Budget .357 lever rifles

[DirectDrive]

Need, Loading, Gate. Putting the butt down and feeding into a tube is too .22 long rifle. Just a personal preference. Like said above.

Most all of the Henrys have sidegates now.
They made the switch a couple of years ago.
They retained the tube loading feature, so you can unload through that.
Bets of both worlds.

 

[Aero Denezol]

I had one and it worked 100% - no problems.

When I had my FFL Rossi Lever guns were very hard to get. I had several on backorder for customers and they never came in (kind of like S&W revolvers).

IMO the Buckhorn sights on these guns are awful. I'm used to the barley corn/peep sight combo on American military rifles, where I can put tight groups on a pie plate offhand at 100 yards. I couldn't hit anything past 50 yards with my Rossi. Adding to this the cost of .357 ammo and I happily sold it to another forum member.

 

[RVTECH]

The ONLY problem I had with the tube feed on my Henry was when pushing the inner tube down it would catch on the rims of the rounds and hang up, and had to be wiggled to get the tube slid down.

Well, at the time I was a member of the Henry forum and read of many with this problem so unlike many who were complaining to Henry about this, and getting new inner tubes sent to them (with no change) I decided to figure out the problem and hopefully find a 'fix' for it.

As it turned out the end of the inner tube was just cut 'square' and would easily catch on the rims but a couple twists with the RCBS deburring tool to 'bevel' the inside of the tube end allowed it to slide over the rims easily with no hangup.

 

[Mikej]

Most all of the Henrys have sidegates now.
They made the switch a couple of years ago.
They retained the tube loading feature, so you can unload through that.
Bets of both worlds.

I know I had seen some, probably posted here, that had gates. And regarding our Rossi, had that rifle been a stainless Henry, with a gate in .45 Colt, wifey would have needed THAT Henry.

 

[Mikej]

Having had a side gate Winchester mod 94 Trapper in .357, and now a .357 Henry tube feeder I will honestly say with pistol size rounds the tube feed is probably an advantage as the shorter pistol rounds can be a bit of a hassle with a side gate.

I find it somewhat difficult to load .38/.357, .45 Colt and .30.-30. Using the side gate is not as fun as it looks on TV! There's definitely a learning curve to do it smoothly.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I know I had seen some, probably posted here, that had gates. And regarding our Rossi, had that rifle been a stainless Henry, with a gate in .45 Colt, wifey would have needed THAT Henry.

Problem (sarcasm) with rossi is they are inexpensive and have good variety. I want a 24" .44 mag with octagon barrel, 20 in 45 LC, and a 16" .357, all of them stainless. Cant decide. If they were inexpensive I wouldn't even be looking at the darn things.

 

[DirectDrive]

I know I had seen some, probably posted here, that had gates. And regarding our Rossi, had that rifle been a stainless Henry, with a gate in .45 Colt, wifey would have needed THAT Henry.

I have a .44 Mag Henry, blued steel with sidegate.
Seems to be a nice gun, great fit and finish.

Henry hit the market with the gaudy brass look and tube loading.
That's the image that some folks have.
Now their lineup is huge, probably too big because they can't keep up with demand.
They even have their "Original" series that lack a handguard like the old time guns.
It was almost a 2 year hunt to find that .44 Mag.

 

[MotoGun]

In general, I'd say that Rossi is a budget gun. They work. But I have always been happy to pay a little more and buy the top-of-the-line options available, taking into consideration that I'll own them for life and pass them on to my sons and grandkids as a family heirloom.

 

[Mikej]

I have a .44 Mag Henry, blued steel with sidegate.
Seems to be a nice gun, great fit and finish.

Henry hit the market with the gaudy brass look and tube loading.
That's the image that some folks have.
Now their lineup is huge, probably too big because they can't keep up with demand.
They even have their "Original" series that lack a handguard like the old time guns.
It was almost a 2 year hunt to find that .44 Mag.

HOLY COW! I don't know how they could keep up with the number of models! If you decide to get a Henry, how do you pick one?

 

[NobullSKS]

Just a thought…..
Was in the same market earlier this year.

Layaway became a great option and got the OEM I wanted. Though it's not a classic. I'm very happy with a modern lever rifle in .44.

I'm just sharing the layaway option if available to you. A few dealers near me will even order and layaway something they don't have.

Henry ModX
Still the classic is on my list. But "tacticool" appeals to my animal brain a lot. Hey….. I'm working on refining my taste. I have a few wooden pieces. For the most part I've gotten the black rifle syndrome under control with lots of therapy and accessories.

 

[RVTECH]

Using the side gate is not as fun as it looks on TV!

If you have a side gate rifle and its hard to load the spring may need to be cut down.

I have had to do this on a couple Winchesters in the past.

Rule of thumb is when a round is in the gate halfway it should stay there and NOT get pushed back out by the spring.

 

[MotoGun]

Just a thought . . . I've stayed away from the 45 Long Colt round because of the cost of ammo being so high.
This applies to handguns and long guns. The 45LC bullet's ballistics are similar to those of a 45ACP, but it is at least half the cost.
A second thought is that there are quality handguns that you can buy that come from the respected factories with two separate cylinders, one for 45ACP and one for 45LC.
Practice with 45ACP & compete in matches with 45LC.

 

[Mikej]

If you have a side gate rifle and its hard to load the spring may need to be cut down.

I have had to do this on a couple Winchesters in the past.

Rule of thumb is when a round is in the gate halfway it should stay there and NOT get pushed back out by the spring.

Yup, that's the way it is! Though it doesn't happen until you get up to 4 or 5 in the tube.

I've stayed away from the 45 Long Colt round because of the cost of ammo being so high.

But it's such a great round. A big fat "Boomer" with a cool heavy THUD when it hits. And very nice recoil. I loaded my own from the beginning. Poly coated 200 gr for the bullet. Starline brass was quite reasonable too for 500.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

They even have their "Original" series that lack a handguard like the old time guns.

The original Henry Rifles and their copies lack a forearm because of how they loaded...and the loading "plunger" in the magazine tube.
They are not at all like a later Rossi , Marlin or the Winchester 1873 , 1892 , 1894 etc.. lever action rifle / carbine in regards to loading...
Even the new made Henry tube loading only rifles , load different than an original Henry 1860 or copy thereof.
Andy

 

[ilikegunspdx]

The original Henry Rifles and their copies lack a forearm because of how they loaded...and the loading "plunger" in the magazine tube.
They are not at all like a later Rossi , Marlin or the Winchester 1873 , 1892 , 1894 etc.. lever action rifle / carbine in regards to loading...
Even the new made Henry tube loading only rifles , load different than an original Henry 1860 or copy thereof.
Andy

Reminds me that Ian McCollum of forgotten weapons did a video about his range experience with a Henry (probably a reproduction). He was loading it with the butt on the ground and letting the cartridges fall down the tube. One of the cartridges went off in the tube after being dropped which blew up that portion of the gun and sent him to the hospital with minor injuries.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Reminds me that Ian McCollum of forgotten weapons did a video about his range experience with a Henry (probably a reproduction). He was loading it with the butt on the ground and letting the cartridges fall down the tube. One of the cartridges went off in the tube after being dropped which blew up that portion of the gun and sent him to the hospital with minor injuries.

Interesting....
I could see this happening more with an original Henry..since they were in .44 Henry ...a rimfire cartridge , rather than a new made copy in a center-fire cartridge.
Never saw that video...which ain't too difficult ...since I ain't a huge fan of Ian and Forgotten Weapons...ain't so what he says...it's more a matter of how he says things.....
Andy

 

[ilikegunspdx]

...

But it's such a great round. A big fat "Boomer" with a cool heavy THUD when it hits. And very nice recoil. I loaded my own from the beginning. Poly coated 200 gr for the bullet. Starline brass was quite reasonable too for 500.

I love 45 LC. Just such a big bastard. Fun to shoot. Spendy though. That's part of the dilemma about what caliber to choose. All 3 are good options really.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Interesting....
I could see this happening more with an original Henry..since they were in .44 Henry ...a rimfire cartridge , rather than a new made copy in a center-fire cartridge.
Never saw that video...which ain't too difficult ...since I ain't a huge fan of Ian and Forgotten Weapons...ain't so what he says...it's more a matter of how he says things.....
Andy

Just looked at it and I was wrong it was releasing the spring that detonated 2 cartridges. Also didn't blow up gun just shot out through tube opening. Described at the 4:00 mark fyi

View: https://youtu.be/YDuoj7KR-CA?si=6CnhSPUJQYfVA_lL

 

[CountryGent]

Rossi r95 in 45-70 for $699 if anyone is interested fyi:

ROSSI R95 Lever Action 45-70 GOVT 20''

Caliber 45-70 Government Capacity 6 Rounds Front Sight Drift Adjustable Rear Sight Buckhorn Adjustable Action Type Lever Action Barrel Length 20.00 In. Overall Length 39.00 In. Overall Height 7.40 In. Overall Width 1.70 In. Overall Weight 109.20 Oz. (Unloaded) Twist Rate 1:12-in RH Twist Grooves...

www.smga.com

Dang, that's not bad, particularly in today's dollar.

 

[RVTECH]

Just looked at it and I was wrong it was releasing the spring that detonated 2 cartridges.

Yep, operator error....

He let the follower snap down instead of sliding it down gently as he described.

As such even though non 1860 Henry's do not have this issue when loading mine I do NOT load it vertically, and keep it at about a 45 degree angle to let the rounds slide down slowly.