Worth $300 price difference

[dverna]

I had a Marlin in .44 Mag and I liked it but was not using it so sold it.

I had a Rossi in .45LC and did not like it nearly as much as the .44 Marlin.

I have two Marlins in .38/.357 and an Uberti, and love them all.

You will never get a Rossi to run as slick as a Marlin but that may not be important to you.

Never owned a Henry (except for their .22) so cannot comment on their pistol caliber rifles. When I was in the market, the Henry loaded like a .22 (slot in magazine tube) and that was a turn off for me. Not sure if they offer a model with a loading gate...but something to consider.

[hanleyfan]

it amazes me how so many say rossi don't work out of the box, I have owned 6 in my life time and they all worked out of the box, some the action was a little stiff but smoothed out with use. I wonder how many really even owned a Rossi. They are not beautiful works of art, but they work and are the best option for a poor working man wanting a lever.

[Drew P]

Curious why people dislike the safety? It’s very tiny, and it works. What’s not to like?

[Peregrine]

Curious why people dislike the safety? It’s very tiny, and it works. What’s not to like?

Just plain wrong on a levergun.

One of the great things about lever guns are slick aesthetics and handling. If you've spent a significant amount of time shooting lever actions, and are therefore completely comfortable using the half cock position on the hammer, then suddenly manufactures get concerned about liability and cludge a safety onto your beloved classics of course you're going to hate it.

It implies there was something wrong with your old 1895/94/336 that had to be "fixed" and of course they were perfect the way they were. Now there's something on there for you forget when you want to fire and it takes away from the aesthetics because of lawyers. What's TO like?

[rbt5050]

rossi are junk, but the henry.

[chuckerbird]

it amazes me how so many say rossi don't work out of the box, I have owned 6 in my life time and they all worked out of the box, some the action was a little stiff but smoothed out with use. I wonder how many really even owned a Rossi. They are not beautiful works of art, but they work and are the best option for a poor working man wanting a lever.

I want to take you with me the next time I buy some lottery tickets.

[sparky45]

I have 3 Rossi's and a 336. All benefited from stoning and use, love them all.

[HawkCreek]

Henry's are butt ugly and I've never had a safety on any firearm move without my knowing it. Buy whatever one you like more.

[rbuck351]

I am looking at a Marlin 1894 JM in 44mag in about 99% condition. I have shot it a bit with several different cast and factory loaded jacketed ammo. It shoots poorly and worse it won't load through the loading port. My Puma 454 (paid $375 for it) has been flawless since I got it. Other than the Henry 22lr, I have no experience with Henrys. The 22 works well but accuracy is less than stellar.

If you can, handle both and see what feels best to you and decide from there.

[KCSO]

Look at the features and see what you need. Are you into history or not, do you need a loading gate or are you satisfied with a tube? Rossi runs some oversize on bore can you live with that? Do you like real walnut wood, this is a lot of the price difference. Do you mind having the gun smoothed up after buying it? You will want your Rossi tuned up at some time. American parts available, Henry shines here.

[Smoke4320]

I have had 2 Rossi's and 2 Henrys .. The Rossi will work out of the box but needs some stoning to get it smooth .. Their warranty repair time and general work sucks most times
the Henrys work, work well and their warranty service is second to none if you ever need it

[Life Member]

Nothin prettier than a golden boy.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've got both; a JM Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag and a Rossi 92 in .38/357. The Marlin is smoother and (to me) better handling but is picky on OAL (won't feed .44 Spl, at all) and the Microgroove barrel needs .432/.433 boolits to obtain any real accuracy with cast. The Rossi doesn't cycle as smoothly as the Marlin (but has 'worked in' some with use) and doesn't 'feel' as comfortable' when shouldered...probably due the balance of its full octagon barrel. On the other hand, it feeds whatever I stuff in magazine so long as the rounds don't exceed max. OAL and will print 2" 50-yd. groups (iron sights) all day with my 162 gr. RNFPs. So far as the Henry, the only one I've ever actually shot didn't impress me; in my hands it had all the balance of a slab of 2x6 and accuracy (with the owner's handloads) was marginal at best. Also, the .22-style magazine tube was a definite turn-off.

Bill

[Drm50]

I would take my money and look for a mint JM Marlin 1894 made before safety. You will have a much better gun and have the value built in if you decide to sell it. It will cost you about the same as a Henry. I wouldn't own a Rossi, I've taken several on trades but never keep them. I have nothing bad to say about Henry but it's not the rifle that a JM Marlin is. I have several Marlins made between 1946-1970 and have never had a problem with any of them. They don't like SWC bullets and you do have to watch OAL but that is no big deal. Mine feeds 44sp fine and bullet dia. depends on individual rifle like any other.

[Shawlerbrook]

Like said above they both have their advantages and disadvantages. They are very different guns and only you can decide.

[Ramjet-SS]

All my Henry Rifles are worth every penny. They are really nice firearms. Worth the difference we’ll only you can really answer that. For if I have the money it’s Henry all the way.

[John Boy]

I you will ever need parts for the Rossi - they are scarcer than hens teeth. If you ever need to send the the Roosi to a gun smith, there are only 2. Henry will turn your rifle around lackity split.They even re-engineered my Golden Boy for free to be able to chamber the UMC Match 22 bullet with a larger ogive - for free and turned around a new rifle with the mods in less than 2 weeks

[Ed in North Texas]

It seems my Taurus (Rossi 92) is an aberration. .45 LC, octagon 24" bbl (model no longer made) I changed the sights with Steve's green front and safety replacement aperture rear. Getting old, so I switched the stock for one for the Win 92 with a pad. It shot out of the box, nothing I did "needed" to be done. I also have an older Marlin in .45 LC and may have to settle for only using it as the next door grandson will fight me for the Taurus. Inconvenient that the model isn't made any longer, else I would have bought one for him and not had the hassle of his bugging me to use it.