Henry Rifle Calibers

[rabid wombat]

Just saw this in passing…Henry offers at least one rifle in 35 Rem and 38-55…cool!

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/side-gate-lever-action/

 

[Pat Riot]

They are good looking rifles. I am not sure how many folks that shoot 38-55 will jump on a Henry. I wonder if they are chambered for the modern 38-55 or the original 38-55 cartridge dimensions. Probably the modern SAAMI spec’d cartridges.

I have 2 rifles in 30-30 and 1 in .45-70. Maybe someday a .35 Remington would be fun.

I wonder if Henry would consider adding a pound or so to this model 45-70. The lighter cartridge models weigh 7.5 pounds. The 45-70 weighs 7.0 pounds, probably because more steel is removed from the barrel. A modern 45-70 hunting round has some real kick in a light rifle.

 

[Crosshair]

Would love to see a 357 Maximum version.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Looks like .38-55, not .375 Winchester. Stamped right on the barrel.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

This thread got me looking at the Henry single shot rifles. They come in a nice variety of calibers, and one in 45-70 is lighter than the lever-action in that caliber. !!! Just under 7#.

I have a .45-70 Marlin that comes in at 7#, and with normal loads she don't kick so bad. Also have a Trapdoor Carbine which might be closer to 7.5# or something, and she's fine with the regular 70 grain rifle load.

 

[Pat Riot]

This thread got me looking at the Henry single shot rifles. They come in a nice variety of calibers, and one in 45-70 is lighter than the lever-action in that caliber. !!! Just under 7#.

I have a .45-70 Marlin that comes in at 7#, and with normal loads she don't kick so bad. Also have a Trapdoor Carbine which might be closer to 7.5# or something, and she's fine with the regular 70 grain rifle load.

I have a Henry 45-70 Single Shot rifle. I like it very much. You are correct that it is lighter than the Marlin. I haven’t shot it with any of the 360 grain hunting loads. Most because I know how hard those loads kicked in my friend’s Marlin 1895. I am sure they wouldn’t be pleasant in the Henry.
I do think the configuration of the stock of the Henry helps with recoil as compared to the Marlin.
I shoot HSM Cowboy smokeless powder loads that are similar to the original black powder loads.
https://hsmammunition.com/cowboy-action/

I haven’t done any 45-70 hand loading yet.



Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I wonder if Henry would consider adding a pound or so to this model 45-70. The lighter cartridge models weigh 7.5 pounds. The 45-70 weighs 7.0 pounds, probably because more steel is removed from the barrel. A modern 45-70 hunting round has some real kick in a light rifle

The Marlin 1895CB weighs in around 6 lbs 8 oz. Non-trapdoor loads really get your attention, especially with no recoil pad.

 

[dh1633pm]

I have a Marlin 1895G. Got it in 2003 when I got back from the war. It is fairly light. Stout loads really get your attention. The Henry looks like a Handy rifle with much better wood. Nothing wrong with that. With recoil, sometimes you just go with the flow.

 

[Pat Riot]

The Marlin 1895CB weighs in around 6 lbs 8 oz. Non-trapdoor loads really get your attention, especially with no recoil pad.

The new Marlin 1895 by Ruger is listed at 7.3 pounds. I recall my friend telling me his 1895 weighed 7 pounds. Regardless, a full power 45-70 hunting load in rifles of that weight are quite invigorating.

 

[Obturation]

I seriously considered 38-55 for a few months. I looked at everything and learned about them , in the end figured I could live without one. I've got a 45-70 (henry) that I shoot quite a bit, also have a 357 carbine (ruger bolt action) that I plink around with so I couldn't justify the specific niche a 38-55 fills for me at the moment . If it's something big I'll use the 45-70, if it's medium/small the 357 mag covers it fine.

I'm not super familiar with 35 rem, besides what it looks like. Never shot one. I do like that Henry will make rifles chambered in cartridges other makers have long forgotten . I've got nothing but nice things to say about henry, they're better than I imagined they could be. Made here, for us. Henry will get my lever gun money before any other if they've got the configuration I want.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

My "JM" 1895 Marlin in .45-70 weighs right on/exactly 7#. I don't think it kicks badly, but way back when I first got it I got sucked into the "magnumtitis" craze I loaded it up. It did have a bit of a kick with the top loads. I never have shot a factory load in it, so can't say what the latest factory offerings kick like.

Since then I've acquired a couple Trapdoors, so I just shoot my black powder loads in The Marlin. Not having any smokeless .45-70's around absolutely keeps them from accidently finding their way into the Trapdoors. What I shoot in the Marlin, or my "Marlin Load" is the Speer 400 grain JSP ahead of 80 grains of Swiss. Those pack a punch, are extremely accurate, but are safe if they fall into one of the Springfields.

I always thought that the 400 grain bullet was the best "fit" for the .45 U.S. Government, and was surprised when they started coming out with all the 300 grain loads, which seem to be the standard now.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Would love to see a 357 Maximum version.

There is one, but you have to select the "gunsmith" option. Easy-peasy to rechamber a .357Mag to .357Max.

 

[herrwalther]

The 35Rem is a nice surprise. They probably figured might as well jump on that round since the Marlin 336 is out of production. Henry will have years of limited competition if/when it comes back under Ruger's Marlin roof.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Since .308 is one of the single shot options, I'm surprised there isn't one in .30-06. It's got to be as "classic" as .35Rem and .38-55. But again, inexpensive to rechamber a .308 to .30-06. And no, not going to see a lot of ballistic advantage...that wouldn't be the "point"!

I'm sure they have to think in terms of what would sell, but it would be cool if they offered it as an option.

 

[Buzznrose]

I’m patiently waiting for a either a Henry Big Boy in .357 or a Long Ranger in .223 to become available for order on the Cabelas’s web site…

Got lots of points to burn!!!

 

[Crosshair]

There is one, but you have to select the "gunsmith" option. Easy-peasy to rechamber a .357Mag to .357Max.

Is the action long enough to take and feed 357 Maximum?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Yes on the single shot, probably not on the lever gun.