45/70 Marlin or Henry

[gtgeorge]

I have been looking hi and low for a good deal on a 45/70 and am just going to go ahead and order a new one but need help from both sides of the fence on this one. I was pretty sure I was going to go with the Marlin (cough...remlin) 1895G but then had my LGS tell me he could get a Henry H010 as well so I started researching the Henry now as well. I do not lack the added safety on the new Marlins but know almost nothing about the Henry.

Research shows the tube load on the Henry and pretty good reviews while some like the tube and some do not. Overall it seems the Henry may be a little better but I have not held one and unsure of the strength of the action vs the Marlin.

So it would be great to hear from those that know more on this subject then me.

BTW it will never see a jacketed bullet or factory ammo for that matter.

[Geezer in NH]

Find a real Marlin without the Stupid cross safety. Send a little and get the barrel you want put on it.

[btroj]

My Marlin does all that needs doing. It has the safety but I never use it so it is pretty much ignored.
Find something that feels right and learn to shoot it. I don't care about reviews as I'm not shooting a rifle to please others.

[06ackley]

Look at both and see which one you like the most.I have the Henry and really like it and it will handle the heavier loads like the Marlin.

[stubert]

If you go with a new Marlin, make sure you look it over in person. I would not order one, you won't know if its a good one or not until you own it. Better yet, look for a used JM stamped with ballard rifling.

[EDK]

It isn't hard to find the JM marked MARLIN of your choice and at a decent price IF you check gunbroker, etc on a daily basis and are not shy about the BUY NOW button. It is somewhat amusing to watch prices seesaw all over the place for similar items.

I haven't had a round of factory (or jacketed) 45/70 ammo in 40+ years of owning one (or two or three.)

[Rick Hodges]

I have a Marlin Guide Gun in 45/70 and I love it. I have handled the Henry. It feels overweight and clunky. Crude by comparison to the Marlin. Some of that is due to the short bbl. of the Guide Gun, but the action barrel relationship doesn't seem "right" on the Henry either. I have worked on the action and trigger on my Marlin, so it's really not a fair comparison. I was not impressed with the Henry at all.

[plainsman456]

I found a Marlin 45-70 on gunbroker and it came home for 500.00.

I have read all of the bad fit machining on the rifles that were built during/after the move to the new buildings.
Mine was made in the new home and i have had none of the problems that they had at start up.
It has a 22 in.barrel and has only had cast shot in it.
They can be found one just has to look a lot.

[gtgeorge]

I spent more time looking and holding (fondling) and a Marlin will come home. I found a local pawn shop that can order one in at a decent price. I have tried the GB thing for several weeks and tired of the crazy prices there or folks that can't make a deal in a timely manner so going to order a new one. I haven't seen a problem with a single new one I have held other than the prices. I will get to look over what comes in anyhow just got to wait a couple days :(

Cabelas told me to come on down and they would honor the price I found and then didn't when I made the trip down there. Called for a manger and waited and waited.....and waited. Finally realized he was standing right there but never came to me and then was rude to top it off. Never setting foot in there again although will report my experience to higher ups!

[TXGunNut]

Have no experience with the Henry because I can't get past a few well-known detractors. Some folks love it, good for them. I have a 45-70 Guide Gun that does every thing I could ask of a hunting rifle. Handles like a levergun, has accuracy rivaling a bolt gun and drops game like a bolt of lightning. Plenty of good used ones floating around but current production is well reviewed.
Sorry to hear about your Cabela's experience. Suspect it will be under new management soon. It's not typical, I hope your complaint is heard and acted upon. I've had good experiences with most of the folks at my local store but the gun counter guys consistently come up short in the product knowledge category, IMHO. Gun Library guys are a little better, some are even quite knowledgeable but you have to figure out who they are.

[gtgeorge]

I too was sorry to get lead on a false purchase as I would have never wasted my time driving another 23 miles coming home from an exhausting match/day 2 hours from home. I perked up when I found out I could go pick it up instead of waiting til Monday. And then to have a manager called to help me that never came to me or identified himself. He just stood around and after 15 minutes or so I asked if he was the manager?

Anyhow I made a report at the local store and called corporate as well. They can't fix this sale but maybe they can see to it that the individuals responsible for my wasted trip are reprimanded or removed. Now I can't seem to break away from work to get it elsewhere so may have to wait even longer. :(