[mjh42]

Have an older Henry BBS in .357. Put a Skinner sight on it and it's been a fine shooting rifle. When Marlin puts out a stainless .357 I'll take a good look at it.

I did handle several lever action rifles in the gun shop last week. A Henry X, a couple of Rossi's, a Chiappa, maybe a Marlin, don't remember all of them. Didn't come home with anything other the revolver I had ordered in, money spent for the time being. Last week Marlin website said the SBL series .357 was due this spring. Well spring came and went. Now the website says summer........I'll watch the fire flies in the meantime and save some money for some day when........

 

[Raven1967]

I own both and prefer the older Marlins but the 45-70 SBL is one sexy beast.

 

[SargeMO]

Have an older Henry BBS in .357. Put a Skinner sight on it and it's been a fine shooting rifle. When Marlin puts out a stainless .357 I'll take a good look at it.

I did handle several lever action rifles in the gun shop last week. A Henry X, a couple of Rossi's, a Chiappa, maybe a Marlin, don't remember all of them. Didn't come home with anything other the revolver I had ordered in, money spent for the time being. Last week Marlin website said the SBL series .357 was due this spring. Well spring came and went. Now the website says summer........I'll watch the fire flies in the meantime and save some money for some day when........

I'm a Winchester guy to the bone and the Chiappa looks, to me at least, like it might be a better 1892.

 

[MarkCO]

Have both. It's a coin flip if the feature sets are the same. But there are some functional differences.

 

[Retiredguns]

I've owned both throughout the years and both are fine rifles. I do like the fact that Henry has both the side gate and tube so unloading is safe as can be. I think you have to spend quite a bit more to get a Marlin with the beautiful Walnut furniture.

 

[Jarhead Al]

My daughter has a brass Henry in 45-70. IIRC, she said she can not shoot Garrett type loads in her gun. Maybe an all steel Henry can, so, verify what you can and cannot do with the brass Henrys.

Good luck in your quest and post pics once you buy something.

 

[DirectDrive]

Thanks.

I really wanted to like the Marlin 1894 over the Henry, but the trigger and charging loop felt worse to me on the Marlin versus the Henry.

The S&W was nice. Had a better trigger than the Marlin for sure, but still not as nice as the Henry. Also, the synthetic stock on the S&W made the balance of the rifle feel a little off for me. Way more front heavy.

My Marlin 1895 had a sweet factory trigger and it has the safety.
Betcha yours could be tuned to what you want.

Levers can be swapped out. I took out my standard lever and put in the larger loop (not Rifleman) lever.
Wild West Guns, Ranger Point Precision and others also offer replacement levers for the Marlins.

 

[RGP]

I'm a Winchester guy to the bone and the Chiappa looks, to me at least, like it might be a better 1892.

Point for others to consider, nothing carries in the hand as comfortably as an 1892 or an 1886.

 

[Dan H]

While I've handled Henrys and think they're a decent rifle, nothing against them, my vote goes Marlin. I've had, shot, competed with and hunted with Marlins for 40+ yrs. JM (mostly) or Ruger/Marlins have never let me down. 1894s and 1895s and 336s. 44 mags, 45 Colts, 45-70s, a 38-55 and several 30-30s. I do have a Remington built 45-70 GBL that is quite well made. My newest Trapper from Ruger/Marlin (45-70) is amazing.

That stated, my 30-30 336s have been tried and true performers for decades.

Doesn't mean the Henrys won't also be in 40+ years, but my experince with Marlins is top shelf.

The new Ruger made Marlins in 44 mag and 30-30 I've seen at Sheels are some of the nicest I have ever handled.

 

[warbow150]

Point for others to consider, nothing carries in the hand as comfortably as an 1892 or an 1886.

Love 86s. Very strong guns, more so than Marlin 1895s. They’re just such a bastard to put back together once disassembled.

 

[RGP]

Love 86s. Very strong guns, more so than Marlin 1895s. They’re just such a bastard to put back together once disassembled.

True. Note to anybody who's never tried it.... There's only one right way to take it apart and there's only one right way to put it back together and at least 99 out of 100 people who think "I can figure it out" aren't going to "figure it out" correctly. Don't even try to disassemble an 86 or a 92 or any variant thereof unless you've already studied how to do it and how to reassemble it.

 

[Kentucky Shooter]

Henry is good, I really like them.

But in my opinion, Marlin is better, especially for the field.

 

[Mars5l]

I like my Marlin SBL , though I don't think I'd want anything shorter than it for 45-70. Stout modern rounds kick quite hard to the put after 2 or 3 I'm done. I even bought a box of Buffalo Bore, yea 1 round was enough, 2 was dumb. It is a joy to shoot though suppressed with Hornady subsonic ammo, and a lot of ppl were impressed with how quiet it was.

Though I also own abouts 7 Henry's, none in 45-70 though. I'd probably still think about a Henry X model and swap out the furniture for the All Weather furniture

 

[John Hammer]

My Marlin 1895 had a sweet factory trigger and it has the safety.
Betcha yours could be tuned to what you want.

Levers can be swapped out. I took out my standard lever and put in the larger loop (not Rifleman) lever.
Wild West Guns, Ranger Point Precision and others also offer replacement levers for the Marlins.

Thanks for the tips on options. Mine is not a bad rifle by any stretch of the imagination, just a bleh trigger. Especially noticeable when working from the bench and really trying to focus on accuracy.

 

[P89DC]

Buck Elliot kaboomed some lever actions for Freedom Arms decades ago because they wanted to do a .454 in a levergun.

Fun fact, Rossi R92 handles .454 with no issues.

 

[GlockBill]

My first rifle was a Marlin 1894 in .357 (w/ a gold trigger - I wish that I still had it). My dad had a few others. Whenever I visited him during hunting season, I borrowed his 1895 .45/70 Guide Gun, and it was also an excellent rifle. While I have a lot more experience with Marlin lever rifles - if I was buying a new lever rifle today, Henry sure has a lot to like. (I do think that Ruger has done a fine job of bringing Marlin back to life.)

 

[LeonCarr44]

I'd also add that the Henry side gate .45/70 offers both side gate loading and loading / unloading via the port on the magazine tube.

If you've ever picked up both a Henry .45/70 and a Marlin .45/70, there are some differences in the stocks. In theory the differences are minor but I think Henry's stock is more comfortable.

Ok...rant mode on.

Why does every lever action rifle have to have a big loop lever on it?. Is the Lucas McCain/Rifleman fan club that big? I can operate a small loop lever just as fast, with no need to spin it around.

I can't stand the Henry rifles mainly because they have both the side gate and the magazine tube port. Makes it look like a .22LR on steroids.

Don't get me started on "Tactical" Lever Action Rifles.

I love the .45-70 Cartridge, and if buying a new rifle in .45-70 it would be 1. Winchester/Browning/maybe Chiappa Model 1886, 2. Marlin 1895 Cowboy with 8+1 capacity, 3. standard Marlin 1895.

Rant mode off.

 

[2020Iron883]

With your caveat of a Ruger made Marlin, I chose Henry hands down.

Now, my Marlin 336C -.30-30 Winchester - was created in 1981. A bonafide Marlin. Without that restriction on the choice, my answer would have been different.

 

[sourdough44]

I went through this 2 years ago, I went with Henry, no regrets. I also feel the Henry is at least as strong as a Marlin.

 

[SargeMO]

My wallet will vote against a cross-bolt safety every time.