Marlin or Henry, which is better made?

[Taffnevy]

I see that both Marlin and Henry both make very similar rifles at very similar price points.

In your experience, which one is better quality.

 

[TCB in TN]

Marlin

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Marlin.

 

[Jeepdude1987]

I would say they are both good rifles. I'm not sure that either is better, but I have not used many Henry's. I would get which ever fit me better.

 

[Al Thompson]

Henry seems to be well crafted, but poor materials. I have Marlins and don't mind paying extra for them.

 

[MrIzhevsk]

I'm the opposite, I have a Henry golden boy (.22LR) and it is flawless. Every Marlin I've used has felt like utter garbage. I don't think they were too new though. I believe the 3 or 4 Marlins of my buddies I've used were older models

 

[Taffnevy]

Thanks for the replies so far. Interesting though, most of the threads in the archives say that Henry are better made, but cost more.....

I'm curious to hear more opinions.

 

[Taffnevy]

Al Thompson,

Are Marlins more expensive than Henry's? I was under the impression that it was opposite.

 

[TheDriver]

I found a Henry HOO1 for $175 (IIRC) NIB at a local shop. Otherwise I would have picked up the Marlin, but that Henry was a great deal. The Henry definitely has a little "mystery metal" in it. Although, it functions perfectly and is quite accurate.

 

[Joe Demko]

Marlin. Henry uses a zamak frame/receiver.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Pot metal vs steel

No contest---the Henry is garbage---the Marlin will be passed down to your grandkids.

 

[Float Pilot]

Have gun-smithed on both, the Marlin is better built.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Thanks for the replies so far. Interesting though, most of the threads in the archives say that Henry are better made, but cost more.....

I'm curious to hear more opinions.

Wait, you're talking about .22 leverguns, right?

The Henry is cheaper, and made of cheaper materials, maybe $180-250 or whatever. The Marlin is around $400+ new, but solid steel with walnut furniture.

That said, I wouldn't say the Henry is "garbage", it's simply built like a .22, with a zamac cover over the receiver, some plastic parts, etc. The Marlin is built to last a century. The Henry has a much smoother lever, and is quite accurate, but it's a less intuitive design that is not officially user-serviceable, whereas the Marlin can be broken all the way down.

Two very different guns, conceptually, at very different price-points.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

The Henry has a much smoother lever, and is quite accurate, but it's a less intuitive design that is not officially user-serviceable, whereas the Marlin can be broken all the way down.

The bolded part would be the clincher for me. .22 ammunition is fairly dirty, and the whole point is to shoot a ton of it, so being able to break it all the way down could be important for cleaning purposes.

 

[Taffnevy]

Does Marlin make a .17 HMR lever?

 

[woof]

I have a 30 year old Marlin 39 worth at least 400 as is. I bought a Henry H001 when they came out for $99. The Henry is smaller, lighter, and a lot of fun. But there is no question the Marlin is the heirloom rifle. I think some are comparing Marlin bolt guns to the Henry lever. If I just wanted the best .22 I could get for the money I'd buy the Savage Mark II base model.

 

[f4t9r]

Marlin is the better choice

 

[Dollar An Hour]

Marlin is built with better quality materials.

 

[texas bulldog]

i'm awaiting the appearance of armed bear on this one...i don't believe there's a marlin v. henry thread that he has not commented on.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

I don't think it matters if the receiver of a .22 lever gun is made of zinc alloy--it's not under very much stress. Naturally, the Marlin 39 and the Henry are different sorts of product, but they are priced accordingly. $220 is not a lot to spend on a future heirloom.

 

[Joe Demko]

With time, zinc alloys basically crumble from contact with steel. During WWII, the US issued a close copy of the F-S dagger to certain elite units. It had a cast zinc alloy handle. When you run across one today, the handles are often in poor condition. When you put zinc in contact with ferrous metal, the zinc corrodes sacrificially. This is the basic idea behind galvanizing. There is no question that the Marlin will outlast the Henry even if neither is fired.

 

[jmr40]

Henry is an inexpensive plinker for someone who wants to shoot for a few years and throw away the gun. Marlin is a quality rifle that will last for generations

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Do the steel parts in the Henry rub against the zinc ones?

 

[SGW42]

Depends on the gun, as far as price point, I think. Last time I looked at both Marlin and Henry catalogs was a few months ago, but I seem to recall that all of Henry's rimfire levers were cheaper than Marlin's 39A, but Henry's centerfire levers were quite a bit more expensive than Marlin's.

Marlin does not make a .17 HMR (or .22 WMR for that matter) lever action.

I own a 39A, but always find myself fondling the Henry rimfire levers when I'm at Gander Mtn. They have really nice wood, and the models with octagon barrels have nice Marbles sights. If I had money to splash around I think I'd get an H001T to try out.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Don't own a Henry so I have nothing negative to say about them but I have a 77 39A I am tickled with. If I had to choose another rifle it would be Dad's 1952 ... 39A.