Marlin lever vs Henry lever action

Status
Not open for further replies.
I keep reading these nightmare stories about Marlins and I'm left scratching my head.
I've owned many over the last 30 years, different calibers & models from different eras. From .17 through .45-70. I've never had problems with any of them, so maybe I've just been particularly lucky with mine.

My 336 is my go-to favorite out of all of my rifles.
I've fired a few Henry's and I have to say they have always had very smooth actions, accurate, loading gate deficiencies aside.

My problem with Henrys will probably be that even if I buy the basic .22 lever, I'm suddenly going to find I also "Need" a Golden Boy, then I'll "Need" one in .30-30, then a Big Boy, and then... and so on.
 
About 10 years ago, I bought a new Marlin Deluxe 39A that was a beautiful rifle, but it had several flaws, not the least of which was canted sights. The extractor was not working well, and it left fired rounds in the chamber often. (I bought and adjusted the new one so it worked okay, but the design is poor.) The scope mounting holes were not in line, the rear one being about 1/8" off. (I compensated for that by grooving the rear hole of the one-piece mount base.) The firing pin was so blunt, it had many misfires, so I ground the tip to a proper shape.

Despite the faults, it was a pretty rifle and shot quite accurately, but I'd had enough and sold it at at gunshow last year. This is the second Marlin I've owned in over 50 years and will certainly be the last.

I had the same problem with a 39AS I bought about 8 years ago, it just would not extract a fired or unfired shell after the rifle was shot 15 or 20 rounds. Replaced the extractor 3 times but the problem persisted. There is a Remington/Marlin warranty shop in Paducah, KY so I drove there with the rifle and explained the problem. Later that day I went back and heard shooting from their repair shop, about 15 rounds. They were function testing my 39 and then the repairman came to the customer service window and gave me my rifle pronouncing it cured. Few days later at the range after about 20 rounds had the same problem again. It found a new owner who was informed of the problem and took a beating on the price. Three years ago I bought a 39A made in 1979 and it functions perfectly and is very accurate.
 
Perhaps newer Marlins aren't so good. Never had one.

I have a couple of JM 39A's. One is a 60's gun. One is an early 80's gun. I would make a guess neither have been disassembled for cleaning. Both feed and eject with no problems.
 
I keep reading these nightmare stories about Marlins and I'm left scratching my head.
I've owned many over the last 30 years, different calibers & models from different eras. From .17 through .45-70. I've never had problems with any of them, so maybe I've just been particularly lucky with mine.

My 336 is my go-to favorite out of all of my rifles.
I've fired a few Henry's and I have to say they have always had very smooth actions, accurate, loading gate deficiencies aside.

My problem with Henrys will probably be that even if I buy the basic .22 lever, I'm suddenly going to find I also "Need" a Golden Boy, then I'll "Need" one in .30-30, then a Big Boy, and then... and so on.

My 336W was drilled and tapped off center. It was manufactured circa 2010. I decided to keep it because it is VERY accurate. I wish the little holes were drilled in alignment with the receiver though because I have to use windage adjustable rings.
 
I've had several Marlin 336s in my life. I found myself gun poor after I retired and decided to buy some of my favorite models back. When I wanted another 336 I went to the Marlin owners forum and discovered Marlin had sold out to Remington and quality was suffering. I decided to look for a JM stamped Marlin. Local gun stores had quite a few but most were in really bad shape or overpriced IMO. I finally found a 336 JM "W" for sale by an individual on Armslist. I drove the 120 miles round trip and picked it up. Very good to perfect condition, everything fits perfectly and the action is smooth. I love the gun, I'm hunting with it in the morning.
For me I have a nostalgic feeling for Marlin 336s. Most of my hunting companions in my early life (most of them have passed) used Marlins, some Winchesters with a Mil Surp thrown in now and then. I know nothing about Henry's but I do like the older JM Marlins.

IMG-0592.jpg
 
Is a Henry worth the extra money??
In a .30-30, no, not in my opinion. The reason being that there are literally millions of Winchester and Marlin .30-30's on the market in various configurations. I looked at one this week that almost came home, even though I really don't need another. My late model 1895 is also a very well done rifle, better than my older Marlins.

That said, Henry doesn't know how to polish an octagon barrel but I am seriously considering picking up one of their steel frame .357 carbines.
 
I’ll take a Marlin and install a Wild West Happy Trigger.

https://www.wildwestguns.com/product/trigger-happy-kit/

One ... hundred ... dollars ... :what:... plus, even though you are forking over a c-note in return for just a trigger, they also levy a separate charge for shipping. Wow.

===
OP,

I have never owned or fired any Henry carbines or Marlin 336s. I do, however, own two 1983-mfr .44mag Marlin 1894S carbines (purchased in 1988 and 2016) and they feature excellent fit & finish. The one that I have been shooting for 30 years is also very accurate, even with American Eagle-grade 240gr store-bought ammo. The rifle that I acquired in 2016 is new w/o box and has not been shot.

I prefer a loading gate but that may be because the only tube-loader that I have experienced is the .22 semiauto rifle that Santa gave me when I was 12 ... :) ... that and the fact that in all of the cowboy movies & TV shows of my youth the fellows were using carbines with loading gates.

If I had the choice between a price-equivalent Henry or Marlin, I think that there is a good chance that I would give the Henry a go. I would not pay much more, however.

FWIW.
 
I’m a Marlin man since 1960!

But, that said, if it’s an iron sights only woods rifle, the win 94 cradles better in my hand! Different linkage!

But that said, I can’t see like I used to so .35 Marlin straight stock with 2.5 Weaver still works best for me!
 
Tube fed magazines and all.
[There are some advantages of the tube fed mag]

Unloading is the only advantage, and if you are too stupid to keep your finger off the bang lever when you work the lever you have no business owning any firearm.

It is not on a henry for one and only one reason....extra parts count (more $$$) and extra machine steps (more $$$) this would do one of two things, cut into their already insane profit margin, or raise the price of their already insane expensive gunz. This is why they keep the 22 loading system and do not even offer a kings gate.

But this will turn into another 22 loading vs real rifle kings gate loading debate.

And yes I am trolling....henry just ticks me off till they man up and do the right thing.
 
https://www.wildwestguns.com/product/trigger-happy-kit/

One ... hundred ... dollars ... :what:... plus, even though you are forking over a c-note in return for just a trigger, they also levy a separate charge for shipping. Wow.

===
OP,

I have never owned or fired any Henry carbines or Marlin 336s. I do, however, own two 1983-mfr .44mag Marlin 1894S carbines (purchased in 1988 and 2016) and they feature excellent fit & finish. The one that I have been shooting for 30 years is also very accurate, even with American Eagle-grade 240gr store-bought ammo. The rifle that I acquired in 2016 is new w/o box and has not been shot.

I prefer a loading gate but that may be because the only tube-loader that I have experienced is the .22 semiauto rifle that Santa gave me when I was 12 ... :) ... that and the fact that in all of the cowboy movies & TV shows of my youth the fellows were using carbines with loading gates.

If I had the choice between a price-equivalent Henry or Marlin, I think that there is a good chance that I would give the Henry a go. I would not pay much more, however.

FWIW.

I bought my trigger from Midway. I can’t stand heavy triggers. To each his own. For me it was money well spent. What I did makes more sense to me than buying a 10/22 and spending more on upgrades than the purchase price of the rifle, which many people do. The scope on my rifle is quite a bit nicer than what you normally see on a 30-30 too. The only person I have to make happy is me though.
 
I have posted numerous times stories and info from a friend or two that work at "The Arms" as it is said locally. My Uncle and Grandfather both retired from there as well. A relative was offered the CEO job about 10 years ago (he declined). Its a ship first attitude right now. Orders seem more important. Lots of stories about bad barrels and improper roll marks to whatever you can think of. It would seem that my 700 Milspec and Model 7 in 300 blk had no issues whatsoever. All recently purchased (last five years or so).

The Marlin that I purchased last year, 1894 in 45 Colt was interesting. I compared the fit and finish with my 2003 vintage 1895 Guide Gun and a few things come to mind. The receiver and elsewhere on the 1895 has a much better finish. The 1894 has a stupid bar code on it. The 1894 however has much superior wood to metal fit. I did get a few failures to cycle on the 1894. I think it is my ammo. I did take a little off the edge of the pivot point on the lever. Mine is a good shooter. Sites do not appear to be canted.

Those that work at the Arms in Ilion are not encouraged and mostly just not allowed to move to Alabama to work there. This means those with experience do not follow moving production lines. The same with the move from New Haven to Ilion. Same with Bushmaster.

My only suggestion would be to buy what you can touch. Check the action, wood to metal fit, and for canted sites.

I like the Henry a bunch, but hate the the loss of a loading gate. My dad has one and I am the only one to ever shoot it. He messed up his shoulder and doesn't shoot long guns so much anymore. Was thinking of buying it from him.
 
Henry good. Post-2014 and pre-2008 Marlin good. Marlins made in 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 may or may not have unacceptable issues.
 
Henry makes a beautiful rifle. But nobody has mentioned how heavy they are. I'd be dog tired if I had to lug one around the woods all day!
 
No relation to the current Henry Rifle. A little on the Heavy Site, and very nice quality for the current recreated Henry brand. I would get one or better said, I will be getting one.
I know, but they have maintained some of the original characteristics of those early rifles; reciever shape, octagon barrel, considerable drop in the stock, and no loading gate.
 
I believe Henry’s are very well made and have better triggers than Marlins. I just can’t get past the tube feed which is not denigrating Henry. Some people like it. If DPris’ teaser comes to fruition I believe Henry will corner the market on lever guns.
 
It's an odd thing. I am a traditionalist, probably in the extreme, when it comes to leverguns. I don't like scopes on them. I don't like anything but steel used in their construction. I don't like modern designs like the BLR. I hate safeties and rebounding hammers. I have spent many a keystroke running down Henry for their lack of quality and use of zinc based alloys, aluminum and plastic in their leverguns. That said, I cannot find a reason to complain about the way they load. Guess I spent too many days afield with tube-fed .22's to frown upon a similarly built centerfire.

The Big Boy octagons are heavier than they need to be but the round barrel guns are quite handy. As adamant as I've been against them, I have no problem admitting to a change of heart. So I may very well pull the trigger on one of their .357's. Recently took one of their 24" threaded octagon models, ordered the upgraded stock set and did some parts swapping with my Evil Roy model. It ain't a 94/22 but it's a nice little rifle.

70803AF2-EAB2-48F2-982C-14BE455A46411.jpg
 
I recently picked up a Winchester Canadian Centennial '94 rifle at a good price and love it. Looking down that long 26" octagon barrel while I pulled the trigger just felt right. Love the crescent buttstock too. I'm afraid I'll never shoot my old '94 carbine again, cause this one is such fun.
View attachment 811087
I have a 1895CB Marlin 45-70 26" Octagon barrel lever rifle.
 
They are no doubt built on different tooling.

No they are not. The Alabama plant is highly automated. My bud only saw a couple of factory workers roaming the machine tool centers, checking on things, seeing if something had fallen off the conveyor belts. Modern manufacturing is light years from what the manpower heavy plants of the early nineties, 1980's, or earlier. Used to be a machine stayed put. Today, machines are moved around, as needed. The CNC machines receive computer instructions, they either reconfigure themselves, or the roaming workers do something (like change out a massive tool head) that does not take a lot of time for a product change over. If parts are coming out canted it is because the dimensions that are programed into the machine instructions are off. Personally, I would be interested in how the dimensioning and tolerancing group re verse engineered a 19th century firearm so that parts would line up in assembly. These early industrial age firearms required a lot of hand fitting because production lines were not precise or repeatable, in fact, they were pretty chaotic. Assembler's were handed over sized parts, which then they filed to fit. The assembler removed a bit of metal, screwed or tried to assemble the parts into a higher unit assembly, and then took off more metal where necessary, based on the assembler's judgement.

Bud only saw a collection of twenty somethings at the end of the production line where parts were being assembled into guns, and no one had files! The plant had an inside range. About a third of the plant was dedicated to storage of completed firearms, about a third for the range, and a third for the production line.

Manufacturing has changed so rapidly that Politicians can't keep up. Politicians are idiots anyway, and their advisers know how to raise funds, and give away money, but they sure are not in tune with technology. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker gave $4.1 Billion in direct subsidizes to Chinese Foxcon, based on the assumption that the Chinese factory would hire a bunch of blue collar laborer's. You can read about it here: Wisconsin’s $4.1 billion Foxconn boondoggle Well guess what, the Chinese got a big chunk of change that will never be paid back to Wisconsin in any form or substance, because they are not hiring a bunch of high school educated laborer's because the computer controlled machines are doing all the work.

Almost all the actual assembly line work, he added, will be done by robots.


And, the only people the Chinese need in quantity are Engineers, and they are bringing those over from China.
 
Last edited:
No they are not. The Alabama plant is highly automated. My bud only saw a couple of factory workers roaming the machine tool centers, checking on things, seeing if something had fallen off the conveyor belts. Modern manufacturing is light years from what the manpower heavy plants of the early nineties, 1980's, or earlier. Used to be a machine stayed put. Today, machines are moved around, as needed. The CNC machines receive computer instructions, they either reconfigure themselves, or the roaming workers do something (like change out a massive tool head) that does not take a lot of time for a product change over. If parts are coming out canted it is because the dimensions that are programed into the machine instructions are off. Personally, I would be interested in how the dimensioning and tolerancing group re verse engineered a 19th century firearm so that parts would line up in assembly. These early industrial age firearms required a lot of hand fitting because production lines were not precise or repeatable, in fact, they were pretty chaotic. Assembler's were handed over sized parts, which then they filed to fit. The assembler removed a bit of metal, screwed or tried to assemble the parts into a higher unit assembly, and then took off more metal where necessary, based on the assembler's judgement.

Bud only saw a collection of twenty somethings at the end of the production line where parts were being assembled into guns, and there was an indoor range. About a third of the plant was dedicated to storage of completed firearms, about a third for the range, and a third for the production line.

Nah it is not a CNC programming error, the part wasn't put in the fixture straight. They may use the same machines for multiple product lines but the fixtures and tooling will be different because they are different dimensions.

For instance the rear sight dovetail and the drilled and tapped holes for the front sight on mine were not in alignment with each other. This would be impossible if they were done in a single operation while held in the same fixture by just doing a toolhead change. They did the two operations on separate CNC mills with different fixtures.

I also think you overestimate the amount of hand fitting that goes on mass manufactured goods since the early 1900's. I guarantee you there are no files or whatever on most assembly lines for pretty much any product and hasn't been for a long long time because no good can be done with it.
 
Last edited:
I never liked Henry lever actions. They're too heavy for rifles that are supposed to be light and easily carried, and they're often too nice to really take out into the field. You really just don't want to beat something like a finely polished Big Boy up.

Their Golden Boys are fun as heck though. The lever is smooth as butter, and when you couple that with the short throw length to cycle a 22 LR, man it's a good time. That's the one Henry I'd buy.

But for a centerfire lever action, I actually like the Rossis the best. The quality can be pretty variable, but they are just so freakishly light that you have to love them. The 92s are under five pounds, and I think the Rio Grandes are under six. I have no idea how Henry can justify a Big Boy that's got to weigh probably 8 pounds when Rossi can churn out a 44 magnum PCC that's lighter and shorter than a 10/22 (or did... are they ever going to make them again?).

And to me, that's the whole point of a lever action. If I wanted accuracy, I'd have a bolt action with a scope, if I wanted something that shoots fast, I'd have an AR. If I have a lever gun, it's cause I want to carry or shoot something slick-sided, light, and handy. Somehow the cheapest budget manufacturer around was the only one that realized this.

The Marlin is definitely the choice over a Henry if you want to scope it. But if it was me, I'd go find a Rio Grande or a used cheapie Model 94 for all the reasons above.
 
Last edited:
For instance the rear sight dovetail and the drilled and tapped holes for the front sight on mine were not in alignment with each other. This would be impossible if they were done in a single operation while held in the same fixture by just doing a toolhead change. They did the two operations on separate CNC mills with different fixtures.

Since neither of us has seen the production line, we can only speculate on the operation and sequence, and the machine tools used. I would love to have a plant tour and see how they do it.

I have an article from a Colt Employee who worked his way up to assembling Colt Pythons. And his job required a lot of hand fitting with files, pliers, little special tools. Firearms were pretty much made the same way, of the same materials, till Glock came in and up set the apple cart.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top