Henry Yellow boy

[.452dia]

My local dealer has a few Henry Yellow Boy rifles in 38/357, 44 mag. and 45 Colt. I have never even held one much less fired one but just looking at them they seem kind of cheaply made especially the sights. This may just be my first impression and I may be totally wrong but I'm looking for a 45 Colt levergun and this is the only thing I've found. Does anyone here own one or shot one? What is your opinion?

[375RUGER]

Can't speak about the larger calibers, but I have the classic .22 model. It is a great shooting lever gun. I personally wouldn't mind trying one of the .44 mags to see if it would be a good companion to my .44 wheel gun. I know my wife would love the .357 as companion to her six shooter.

[badgeredd]

A friend recently bought a 44 Mag Big Boy which I have shot. My impression with a few shots was good. I'd buy one is I could afford the price in 38/357. Sights didn't bother me but I really didn't look them over. The thing is in my mind is the sights are really an individual preference thing which can be replaced to fit the owner.

Edd

[LEADLUBBER]

The Henry Golden series rifles are all great!

the sights can be a little lacking, so I recommend these:

http://www.marblearms.com/improvedPeepTang_info.html

[Ken B]

I bought the 22 yellow Boy and love it. The action is so smooth. Henry is allAmerican made and is one of the nicest rifles Ive shot in a long time!!!!

[fecmech]

A friend has one that I have shot a few times in .357. I personally don't care for the brassy receiver but he loves it. The gun shoots and feeds well, and is accurate. Fit and finish is better than my Winchester 94 AE and a few of the newer Marlins I've seen. The downside for me is they are also somewhat heavy, about a pound more than a Winchester or Marlin in similar caliber. Oh, and they load like a tube fed .22 instead of through the receiver like win and marlin.

[hightime]

Kinda clunky. The 22's are great. They are well built, slick and accurate. The only down side is they are clear coated and it does wear off and then they look bad.
The big boy's are not light , slick . They are bulky.

Owen

[RobS]

My Dad has a Big Boy in 44 mag and as been said they are heavy but shoot well and the actions are like silk. The other thing I noted is the bullet nose has to be pretty short in the 44 mag version, .325" if memory is correct, if they are to cycle (no LFN designs). I don't know if the 45 colt would be similar or not regarding the shorter nose length but I'm sure the the 45 cal would be built with the same quality.

[Kicker96fs]

I have one in .44 mag, shot my first deer with it so it holds a place in my heart.

I do like the gun, always wanted one, but there are better made guns out there like the Marlin

If you shoot it a lot, at one time, just remember that it is brass, brass heats up pretty good and the screws get loose.

The first thing I changed out were the sights for a set of Tru-Glo.

It's fun to shoot, looks like the ole cowboy guns, high maintenance.

[DeanWinchester]

Henry make an excellent rifle. I just wish they'd make one with a side loading gate. That's the only issue I take with them. I have a .22 and it is an excellent rifle.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

A friend brought a Henry in 44mag to the range and let me shoot it. It shot well and was slick to operate. I was impressed with the fit and finish and I really liked the dark walnut stock. The gun is a little heavy but in 44mag, I like that too. I have a Marlin carbine in .44mag and while it is lighter than the Henry, it also has more recoil.

[MGySgt]

A friend of mine had one in 45 Colt. The only issue was the length of boolit hanging out of the case. The RCBS 45-270 would not function - too long. I guess we could have crimped over the shoulder.

The RCBS 45-230 CM was a great shooter in it. We had no problem keeping a full mag on a 6X8 Steel plate at 100 yards with it.

[Trapdoor]

I own a Military Henry in 44-40. It's heavy and has a wierd balance, very front heavy. It's a work horse. Shoots well. Everybody that has shouldered it liked it. NO kick. The biggest drawback I find is the sharp edges left after machining. If you shoot it without a glove I can rest assured I'll go home bleeding from razor type cuts.

[.452dia]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm going to pass on the Henry though. I just can't make my self like a big bore rifle that loads like a 22. If they make it with a side loading gate like all the originals then I'll give one a try.

[DeanWinchester]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm going to pass on the Henry though. I just can't make my self like a big bore rifle that loads like a 22. If they make it with a side loading gate like all the originals then I'll give one a try.

I wrote them and told the very same thing. I was polite and the returned a VERY polite response thanking me for considering them. I sure like the look, feel and 100% made in the USA of their rifles. Shame one little thing holds me back.

From their point of view though, Think of how much money in tooling, set up and machining it saves them by deleting the loading gate. They do save quite a bit.

[725]

Got the .22 lever. Don't like the pot metal. Most accurate .22 I've shot, and I've shot some .22's. Action is smooth as silk. My favorite .22 because it works soooooooooo good.

[MGySgt]

The original Henry rifle loaded through a slot in the mag tube and had a spring loaded follower that you slid forward and hooked to drop the 44 rim fire cartridges in.

Today's Henry continued with the original loading practice.

By using the tube feed the receiver is stronger and more ridged - there by enhancing accuracy.

Another factor with the new ones is if the round will go straight through the loading port in the tube - it will cycle through. If you have to work at it or tilt the round to get it into the tube - it won't function, just jam the rifle as the overall lenght is too long.

Believe me - when you jam a round due to overall length you can get it out but you just about have to disassemble the rifle.

I know this for a fact. :)

[Maineboy]

I won a Golden Boy in our gun club raffle this past spring. It's not a rifle I would have purchased on my own cause it's "too pretty" to use. I've got it hanging on the wall and it will go to one of my grandchildren when I pass on.

[fecmech]

That is a terrific looking gun rack!

[pietro]

Got the .22 lever. Don't like the pot metal.


FWIW, the only "pot metal" on mine are the ZAMAC (zinc aluminum magnesium alloy composite) receiver cover (the receiver itself is steel), and the barrel bands - steel bbl/walnut stocks.


.

[Maineboy]

That is a terrific looking gun rack!

Thanks!
I have some odd shaped rough sawn walnut boards given to me a few years ago that I thought should be put to some use. I just ran one side through the planer a few times, applied some satin finish urethane and added the fancy gun hooks. It looks nice enough that my wife found a place in the living room for it to hang.