewhere in the dirt! :mad:
 
Regarding manufacturing and branding off brand guns, Browning made maybe millions of firearms at FN and a bunch of others in Japan. Colt sold lovely rifles made by Sauer. Stoeger is no longer German.

Some wild misconceptions here that I feel need to be corrected with no disrespect intended:

Browning has never manufactured anything in their existence. They are a sales and distribution company for North America that evolved from the original Browning Brothers store. All Browning guns have been manufactured for them by other companies. FN produced guns for the longest period of time, with FN guns being marked "Browning" solely for sale in North America. In the rest of the world, they are Fabrique Nationale. This was how JMB set up the business deal with FN.

Although Colt added their name to the Sauer bolt action rifles, it was more of an advertising ploy to get Sauer rifles into the U.S. market. It had nothing to do with Colt trying to get their name on a bolt action rifle and marketing it solely as a "Colt."

Finally, A.F. Stoeger & Co. was never German. It was an American company that once operated a huge gun store in NYC that happened to import Lugers and some other German arms. They are now owned by Benelli, which is, in turn, owned by Beretta.
 
Browning actually did manufacture their archery line for a while, but owns no manufacturing capability now.

And the JW reference is moderately silly.
He never used a Japanese Winchester in his life, but people buy 'em on merit, not entirely out of nostalgia.

He was never known to use a Marlin on film, but people still buy Marlins on merit.

And very few levergun buyers today pick 'em up to use in running gunfights. :)
Denis
 
A few more comments regarding Browning…

The Browning brothers did make single shot rifles themselves in their shop in the mid/late 1800s. All subsequent designs for the next few decades were purchased by Winchester and produced or shelved. Upon designing the first autoloading shotgun, Browning and Winchester had a falling out, after which FN began producing that design. About that same time, Browning began partnering with, or selling designs to, other firms like Colt and later Remington. As far as guns bearing the Browning name, there were the original single shots made in the brothers’ shop (less than 600 made, and most of those remaining appear to have been well used), those produced by FN, those produced by Miroku, some produced in the US like the Buckmark, and probably others I don’t remember off the top of my head.
 
Last edited:
True, but important to note the current Browning company was formed after his death & was not a direct linear descendant of the Browning Shop in Ogden.
Denis
 
The thing is, that can be argued about half the medium sized "American" manufacturers in business right now. Half of them are just brands peddling things not related to the original company.

There is one important difference. Winchester, Browning, and any other company now selling firearms marketed under their name, have clear, corporate roots that can be easily traced from the original company to whoever is currently manufacturing the firearms under their name.

Henry on the other hand, appropriated the name because it was in public domain. There never was a Henry Repeating Rifle Company, the 1860 Henry rifle was manufactured by New Haven Arms Company. In 1866 majority stock holder Oliver Winchester changed the name of the company to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

The current Henry company adopted the name, knowing that it held great historical significance in the arms manufacturing field. Then they put up a page on their web page describing the history of Benjamin Tyler Henry and his rifle, omitting the fact that they had nothing to do with the original company.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen misinformation regarding HRAC 'purchasing' the rights to the name, and how many shooters have been taken in by the HRAC misinformation, telling me their Big Boy was made by a company over 150 years old.

That, in my book, is much different than a company licensing another company to make a product in their name.
 
Last edited:
i am not a lever guy if i was maybe i would be bothered by this. is doesnt bother me either way but i can understand while some folks dont like it
 
I can't tell you how many times I have seen misinformation regarding HRAC 'purchasing' the rights to the name, and how many shooters have been taken in by the HRAC misinformation, telling me their Big Boy was made by a company over 150 years old.
Maybe those countless people telling you that it is a genuine Henry are doing it to purposefully tick you off--because I've never heard anyone that actually owns one to claim that it makes a hill of digested beans difference to them.
 
Bottom line is- Do you buy because the gun works, or do you buy because you think BT Henry designed the gun? :)

Which is more important, function or words?
Denis
 
Howdy Again

I bought my Uberti 1860 Henry because that is what I wanted. I wanted something different than the usual Uberti 1873 rifle that proliferates at CAS matches.

Henry08_zps231743c9.jpg
 
Back
Top