Opinions on a new 44 Mag levergun purchase

For Cast Boolits...probably 99%, maybe more...
Soon as I divest myself of a couple long guns that are simply taking space. I will set my mind and meager shopping skills to obtaining a lever gun in 44 Mag.
Leaning heavily to the Rossi 92... but the Henry intrigues me.
I doubt I will take the time to Make a Marlin Micro-groove work..and Winchesters... I already have a Pre, and Post '64 M94... they fill a Niche... But... I plan to use this new 44 hard, and put it up wet.. and... unlike some... Money Is an Object
read the bit just under here about the Rossi.. have located precious little info, on the Henry.
Heck... Maybe there is something out there I am simply overlooking??
qualifications?? Fair price, available, 44 Magnum, Cast Boolit Friendly... maybe prefers them!! No need for Hot Rod...these Rounds should be OK in any other .44 on the farm!!!
Thanks for any insights and certainly Guidance... I can live with Constructive Criticism as well!! Just don't "pile it on" as I am "Sensitive"....LOL

I just got a rossi 92 in .44 earlier this week. I am rather impressed all in all. I do maintain that the Henry is a nicer gun over all though I don't honestly know in what way it might be better. It just looks and feels better (my dad has a Henry in .44 so I am familiar with both). The rossi is shooting great with big boolits and small, no problems. Just have to keep the oal to a minimum. I am quite impressed with the finish quality on the metal. If you can find a Henry, not much reason not to go for it if it's not cost prohibitive. I could not find one at the time and I settled for the rossi and can't say that I regret it.

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Originally Posted by CoolHandMoss

I just got a rossi 92 in .44 earlier this week. I am rather impressed all in all. I do maintain that the Henry is a nicer gun over all though I don't honestly know in what way it might be better. It just looks and feels better (my dad has a Henry in .44 so I am familiar with both). The rossi is shooting great with big boolits and small, no problems. Just have to keep the oal to a minimum. I am quite impressed with the finish quality on the metal. If you can find a Henry, not much reason not to go for it if it's not cost prohibitive. I could not find one at the time and I settled for the rossi and can't say that I regret it.

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Good Review.. I may be concerned about OAL, as I tend to simply use the crimp groove, and the 310 RF Lee has lots of Boolit hangin out front!!
I suspect more time will be spent with the 200 RF tho.. and Every time I shoot some 255 SWC's I wonder why I don't keep more of them on hand!!
I do Not believe I am In any Hurry.. Only On the Race track!! For this purchase...I will be Taking my time.. I suppose I should take the time to locate folks that are shooting Each...at least observe!!
Around here... if one considers Used, it is Common to do some "Testing"!!! Most do Not however, test New stuff!!!!

I just found that I had loaded some 250gn swcs and not gotten quite all the way to the top of the crimp groove and it wouldn't feed. Get them nice and deep on the crimp groove and they're working now. I stray away from the lighter boolits in rifles personally, trying to keep the velocity down reasonably.

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I got to fondle a unicorn yesterday...well not quite,but a Ruger 66 is rather a rare thing...was very impressed indeed.

Depending on which models you look at, the price difference doesn't look that big.
So far, I haven't seen too many folks regret buying American.

Downside to the henry is weight. Its a tank. But its ready to run out of the box.

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

Depending on which models you look at, the price difference doesn't look that big.
So far, I haven't seen too many folks regret buying American.

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Would be My Preference.. Curious about Strength.. tho Not likely to Stress Test!!!

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Originally Posted by Milky Duck

I got to fondle a unicorn yesterday...well not quite,but a Ruger 66 is rather a rare thing...was very impressed indeed.

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Unicorn indeed... never even seen reference to a Model 66 ruger!!

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Originally Posted by Misery-Whip

Downside to the henry is weight. Its a tank. But its ready to run out of the box.

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Unfortunately, Heavy weight aint always well built!! Will investigate carefully

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Originally Posted by Misery-Whip

Downside to the henry is weight. Its a tank. But its ready to run out of the box.

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That's true of the brass and octagon barrel guns but steel .44 will be right in the 7 lb. neighborhood.

I had a Marlin in 44 mag for a short time. I enjoyed shooting it in place of my 45/70 to keep in practice. I sometimes think of getting a pistol caliber lever action again, but lean more towards a .357. The only reason I would get 44 mag, is because I still have the dies and other things in that caliber. I don’t have anything in .357.

If you can find one, the Browning 92 made back in the 1980's is an exceptionally nice rifle. I have the Marlin now and it is decent but nowhere as nice as the Browning.

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Originally Posted by Nobade

If you can find one, the Browning 92 made back in the 1980's is an exceptionally nice rifle. I have the Marlin now and it is decent but nowhere as nice as the Browning.

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I had one. Only2 things I didn’t like. 1. The mild steel carbine buttplate kicked way more than the Marlin 1894. This could be mitigated with a leather lace on pad. 2. I never warmed up to the made in Japan. But now days am more accepting to it. Other than that, such a beautiful rifle.

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Originally Posted by doghawg

That's true of the brass and octagon barrel guns but steel .44 will be right in the 7 lb. neighborhood.

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I doubt I would want Brass nor Octagon... but... Great Information!! Thanks

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Originally Posted by Nobade

If you can find one, the Browning 92 made back in the 1980's is an exceptionally nice rifle. I have the Marlin now and it is decent but nowhere as nice as the Browning.

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Me Thinks no Marlin, simply because of the Micro Groove, and I will shoot Cast almost exclusively.

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Originally Posted by smkummer

I had one. Only2 things I didn’t like. 1. The mild steel carbine buttplate kicked way more than the Marlin 1894. This could be mitigated with a leather lace on pad. 2. I never warmed up to the made in Japan. But now days am more accepting to it. Other than that, such a beautiful rifle.

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Recoil is something I want to get away from a bit.. but, I have "pussiepads"... LOL
Seriously tho...the reason there are less and less 44 Handguns on the farm, is my hands suffer from RA terribly!!
Now I'm wondering if the brass/octagon Heft of the Henry may be a Good Thing??

44 Mag rifles seldom shoot revolver loads well and usually you need to load special ammo for the rifle.

Rifle barrels are usually 431-.432 and lead like crazy with a 429-430 bullet like you use in your revolver. Ammo loaded with 431-432 bullets will rarely chamber in revolvers. It is tricky to load a 431 bullet and not have it rezized by the brass so you might need a special expander plug to open up your brass. Oh, and expander plugs like to stick so you will now need to lube the inside case mouths. Many guys give up and end up using jacketed ammo for their rifle.

If you want a big bore pistol caliber I recommend the 45 colt. The barrel dimensions are the same as the handguns and you will have no problem finding a load that works in both handgun and rifle. The only downside to the 45 colt is that rifles tend to have larger chambers than revolvers so you need to full length resize occasionally to make sure all your brass will fit in your revolver. 45 colt can do everything a 44 mag can do plus some. 44 mags don't shoot 350 grain bullets at 1400 fps or 315 grain bullets at 1600 fps.

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Originally Posted by mnewcomb59

44 Mag rifles seldom shoot revolver loads well and usually you need to load special ammo for the rifle.

Rifle barrels are usually 431-.432 and lead like crazy with a 429-430 bullet like you use in your revolver. Ammo loaded with 431-432 bullets will rarely chamber in revolvers. It is tricky to load a 431 bullet and not have it rezized by the brass so you might need a special expander plug to open up your brass. Oh, and expander plugs like to stick so you will now need to lube the inside case mouths. Many guys give up and end up using jacketed ammo for their rifle.

If you want a big bore pistol caliber I recommend the 45 colt. The barrel dimensions are the same as the handguns and you will have no problem finding a load that works in both handgun and rifle. The only downside to the 45 colt is that rifles tend to have larger chambers than revolvers so you need to full length resize occasionally to make sure all your brass will fit in your revolver. 45 colt can do everything a 44 mag can do plus some. 44 mags don't shoot 350 grain bullets at 1400 fps or 315 grain bullets at 1600 fps.

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Luckily the one SBH that I use most, prefers .431... Not .430 nor .432 tho... If my Loads do Not shoot in said Rifle... it will be the one going down the road!!
I do Not prefer 45LC thanks. and I have a 45Win Mag barrel on my Contender that gives me all of the .45 "action" I require.. Again, cast Only.. Including 45ACP... tho the Internet says they Suck in yer Contender, Mine did Not get the Memo..
If I need More Power.. '06 or 20 GA... Even 8x57.

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Originally Posted by Milky Duck

I got to fondle a unicorn yesterday...well not quite,but a Ruger 66 is rather a rare thing...was very impressed indeed.

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Welp...I believe you mean a Model 96 Ruger.. Handled one today... A definite "maybe"... I had absolutely forgotten about them!!!
I may yet make an offer on this one...After a Test Drive!!!!

yes I may have been mistaken...its pretty much same rifle as the semiautomatic "deerfield carbine" except it has a lever... same fella also has the ruger bolt action stainless synthetic...both were light and short..ideal for a pighunter running dogs where most shots are under 25 yards,normally under 15.

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Originally Posted by Milky Duck

yes I may have been mistaken...its pretty much same rifle as the semiautomatic "deerfield carbine" except it has a lever... same fella also has the ruger bolt action stainless synthetic...both were light and short..ideal for a pighunter running dogs where most shots are under 25 yards,normally under 15.

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Yup...And Yup!!

Never heard of the 96 before, one on Gunbroker at the moment. And a dozen of the semi-auto Ruger
carbines. I'd rather the lever action, looks like extra mags are no problem. Not quite a "levermatic" action, but probably a shorter stroke than
the Winnies or Marlins. Got lots of the Marlins, love the simplicity of the actions over the Winchester, with apologies to JM Browning. One of my grail guns is a levermatic shotgun, preferably in 16ga.

Update after trip to local Gun Show..
The Henry is Nice indeed, can't see myself with the Brass Frame, too gaudy. Cant Warm up to the Matt Black instead of Bluing either...too fussy???
The Rossi has the Look... a bit low on Heft!! Probably a Very good Choice, after the Large loop finger lever is replaced with a "Normal" one.. apparently Not a Big Deal!!
Gonna see How that Ruger M96 Operates maybe this Week... haven't discounted it just yet!!
and Havent Operated either the Henry nor Rossi either...Yet!!