Henry Rifle or Marlin?

S

Steve in PA

New member
I've got the itch for a lever action rifle. Had the itch for a long time now.

I know before Marlin was bought by Remington, that Marlin was the rifle to get. The "Rem-lins" have had some quality issues or so I've read. The other option is the Henry.

I fondled both at my LGS the other day; a blued Marlin and a stainless steel Henry, both in .44 Magnum. The Marlin was $500+ while the Henry was $700+. I do like the stainless steel, just wondering about the quality of the Rem-lins vs. Henry.
 
I think you'll be happy with both but due to personal experience with Henry I would give them the nod.

My former company hosted a charity golf tournament every year supporting warrior 360 and with Henry I was able to send their president an email each year and he would personally respond and have his team send us 2 boxes of door prizes. There aren't many companies like that left these days.
 
I prefer Henrys, but I’ve gotten to handle more Henrys than I have Marlins. The quality has felt more consistent with the Henrys to me, but I’ve only touched a couple of Marlins.

Otherwise the big differences are Henrys are heavier and they are are all tube loaded. Not everyone likes those attributes.

I prefer the heavier rifle because it’s eaiser for me to keep steady, I struggle more with keeping lighter rifles from moving.
 
I bought a Marlin, then a Henry, followed by another Marlin. Added a bit of finish to the first Marlin's stock, as it looked dull. The second Marlin, a stainless steel version, needed some smoothing of the lever edges.

The Henry 45-70 is defiantly heavier than the Marlin, and it absorbs the recoil a bit more. I do use a pad with the Marlin. The Henry's action was somewhat smoother out of the box, but a little cleanup of the Marlins have made them much smoother also.

Wood to metal fit on the Marlins is much better, than previous versions after Remington took over. The Henry's edges are more rounded, and fit is excellent. However, since the improvement with Marlins, I don't find that to be a big deal anymore.

All three rifles continue to function flawlessly. I'd say the Henry is best out of the box, but it doesn't take much to get the Marlins looking and working well. I still have the preference for side loaders.
 
I just bought a Marlin 1895 GBL I discussed in a previous thread. I have family with the Henry's in various chamberings. I opted for the Marlin.

First, the quality control has greatly improved since the dark days of the Remlin. Its a long story on how that all transpired, and a big mistake on Remingtons part, which they admit. But it is fixed now, and marlin's are actually much more consistent today than they were in years past.

I think it really comes down to what cartridge of lever gun you want. If you want a 45-70, I would go with the Marlin. You can do some aftermarket upgrades and cleanup like I did that makes my Marlin better than a henry in my opinion. I put on a Skinner aperature sight, a dovetail blank, safety delete, polished some moving parts, a brass mag follower, and some wood oiling. And now I have a fit and finished rifle in 45-70 with a side loading gate (which i like better than the Henery) and big loop lever for about what I would have into a bone stock Henry dollar-wise.

IMG_20171103_222450.jpg
[/url][/IMG]


But in the pistol cartridge carbines, the henery's are very nice.....I just do not like top loading tubes.
 
If it just boils down to which gun is 'better' out of the box, it's pretty easy; it's Henry. Better fit-and-finish, better wood, Better trigger, better customer service support. Henry's lever is smoother. Accuracy is about the same. The Henry's are generally a bit heavier.

Otherwise, it's just a Ford vs. Chevy argument.

Good luck in your search.
 
Yes, Henry All-Weather. Kinda looks like stainless. Like I said, shiny things attract me! LOL!

I'll probably go fondle them again on the weekend. Won't be buying until after the New Year so I have some time.
 
Due to the nature of lever-action rifles and the propensity of owners to never take them apart to clean/lube them, I'm not convinced that such stainless steel rifles last as long as blued or hard-chromed ones. Stainless steel used in guns is typically soft, due to the difficulty of machining harder stainless.

(For example, some of the first S&W Model 60 Stainless handguns were much harder and stronger than later ones, due to the excessive wear on machines used to make the originals.)

If I were in the market for a lever-action, I'd look toward hard-chromed, or blued rifles. Remember that most lever-actions must be cycled to empty them and especially when dirty from grit and junk that enters the action when hunting, actions can wear out without firing a shot.

JP
 
Just a couple of thoughts based on Picher’s comment.

The “stainless” is actually hard chrome as previously mentioned, so there isn’t a worry from that.

Something unique to Henrys is that you can empty all the rounds in the tube without working the action. How important is that? No idea, but it’s sonething the tube loading aspect provides.
 
Have some of each

I must admit that my Marlins are all from the 1970's or older, so my comparison may not be all that valid. The Henry's I have, except for the rimfires are all the Steel frame Big boys.
The Henrys are a different breed of cat, a little heavier, a little smoother, and are just as accurate. Personally the loading gate vs open tube deal is a wash as far as I'm concerned. Yes, it is handy to be able to add ammo without pulling the tube rod, but working the action to empty the magazine is a pain, and potentially dangerous.
I noticed that the Winchesters were't mentioned, but they're out of business and are all made overseas by other contractors.
My old Marlin 1894 works as well now, as when I bought it in 1978. Reliable, fast handling,reasonably accurate with the right bullets(old microgroove). I won't be replacing it with anything else, my daughters Big Boy Steel in .44 mag will handle any cast bullet work.
I would like to try a new Marlin that is made under the new regime, maybe a rental?
 
I have three stainless steel barrels in my AR's, that have held up extremely well, with many rounds fired through them. My wife and I could easily fill a coffee can with empty cases, after a day at the desert.

My third lever gun, is a stainless 336 30-30. I particularly like the looks of it. It's a 2016 that's held up well.

As to stainless and aircraft construction, we didn't use stainless bolts and screws, where the higher tensile straight of steel was required. But for sections requiring weather proofing, the stainless screws have their advantage.
 
Marlins are still a roll of the dice. The 1895s seem to generally be better out of the box, and give more satisfaction to the owners. But the other models are still a crap shoot.

Some members here have recently had good luck.
Some others (including myself) have not.

Almost daily, there's a new thread over on the MarlinOwners forums about another new Remlin 336 or 1894 that's got some kind of stupid problem.

Wendyj and I have recently found ourselves in the same boat, with our rifles refusing to shoot worth a crap.

My 2017 336W, for example, won't shoot any better than this:
...at 50 yards.

IMG_20170803_2_800.jpg


IMG_20170803_151002951_800.jpg



Meanwhile, a rifle I slapped together from spare parts - spanning 60+ years of production and multiple different models, with a free barrel because it was botched by the previous owner during chamber reaming - does this:

100 yd -- .307 Winchester, not .30-30.
IMG_20170719_1800.jpg


IMG_20170617_174002042_800.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top