Marlin or Henry, which is better made?

[Dirty Dawg]

Dang! I've got a Henry .17 hmr. I never knew it was a crappy rifle. Course, the finish is chipped here and there but the action is super and I can put 10 rounds in a 4", maybe 3" group at 50 yards with the iron (fiber optic) sights.

 

[emerson]

I prefer Marlin.

 

[ArmedBear]

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

That's about right.

Just handled an ancient 1897 (what the 39 was called before 1939) at the store. Looks like it got a lot of use over the many decades of its life; it was no safe queen. There's no blueing left on it. The wood is worn. But the metal-to-metal fit is still like a new gun.

That said, a Henry H001 is a great plinker for the right here, right now, gotta-have-it buyer. I wouldn't buy the most expensive model, though; that's a lot of money for extra glitz.

Look for the 39 Club thread. You won't see a lot of buyer's remorse there.

 

[22lr]

I have a Henry and I love it but all admit that a marlin might be better in the long run. One positive on the Henry, the action is very smooth, and it goes bang every time you pull the trigger.

 

[Al Thompson]

Taffnevy, around South Carolina, the Henrys are indeed less expensive than Marlins - .22 to .22 rifle. There may be some overlap, not sure.

 

[mainmech48]

The Marlin M39 has been in continuous production, in one form or another, longer than any other longarm in history.

That ought to tell you something about build quality and what genuine value means, as they've never been 'inexpensive'.

They've proven themselves over more than a century to be rugged, accurate, dependable and durable, continuing to deliver those qualities over literally generations of regular use.

IMO, and apparently that of several million other folks, it has no peer.

 

[TCB in TN]

I have a 63 m39a mountie, a 67 m39a mountie, and a 77 m39a rifle, I have had 2 Henry rifles, and they are good shooters, and fun/handy little rifles, but hardly in the same class as my 39's. I have handled but have yet to shoot one of the new Henry 30-30s, but my experience with the Marlin 336 says that it is at least as well made, and I have had several that were EXCELLENT shooters. Plus the lower price point on the Marlin makes it a great value IMHO. Lots (millions) of 336's out there these days and for a good reason.