Opinions on Henry Rifle

[FandFForum]

I have inherited a Henry Rifle from my father-in-law sometime back. I have not yet had the chance to shoot it and dread cleaning the brass. I was just wondering what everyone's opinion is on these rifles compared to similar ones made by winchester. The one I have is 44 mag.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[dukalmighty]

Henry makes good rifles,I have one in 22 lr.

[retsupt99]

Henry Rifles are well-made and have a great reputation...I have one in .22mag...

[suntzu]

They are terrible and death traps. DO NOT fire it. Wrap it up gently and mail it to me so I can destroy it so this vile death machine can harm no others. I will PM you my address

What caliber?

[Dadsnugun]

I've got 2 Henrys, a .22lr and a .44 mag. I've had some feeding issues with the .44, but both shoot accurately and are tons of fun. I don't know how they would compare to a Winchester.

[QKShooter]

I have not yet had the chance to shoot it and dread cleaning the brass.

If the brass has a nice even antique looking patina I would leave it alone since that is desirable.
If the brass looks ugly, uneven, spotted and fingerprinted etc...then use either SIMICHROME or FLITZ POLISH to clean it back to bright brass & then if you just give it a good wipe with a clean cotton cloth every time you handle it....it will eventually get a really nice even antique brass patina.

Simichrome & Flitz are basically the same (different colors) - Flitz is a bit less aggressive.
Search ebay Buy It Now & the Lowest Price First option. They are always listed on ebay. You can buy a small tube. A little bit goes a long way.
Both are fantastic for cleaning brass back to bright.

[bmcgilvray]

Joining the ranks of grossly overrated firearms currently produced is the Henry line.

They are downright crummy compared with a traditional Winchester. I've had access to an acquaintance's Henry lever-action .22 Long Rifle and, while it's very smooth to operate, it's shockingly cheaply made and the receiver is of some inferior soft metal. "Brasslite" I think they call it. One respected gunsmith claims it's actually Zamac (cast zinc). Internals are all apparently stamped sheet metal and plastic. External hardware such as barrel bands aren't even metal but plastic instead. Wood to metal fit (fit?) is poor and the wood appeared to be unevenly stained scrap lumber. Perhaps because this one was one of the first rifles produced when the company was new it should be forgiven its shortcomings. This particular rifle at least, gives the same exact impression as an RG .22 short revolver in quality of materials and workmanship. Yet, even at the time, the Henry .22s were lauded far and wide as fine examples of American craftsmanship. Yuck! A glance at their site shows a much expanded line and glitzier looking models with better wood. A line of .30-30 and .47-70 lever-action rifles touts steel frames. The others apparently continue to make do with the soft metal.

For a .22 lever-action rifle the Henry lever-action .22 doesn't hold a candle to the Winchester Model 9422 or the excellent Marlin Model 39A, a rifle with a forged steel receiver and a basic design that has been a success since the 1890s. Unfortunately the Winchester was discontinued a few years back and the Marlin is only barely in production. Cheap and a low price point wins out. It's amazing how a generation of shooters continue to accept firearms designs built primarily to be manufactured cheaply using inferior materials. Sure it basically serves the purpose and might satisfy a whim. Long term (meaning handed down through generations of shooters) the Henry rifle will be cast off, worn out junk if it is subjected to years of heavy use. It's just not substantial enough to be otherwise.

My acquaintance's Henry rifle? After an initial burst of shooting enthusiasm several years back when the rifle was acquired, it now languishes in the dark recesses of his safe unused. So it's durability is yet unproven.

Of course the argument could be made that the Henry at it's price allows shooters to participate in the sport and that's a good thing. More shooters are always needed. It's just a shame that the firearms offered these days have to be ever lower in real aesthetics or true value.

This is only the view from geezer-dom.

[WHEC724]

Don't hold back, BMC .

I agree that today's Henry is a far cry from the rifles that gave them their original reputation, but (as you said) the new rifles give an entry point to new shooters.

I actually prefer Marlins over Winchester on some rifles. The 336 comes to mind, as I compared it to the 1894 at the time when I got it.

Oh yeah - congrats to the OP on the new rifle. I'm just jealous.

[Stubborn]

I have not yet had the chance to shoot it and dread cleaning the brass.

If the brass has a nice even antique looking patina I would leave it alone since that is desirable. If the brass looks ugly, uneven, spotted and fingerprinted etc...then use either SIMICHROME or FLITZ POLISH to clean it back to bright brass & then if you just give it a good wipe with a clean cotton cloth every time you handle it....it will eventually get a really nice even antique brass patina.

Simichrome & Flitz are basically the same (different colors) - Flitz is a bit less aggressive.
Search ebay Buy It Now & the Lowest Price First option. They are always listed on ebay. You can buy a small tube. A little bit goes a long way.
Both are fantastic for cleaning brass back to bright.

I agree with "QKShooter" if the patina is even, I'd leave it alone.
However I use "Never-Dull" to clean the brass on my replica black powder revolvers. It's not as abrasive as the paste polish is.

never-dull.jpg

Just my 2 cents.

Congrats on the new shooter.

[denver]

Really like my Yellowboy .22LR. Also have a 9422. Really no difference in shooting. Check the Henry website. They offer an engraved reciever for $125.00 if you want to put your father in laws name and any other info. May make it more meaningful to who ever you pass it on to.

[Sheldon J]

I have not yet had the chance to shoot it and dread cleaning the brass.

If the brass has a nice even antique looking patina I would leave it alone since that is desirable.
If the brass looks ugly, uneven, spotted and fingerprinted etc...then use either SIMICHROME or FLITZ POLISH to clean it back to bright brass & then if you just give it a good wipe with a clean cotton cloth every time you handle it....it will eventually get a really nice even antique brass patina.

Simichrome & Flitz are basically the same (different colors) - Flitz is a bit less aggressive.
Search ebay Buy It Now & the Lowest Price First option. They are always listed on ebay. You can buy a small tube. A little bit goes a long way.
Both are fantastic for cleaning brass back to bright.

Take it from someone that has BTDT... That's good stuff!!! N I love my .22 lr Henry, it is a tad heavy for a .22 but it is one beautiful tac driver ;-)

[FandFForum]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I fire all of my other guns, but that one seems to get left behind. I will try the suggestions on cleaning, right now the finish on the brass looks new and shiny, so I probably won't mess with it.

[SilentMike]

if yours doesn't have feeding issues, you'll find it a pleasure to shoot. The stock angle on the henry makes the 44mag almost recoilless, at least when compared to the straighter stock of the Marlin 1894 and the like. As far as accuracy goes, in general, I find Henry to be as good as one might expect for the platform.