Marlin or Henry, 44 Mag or 357 Mag?

K

KnappJU

Inactive
I'm looking to purchase a new lever action in the next month or two. I'm having trouble deciding on which manufacture to go with and which caliber to go with. Only look at these two calibers as I have been trying to consolidate some calibers lately and I already own revolvers in both these calibers. The primary purpose will be for hunting white-tail in Ohio. I reload for other calibers and will be reloading for both of these in the near future.
 
All the Internet lore on the Henry is that the "brass" receiver is of an alloy that is as strong
or stronger than steel. So I'll chalk that issue off as even w/ the Marlin.

From a hunting aspect, however, the ability to install either a Williams peep sight and/or a scope
-- with no drilling or tapping -- is a major +++ for the Marlin.
(I don't know, maybe the OP's eyes are waaaay better than mine. ;) )

From a cartridge standpoint, go with the 44Mag for your purposes. It is far & away the do-all
quarterhorse of carbine calibers.
 
I've been wanting a Henry lately... Myself

... however I want the brass receiver gun ( have 5-6 other lever guns, including a 357 & 45 colt )... but you do know that Henry just started making a steel gun just for hunting??? might be worth checking out...

I don't own a Henry but have heard they are slick ( but heavy ) the Marlins were pretty crabby for a while, but sounds like they getting better

there will be lots of personal opinions on the caliber... I personally think 357 is marginal for deer around here...( but can get er done ) even better in a rifle or carbine... but I'd probably go with the 44 ( because of the deer we have around here )
 
^^^ What he said. I’ve not handled a Henry in .44 magnum (My .44s and 30-30s are Winchesters) and, while the .357 will get the job done, the .44 magnum will get the same job done with considerably more authority.

I have both the Marlin .357 and the Win .44 magnum. I always seem to pick up the .44, even if it’s just to have a little shooting fun.

My only Henry is a .22 and it is a slick little thing. I like shooting it almost as much as the .44.

W
 
i see no way brass-brass alloy is has hard-strong as steel. even the melting temp is way different. the makers of the original henry,s even went to a iron frame before the 1873 was made and no brass frames were made by winchester after the 60-66 henrys. that should tell you something about what winchester thought of brass actions. a steel framed lever action can be made lighter, slimmer and stronger. my .02 cents, eastbank.
 
The brass Henry's are going to weigh almost 9 lbs, the steel versions over 7 lbs. That is way too heavy for a pistol caliber carbine.
 
The brass Henrys are drilled & tapped for optics.
As far as strength goes, you're not looking at the same brass today as the brass used in 1860. :)

The brass Henry .357 will be heavier than the Marlin.
Denis
 
well the steel-iron of the 1860,s was not as strong as todays steel either,but they still changed to the steel-iron of the day over brass. buy what you want, i just don,t see the henrys becoming a collector over the years. and they are not that cheap. eastbank.
 
I have Henrys here, I have Marlins here, I have Winchesters here.
None were acquired so they could become a "collector over the years". :)
Denis
 
i know what your saying and agree with you, but we are not going to be here forever. i have a 1876 winchester rifle made in 1883 and i,m glad some one took good care of it. eastbank.
 
Thanks for the input guys. My mind is made up on the caliber 44 Magnum it is. My mind still in not made up about the maker. The only reason I have excluded Winchester from my list is they tend to be cost prohibitive. Looking to Spend no more then 750. I've seen great points on both Marlin and Henry right now I would be using open sights but would probably do a scope in the future.
 
Point 1: the action on any Henry I have ever handled has been super slick.

Point 2: in factory loads, 44 mag out of a 16"+ barrel is decisively more powerful than 357 out of a 16"+ barrel. With really hot handloads or some of the beasties offered by buffalo bore, 357 carbines can be almost as powerful as 44 mag. For me, I would go with 44.

Point 3: I don't know what alloy henry uses for their brass receiver, and I don't know what alloy marlin uses in theirs. I would trust that whatever is being used is up to the task. It is quite possible for a modern high strength copper-based alloy to have a higher strength than an average carbon steel. Examples would be heat treated and cold worked silicon bronze, nickel-aluminum-bronze, copper-nickel (monel) alloys. But many grades of high strength steel are stronger than anything else... There are some grades of steel which are literally the strongest or hardest metal alloys known. Again, don't know what is used in a henry or a marlin, but I am sure it is good to go.

Jim
 
Btmj: I have two Henrys (in all fairness both are .22 rimfire), the lever action is super smooth. The pump is rough as a cob. I have fired several hundred rounds through it and was hoping it would "break in", but it hasn't. To add insult to injury, the fore stock is not comfortable to cycle.

Positives: the pump gun is very accurate, right out of the box. I'm not above doing some reshaping on the fore stock to make it more comfortable, but the rough cycling, well, I hope it breaks in, otherwise, it is off to a gunsmith for some smoothing of the critical parts.
 
I'm not sure what the comparison is. At this moment, Henry makes a significantly superior rifle. The two brand-new Marlins I've handled at the LGS last month were not even in the same ballpark as the Henrys I've looked at in terms of smoothness, fit and finish, etc. Add to that, the horror stories I've heard about Marlin's customer service (recently), vs. the accolades I've heard about Henry's, and IMO there's just no contest.

And I'm pretty sure you can get either the .357 mag or the .44 mag Henrys in a steel receiver and a round barrel.

In spite of that, I'm pretty sure the Henry is still heavier than the Marlin and I know it's more expensive, so there is that, but in all other respects I think there's no question that Henry makes a better rifle right now.
 
"Even the Marlin fanboys don't like the new Remlins."

I concur. I love my 1894FG (.41 Rem Mag). Great little rifle for just about everything.
 
Even the Marlin fanboys don't like the new Remlins.
Click to expand...
I disagree.

I've got a '95 GBL 45-70, a `94 45Colt and a `94 44Mag.
All "new" and all fine.

I've also a 39A from 1955, but that's another age and another weapon.:)
 
I have seven lever guns. All seven are Henry and Marlins. I have 44 in Marlin and both Henry and Marlin in 357. Both are excellent.
The Henry BB is a lot Heavier than the Marlin, so carrying it in the woods might be troublesome, and the flash with the brass may also be a problem. Henry is now making steel receivers that have had nothing but good reviews. Henry customer service is beaten by none, they are top notch on customer service. I wanted to get a youth stock for my Golden Boy. They sent me one free. I use Cowboy reload 38's that I load. The Henry will not cycle these shorter 38's 125 grain. You have to have 158 grain for the Henry to cycle 38's. The Marlin will cycle these all day long.
Both are very accurate and I am very happy with both brands even the ones made by Remington/Marlin.
You can not go wrong with either.
Good luck finding a Marlin 357 though they are getting hard to come by and more expensive. Remington is getting ready to start producing them again in 357.
Good luck on you're Hunting and Decisions but for a deer gun the 44 might be a better caliber and easier to find.
 
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