Henry: My brain is obsessed...

358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
You have winter in Arkabama? It's all a matter of preference, but I've had exactly one big loop lever action, a Winchester '94 in 30-30. I sold it because the big loop threw off my timing when cycling the action, compared to the std lever. They are really cool to look at though. That said, I wish I had that rifle back, but I wish I had all of my Winchesters back.
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Well all this .44 lever talk has prompted me to toss my 2 cents into the pot. I really like my Rossi 92 carbine clone in, (gasp), .44-40. When I want top performance to shoot deer I load it with a Thompson .429215 over 21.0 gr. of Herc 2400. Killed 3 deer with that and it was decisive.

Plus, the .44-40 and related designs were specifically made to go through lever guns like goose effluvia.

I figgered since Rossi made those little carbines in .44 mag and .454 Casull they'd handle my version of the .44 W.C.F. HV. They look more like Winchesters and can be slicked up, refinished, and some have a saddle ring on 'em.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
fiver said:
I have both. [actually a few of both]
I swap the powder dumps from one 4 set to the other 4 set with impunity.
so [shrug] I got nuthin as far as which one to get.
IMO it really don't make much difference unless you want -52 instead of -30 size holes in stuff.
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see, that's the problem when I ponder on things for a long time, because -10 holes are just as good, maybe even gooder.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
Ian said:
I'd get the .44 if I had a choice. Reason being the chamber will be much tighter than the .45 Colt's which STILL is hogged out for .454" bullets. I have a heck of a time getting any of my .45 Colt long guns to shoot like I think they should and the sloppy chamber seems to be the root of it.

That said, with Starline brass, the .45 Colt rim is NOT a problem for my brass BB or NEF. The BB has dual extractors if memory serves and I can assure you it's a devil of a time to get the rim free of them to eject a cartridge which is too long for the port. Speaking of that, the BB is made for SAAMI max length ammunition and won't handle anything ANY longer, so check the nose length of your bullets very carefully. You can often fudge a little on length even in an SAA but not so with tje Henrys.

Oh yes, they do have recoil. The steel ones have a rubber pad and I wish my brass one did. Load light if you want to enjoy a long range session.
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Yes, I learned that with my BB in 41 Mag.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
358156 hp said:
Wait a bit and see how Ruger is progressing with the Marlins. My caliber choice would be 44 mag because it has a little more case rim than the 45 Colt, and that can be important in a lever action.
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well, it'll be a curious thing if Ruger puts a fast twist in their Marlin 44 mag...we shall see.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
CZ93X62 said:
The "differences" between a 44 Magnum and a 45 Colt in a levergun are mostly in the mind of the user. That 1-38" twist actually works for bullets up to 250 grains, which it shouldn't do--but it does. The twist in my Winchester/Miroku 1892 in 44 Mag is about 1-24", and it runs the 310 grain castmonsters accurately; at 1500 FPS they are exhilarating.
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Years ago, I did have a Marlin 1894s in 44mag (1:38), it was fine with 240gr Lead, but not 265gr lead. I didn't have a 250gr lead, but I did have some 252gr home swaged jacketed bullets, they didn't shoot great, they should have shot better, maybe being swaged with 40S&W brass and having a HP, made them longer...or there was some other issue I wasn't aware of? Maybe I should have tried pushing them faster?

My brain is really stuck on having a 1:20 twist
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
Winelover said:
Another 44 Magnum fan. Have a 45 BH but never did follow it up with a carbine. All my other pistol calibers have corresponding carbines..................9mm, 357 and 44 Magnum. If I decided to remedy that situation, it would most likely be a Henry.

My preference would be the Big Boy Steel with the large loop. The large loop would come in handy for cold weather hunting with gloves. Henry's are known for their heavier weight, so I would pass on the octagon barrel.
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While I "think" I like the idea of octagon barrel, you make an excellent point.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Rockydoc said:
You have a beautiful home, Winelover.
But you can keep the snow.
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In reality we don't get much here, many winters none. Sometimes a few inches and it's gone in a few days. Nothing like those living up north in the frozen tundra get.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Jon B et al--that 1-38" twist is like an inherited sixth toe on one foot. It might have made sense for the 200 grain FNs used by the 44/40, but a 1-20" twist is far more practical. It outlived its usefulness with the onset of smokeless powders 125 years ago.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
what did Ruger use in their bolt gun and the lever gun they made before?
I'd imagine that's what they'll go with when/if they get the marlin line back going.

Oh!
I see Remington arms is attempting to make guns again.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Ruger has been married to the 1-20" twist in most of their magnum handguns over the years. I'm pretty sure the 357 and 44 bolt rifles are 1-20" too.

Lamar--are you referring to the Field & Stream Q & A with the RemArms LLC rep? I think the focus on resurrecting the 870 and 700 and aiming at the medium-to-high price points is a smart move. If the quality is in keeping with that stated goal, it might just work.
 
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