Henry 45-70

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bryan h

New member
Does anyone have a Henry 45-70 and if so how do you like it I have a Winchester big bore 375 unfired and was going to use it for deer hunting and am having a hard time bringing myself to shooting it so was looking at getting the Henry for deer hunting.
 
Why the Henry? The older JM branded Marlins in .45-70 or .444 are pretty hard to beat in that category. There are Winchesters and Browning reproductions also, though they are pricy. With that said, I'd hunt the .375 or sell it. But that's just me, heck last year I bought an unfired 1968 Belgium Browning Auto Five shotgun and immediately cleaned out all the old factory gunk, lubed it lightly and went hunting. I'm going to eventually hand down a lot of stuff to my son and every bit of it is going to be used. Well cared for and maintained, but also well used. He will appreciate the blue wear, smooth edges, light dings and all the hunting stories and memories associated with my gear.
 
Originally Posted By: GCWhy the Henry? The older JM branded Marlins in .45-70 or .444 are pretty hard to beat in that category. There are Winchesters and Browning reproductions also, though they are pricy. With that said, I'd hunt the .375 or sell it. But that's just me, heck last year I bought an unfired 1968 Belgium Browning Auto Five shotgun and immediately cleaned out all the old factory gunk, lubed it lightly and went hunting. I'm going to eventually hand down a lot of stuff to my son and every bit of it is going to be used. Well cared for and maintained, but also well used. He will appreciate the blue wear, smooth edges, light dings and all the hunting stories and memories associated with my gear.


YES!!
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I haven't seen the Henry in person. I think they make very good rimfires but ii can't believe their centerfires would be better than a JM 45-70. Plus the Marlin is very easy to find mounts and accessories for. '
 
One of the nicest shooting lever guns I've ever owned was a winny.375. Not much use for it where I hunted, but for you I'd bang away. Like GC said, use adds character. A couple of the firearms I charish most were wore brown by their previous beloved owners.
 
I have a Marlin 1895GS in 45-70 and a Marlin 444S, nothing walks away from one of these 2 guns when hit. I will take a older JM Marlin any day. Buy whatever you want, but look at a Marlin Big Bore before making your final decision.
 
I will NEVER buy one of the new Marlins! I look for the older "JM" Marlins, I picked up my 2003 1895GS about a year ago, My 444S is a '76 vintage, and have 2- 30-30's, 1990, and 1949 vintage. Enjoy your Henry, it is a very fine gun, and enjoy the "Big Bore Grin" after shooting it.
 
I have bunches of Marlin rifles, the current production "Remlins" might not match the "high times" from Marlin, but they're not as bad as some of the bad times in Marlin history either. The worst seems to be over. Buying a JM stamped Marlin doesn't ensure that it's any better than anything made today. One of my JM stamped 1894's has a gap in the bolt fit and poorly color-matched stock and forend - the current Remlin my buddy just brought home is as classy as any of the other 1894's I have, and WITHOUT the problems that my particular "glory days" Marlin has. My wife got another Remlin 1895 SBL, which is her second, and our 5th 1895, with the rest being JM stamped - to my eye and hands, I can't find anything significantly different other than a few stray machining curf marks on the inside of the receiver on non-contact surfaces - won't affect anything, ever.

Guys that have sworn off the Remlins forever based on quality are missing out on great rifles. Now, if you're against the politics of the Cerberus Group, and THAT is why you're anti-Marlin, then fine.

The Henry is a fine rifle - it's essentially a copy of the Marlin design. I do, however, HATE HATE HATE that it's a tube loader. What a way to miss the mark... I hated Marlin's decision to make the 1894 32H&R into a tube loader, and I despise Henry's decision to violate the 336/1895 action with a d@mn tube load...

I bought one of the brass framed Henry's. Love the look and feel, but I'm not sure that I'm confident in running a lot of heat through that brass...
 
I got that big bore grinning tonight and my kids liked watching there mother jump from the gun shot while she stood in the kitchen.
 
My cousin just bought a Henry 45-70 because he was moving to Alaska and wanted some knockdown power.

He brought it out to my fathers house and we put 3-4 Boxes through it. Great, super smooth gun! Not as much kick as I was anticipating.

That's my experience with it.
 
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