Marlin 1894c vs Henry Big Boy X vs Henry Big Boy steel 357

The .357. I'll probably get a .44 or .45 version of the X model.

chicharrones said:

The Henry and Marlin with side ejection ports can lose a cartridge while cycling if the gun is canted to the right too far. A top eject Winchester or Rossi have closed receiver sidewalls, so they don't have the same issue.

Back in January 2020 I picked a brand new Marlin 1894 CSBL over a Henry. But the Marlin needed tuning out of the box. A PITA, but once done the gun is exactly what I wanted. It was worth the pain to me as I tend to work on almost every gun that I buy brand new anyway.

Another point, at least from my experience, the Marlin will run .38 Specials and .357s, but the longer .357s cycle more smoothly. The shorter .38 Specials sometimes make you have to partially back off the cycle motion a small bit and then complete the cycle. Known as the Marlin double clutch. I'm not sure if Henry has the same glitch with .38s or not.

As far as home defense, I prefer an autoloader. I'd have to practice a whole lot more to be proficient using a lever left and right handed compared to using an autoloader left and right handed.

Two fun guns below, but the "defense" gun is on the bottom.

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These two are awesome.

Hmmm....

I have a 1980's version of the marlin and have not had an issue with it at all....and up till winter and the non ending rail I got shot A LOT. I usually shoot pretty soft hand loaded 38's in it, but have run a box or two of 357 in it....no issues with anything.

As to recoil have you thought of a shotgun in a 20....you really don't get all the tacticool offerings you get in a 12, but if you are looking at a lever for SD I doubt you are interested in playing navy seal anyway. The recoil is not much different from the lever gun, and you can get a good Turkish 20 pretty darn cheap. I have been trying out a tristar 20 and it has been eating (again till winter and this soggy spring) 100 rounds per week with zero issues....sometimes a few weeks between cleaning.

My 1894 JM (44 Magnum) has been flawless and the rifle I shoot most often after my 22. I used it stock (no action work done on it at all) for CAS matches for several years and never had a malfunction even when it was brand new. I now shoot fairly stout 44 Special loads using 44 Mag brass & "recoil" consists of a slight push & muzzle rise.

I have never shot a Henry but I'm sure they are fine too. However I'm not a big fan of that flashy polished brass look.

My recommendation:
If money is an issue I would buy the least expensive & if not, buy the one that you think looks best. As far as performance both rifles in 357/38 should be fine for your purposes.

You can mount a flashlight to the top picatinny rail of one of the Marlins with an XS sights rail. Not sure if it blocks the open sights, but it doesn't block a red dot if you use an Olight flashlight mount.

I have a Marlin 1894 CB. I bought it in 2019. I have put close to 1000 rounds through it. About 400 .357 magnum and 600 .38 Special. I have not had one issue with it in regards to operation and firing it.
Loading it is sometimes annoying as I do believe the magazine spring is too long, therefore the last couple of rounds are tight. Also, I was told that the mag tubes sometimes have burs that cause loading issues, but I do not know if mine does. I do know that poking your little finger into the loading port might result in pain from sharp doodads in there and the gate spring is pretty tough, so I do not recommend sticking your finger through the loading gate to check things out.

Regarding Rossi 92s - I have only owned one. That was enough. I had lots of issues with mine. Mine was a 24” octagon barreled .45 Colt. Every time I got it running well something would go wrong. I rid myself of the thing at a Cabela’s Gun Library after I fixed all the issues I was aware of.

I have no experience with Henry lever guns.

I own two Henry’s and thinking about a third. I have a 22 carbine and Big Boy Brass receiver carbine in 45LC. I’m now looking at picking up a Henry steel 357 in the next few weeks.

My wife also owns a 22 carbine and we’ve owned several other Henry’s and all have functioned flawlessly straight from the box plus every one were beautifully fitted and finished.

Tube or side loading is a personal thing and for me I’m ok with either but would pick a tube over side if given a choice.

I’ve not shot the 357 version but my 45 LC carbine has very mild recoil even with moderately heavy loads. My wife is very recoil shy and I know she wouldn’t have a problem with it. Pushing a 158gn bullet out at 1500-1800 FPS shouldn’t have as much recoil as a 250gn slug going 1100-1400fps out of my BBB.

The steel receiver round barrel is a bit lighter than the BBB with octagonal barrel but I believe the steel model comes with a nice thick rubber recoil pad which should make it even softer shooting. The BBB comes with a brass but plate.

I’m fortunate, depending on how you look at it, in that I live about 50 minutes from Buds and Smoky Mountain Guns and Ammo. Both have a huge selection normally, not so much so at the moment, and they’re very competitive in pricing being a block apart.

I'd have to go with the Henry model X. Gives the option of side gate or tube load so that argument can be put to bed. The mounting points allow for any accessories you may want without any extra modification. The threaded barrel in case you decide to throw a can or brake (are brakes even a thing on lever guns?) on it down the road. I think the model X really has all the bases covered so you won't be having to send it out for work or ordering in parts later if your tastes change. I also feel the shorter barrel in a HD setting would make up for the fewer rounds but I'm not expert on that so maybe someone can leave their insight on that. Marlin just simply has not earned my trust back yet. I like the idea of the Rossi but the 30-30 my wife has for deer makes me hesitate to get anything else from them for defensive use. Had a couple time it required tools to fix a jam in the magazine tube.

Saw my first X-model in the wild today. Too bad it was a .45/70. The .44 version is on my short list.

I'd go with anything but the "x" for the same reason I don't hang a "Beware of dog" sign in my window but instead put a "Home of a loved Rottweiler" sign. Courts are weird and they might look at you as out to kill someone with a tactical appearing gun. Same as basically admitting you have a dangerous dog, and if someone gets bit it's just another thing to get used against you even if you're not guilty of anything else.

SteadyD said:

Which of these 3 rifles would you choose for defensive use, and why? Primarily would be used with 38 special.

I have read that if the Henry isn’t held straight it might not cycle properly. Is that a concern? Are all lever actions susceptible to this?

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Son has Henry BigBoy in 357/38 and it has been 100% reliable in his, mine and his brother's hands.
He looked at the X and didn't see what advantage it had, even considering it's shorter barrel..

Why not consider a Winchester 92 clone? The seem to be the most compact of the pistol caliber lever guns.

ColtPythonElite said:

None of them....I'd buy a 16" Rossi M92

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This. Lightest of them too.

JBradley500 said:

I'd go with anything but the "x" for the same reason I don't hang a "Beware of dog" sign in my window but instead put a "Home of a loved Rottweiler" sign. Courts are weird and they might look at you as out to kill someone with a tactical appearing gun. Same as basically admitting you have a dangerous dog, and if someone gets bit it's just another thing to get used against you even if you're not guilty of anything else.

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That makes no sense whatsoever. If you're defending your home, they can hardly say you're "out" to kill anybody. Even if the fear was justified, it's still a levergun and the biggest appeal of the X model is the threaded muzzle for a suppressor and the ability to attach a light to the forend. I still don't know why anyone would compromise a defensive firearm and use something less effective to appease a hypothetical, ridiculously far-fetched courtroom scenario that has no basis in reality.

SteadyD said:

The one I owned was essentially junk so I’m done going down that road. I know lots of folks like theirs but I also know many of them have had to tinker to smooth them out (assuming you are talking about the Rossi) and I am not the type to do so.

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That is a bummer. My little 16-inch Rossi M92 in 44 Mag has been a great little gun. At 5.5 lbs empty and its short overall length it's very handy in rough terrain.

My Henry Big Boy Steels (.44 Mag/.327 FM) have been 100% reliable. Of course, I’ve not tried cycling them with the injection port severely canted towards the floor.

You don’t really appreciate the Henry’s tube magazine until you go to unload it. I’m ambivalent about the side loading gates. Traditionalist are hung up on them but after a couple of hours of range time feeding rounds through them my thumb is done.

From a home defense standpoint not having the option to top off the magazine via a loading gate in a Henry is a non-issue for me. I can’t envision a situation where someone is committed enough to keep coming forward once the lever starts cycling in earnest. However, I understand others have differing opinions on that subject and I respect them.

chicharrones said:

It turns out most Marlin .357s are like this as it has to do with the diameter of the hole in the receiver that goes into the tube magazine. Not the side gate opening, but the hole where the mag tube attaches to the receiver. This hole in the receiver needs to be chamfered a bit top and bottom, but much more so on the left side as the .357/.38 rim will catch trying to go through that hole when loading.

From my research even pre-Remington Marlin .357s needed at least the magazine loading issue worked on when new. Of course, if you can jiggle the cartridges as you press them in, the rim on the preceeding cartridge will skip past the receiver hole going into the magazine tube.

What I don't know is if loading a Henry through the new side loading gate has the same issue in .357 models. Clearly, loading the Henry through the front of the gun would not have this issue.

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A follow up to my prior post regarding loading Henry's through the new side gate as compared to Marlins.

It looks like a new cartridge with a chamfered rim was developed for Henry to overcome the loading issues in the new Henry's with side loading gates. It's interesting how Marlin and Henry apparently won't chamfer the innards of their receivers properly (leaving that to gun tuners and do-it-yourselfers), but can point you to premium ammo from Federal so you can load your side gate mag tube easier.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...mium-hammerdown-lever-action-ammunition-line/

I have never had any trouble loading my side gates. The trick is not full inserting the rounds. Insert the first round till the rim just touches the receiver holding the loading gate open. Leaving your weak hand holding the gun with a finger on that partially inserted cartridge grab the next cartridge and push the first one fully into the magazine and stop at the rim of the one you just inserted. "Rinse and Repeat." You only have to push the gate open for the first round and full insert the last round. With a little practice you can load a side gate gun pretty fast and with minimal lost of finger skin using this method.

mcb said:

I have never had any trouble loading my side gates. The trick is not full inserting the rounds. Insert the first round till the rim just touches the receiver holding the loading gate open. Leaving your weak hand holding the gun with a finger on that partially inserted cartridge grab the next cartridge and push the first one fully into the magazine and stop at the rim of the one you just inserted. "Rinse and Repeat." You only have to push the gate open for the first round and full insert the last round. With a little practice you can load a side gate gun pretty fast and with minimal lost of finger skin using this method.

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I'm referring to the issue of cartridge rims snagging in the receiver after they've cleared the loading gate as noted in the thread linked below. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Fixed Link

Be advised all three are going to function the best with longer 357 rounds. My Big Boy was not reliable with .38s

A pre-Remlin Marlin or one built in the last couple years would be the only gun i'd consider.