Henry 22's

[RU shooter]

I had my two boys 14 and 12 over at Pap's house this weekend and they really took a liking to his Marlin 39 , We spent about a hour bouncing a soda can around,It really triggered interest in them as they never really showed much interest in shooting my bolt action 22's? As my budget wont allow even a used marlin 39 as I just cruised the auction sites and seen what a beat 39 sells for.I thought of other lever guns ,The Henry seems real nice real walnut stocks too ,Anyone have experience with them? I assume it would be possible to mount a aperture sight to the side of the rec.?

Thanks,Tim

[dubber123]

The Henry's seem pretty smooth, and the few I've handled have nice wood on them... However, the main body of the rifle is a Zinc casting, with a plated Zinc "cover" over it. The one I worked on looked a lot less attractive when I saw what was inside. They are, as you stated MUCH less than even a used Marlin, and might still be a viable option for your boys.

[gon2shoot]

I bought a couple Henrys for the kids, and found them to be dang good little guns for the money. Yes they are built with less than "priemum" materials, but they are smoother than anything I have found out of the box.

I have a 39 and and old Browning 22 lever (my favorite) but the Henrys will do the same thing they do, shoot where ya point em.

Buy them kids a Henery and never look back. :coffeecom

[RU shooter]

The Henry's seem pretty smooth, and the few I've handled have nice wood on them... However, the main body of the rifle is a Zinc casting, with a plated Zinc "cover" over it. The one I worked on looked a lot less attractive when I saw what was inside. They are, as you stated MUCH less than even a used Marlin, and might still be a viable option for your boys.
POT METAL! really?:sad: I figured the receivers were aluminum, Man that stinks! I guess thats how they can afford the nicer wood on them.....

[dubber123]

For a .22, they will likely last a LONG time. If I remember correctly, the bolt rides in a plastic sleeve, which accounts for the smoothness I imagine. Like you said, thats how they can afford the nice wood. They will still likely out last the boys interest, and maybe you won't cry so much if they get a scratch on them. I too would like a Mod 39, but I just haven't seen fit to spend that kind of money on a .22..

[fecmech]

I have a Henry carbine that I bought about 1 1/2 years ago with the 16" barrel on it. They are smooth, well made and accurate. I have put 2-3K rds thru it with no problems. If you go to rimfire central http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/ you can read quite a bit on Henry .22's

[timkelley]

I've got a Henry 22that I bought for me and my grandson and it shoots really nice. If you take out the four screws from the receiver dust cover (two per side) you can lift it straight up and off the receiver. It is now very easy to drill and tap for Lyman or Williams sights.

[dk17hmr]

I have a Henry Lever 22lr, it is the only 22lr Rifle I brought with me when I moved to Wyoming, besides the Remington 572 pump I bought for my girlfriend a few years ago. I left my other 22lr's at my folks house until future trips home. I guess that tells you what I think of the little Henry.

In Michigan I would mount a 3-9 scope on it for squirrel season, take it off for rabbit hunting and checking the trap line. I always just shot bulk pack Federal 22lrs through it, sometimes I would use 22 shorts for squirrel hunting and checking traps.

Mine has close to 3000 rounds through it and I dont remember ever taking it apart to clean the inside out, I ussally just hose it down with some sort of gun cleaner. Great little rifles.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I personally do not own either a Marlin or a Henry, however a friend owns three Henrys all 22s. I have burned up countless rounds through my friends and so has he. No trouble, no jams, and they are way more accurate then a 22 needs to be. I would not worry about what alloys they are made of, it is a 22 not a 30-30 or 45-70.

Assuming your kids are safe and trustable with a gun I would also like to throw in a word for the Ruger 10/22.

[crazy mark]

I have found 2 Marlin 39's for about $240 each. One had a front tube dovetail problem which I fixed in about 15 minutes. The other has a lot of finish missing and the wrong pin on the front tube mount. I still have to fix it. I saw a Marlin 1897 for $275 the other day. It had been refinished. The action wasn't the smoothest in the world.
Look around, you might be surprised what you find.

[Lloyd Smale]

the ones ive shot have been some of the smoothest lever guns out of the box i ever tried. they shot real well too.

[NickSS]

I have shot Henry lever action 22s and they are smooth as silk but heavy for a lever action. My brother has a winchester 22 lever action (I do not know the model number) that looks like a model 94 30-30 scaled down. It has a short throw lever and shoots accurately. I have a model 39 carbine that I put together from a box of parts I bought from a guy for $10. I had to buy about $30 worth of parts from Marlin to get it working. It has now been working for 20 years or more without further problems. In my estimation the winchester lever gun is a nicer rifle than the henry and you should be able to find one for less money than either a henry or marlin.

[pietro]

[I assume it would be possible to mount a aperture sight to the side of the rec.?]

JMO, but a side-mounted peep, and some clip-on peeps, are too cumbersome and clumsy-looking, in comparison to a WGRS or a WM-96 top-mount peep.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i310/whiskey101/Firearms/DSCF0920.jpg

While some utilize the scope mount grooves - fecmech didn't show you the Williams peep he mounted on his Henry H001 (below)
It's just about the only peep that will allow zeroing with the issue/height barrel-band front sight.


http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/fecmech/Dscn0898.jpg

.

[txbirdman]

Nick,

I think you'd be surprised if you priced one of those Winchester 9422's today. They are going for quite a premium.

[corvette8n]

I have a Henry H001 (the entry level version) that I have had for nearly 10 years, I can mix shorts, longs, and LR in the tube and not get a jam or misfeed. The cover is made fom Zemak some kind of zinc alloy. Henry stands behind their made in USA product. Where else can you email the president of the company and get a personal answer.

[pietro]

[In my estimation the winchester lever gun is a nicer rifle than the henry and you should be able to find one for less money than either a henry or marlin.]

[ Nick, I think you'd be surprised if you priced one of those Winchester 9422's today. They are going for quite a premium.]

txbirdman - +1

In today's gun market:
(presuming excellent condition for used)

Henry H001:
$270 new
$200-$225 used (when a used one can be found)

Marlin 39a :
$ 600+ new
$350-$450 used, certain years/models add $100 -$300.

Winchester 9422:
Discontinued as new
$550-$700 used, depending on chambering & finish/model
Trapper models, add $200-$300.

.