U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Almost 160 years after the fact, Henry Repeating Arms finally added a side loading gate to their line of rifles which for the longest time had only been front-loading tubular magazine rifles.
A few months back I was lucky enough to try out one of the first of these rifles chambered in 35 Remington, but all it did was make me long for other calibers in the same platform! So when I was offered their ultimate big bore rifle in 45-70, I had to say “Yes!”
- Henry.45-70 Rifle IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE HENRY REPEATING ARMS COMPANY TEL. 201-858-4400 FAX. 201-858-4435 EMAIL. [email protected] WEBSITE. Www.henryrepeating.com WARNING: BEFORE USING FIREARM, READ AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. If there is anything you do not understand.
- Howdy Pards, I'm wanting to buy a.45-70 lever gun for thumping bears and moose, and generally to look like a bad@$$. I've handled a few Marlin 1895s, and they are great guns, but given the problems Marlin has had lately, I'm reluctant to buy one sight-unseen online.
Henry Repeating Arms and the Loading Gate
Henry Repeating Arms'.45-70 now joins three other side-gate rifles in.38-55,.30-30 and.35 Remington calibers. Range Review: Henry.45-70 Lever Action An Official Journal Of The NRA Join.
The earliest rifles with the Henry name were built at the New Haven Arms Company based on Benjamin Tyler Henry’s design back in 1860. As successful as the design was, shooters and soldiers complained about dirt entering the magazine tube and gumming up the works or damaging the magazine tube while carried on horseback.
In 1865 Oliver Winchester renamed New Haven Arms the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and a plant superintendent named Nelson King redesigned the magazine tube which incorporated a side loading gate.
While I am in my fourth decade of shooting, I am a relative newcomer to Henry Repeating Arms. Even though the company has been around for 20 + years they only jumped on my radar two years ago. Some firearm, civil war and old west historians balked at the use of the Henry name, but I think they need to get over it.
Henry Repeating Arms is building the rifles that Benjamin Tyler Henry and Oliver Winchester wish they could have built.
Henry Side Gate Lever Action Rifle in 45-70
Every time I take one of their rifles out of the box I am blown away by their appearance. Pictures do not do this rifle justice. I have said it before and I will say it again, their brass receivers take my breath away every time as does the wood, checkering and the slickness of their actions.
The genius of these new rifles is retaining the front-loading capability while incorporating the side loading gate. This beats having to manually cycle your unfired rounds through the chamber. On these new rifles, all you need to do is pull the front of the tube out and safely unload the rifle.
45-70: A little bit about the cartridge
I consider 45-70 to be the “King of the Beasts”, the history of the cartridge is quite impressive.
In 1866 the US Military began a search for a rifle cartridge with a .45 caliber bullet that would give increased range, penetration and accuracy. They found it in the “45-70-405”. This three-part naming convention referred to the diameter of the bullet (0.45″), the weight of the black powder charge (70 grains) and the weight of the projectile (405 grains). It was loaded in a centerfire copper case and christened the “.45-70 Government” cartridge in commercial catalogs.
Muzzle velocity was 1,350 feet per second and the accuracy standard was 4 MOA (Minute of Angle), translating to 4″ at 100 yards. Trials were held in 1872 for a rifle capable of firing this round and was awarded to the Springfield Trapdoor rifle of 1873.
The round was used in various Gatling gun models from 1873 until 1893, about the same lifespan of the Trapdoor Springfield rifles and carbines. However, at the dawn of the 20th century, the single-shot black powder rifle concept was rapidly becoming obsolete. Thankfully hunters and sportsmen saved the round from fading into oblivion.
After all, it is a large diameter bullet seated in a case with a huge powder capacity!
It became a favorite round of buffalo hunters because the large dense bullet moves at a relatively slow pace and penetrates without destroying the meat. I believe most hunters in the 19th century used a 500 grain bullet as opposed to the 405 grain type.
Modern 45-70 ammunition is more than adequate for any North American big game animals within appropriate distances. It has even been used successfully in Africa on the Big Five.
Luckily, we are not at the mercy of single-shot trapdoor, falling block or rolling block rifles any more for this round. Winchester had offered its Model of 1886 in chambering and that tradition continues today with other manufacturers such as Henry Repeating Arms.
Modern firearms such as the Henry can pretty much ignore the anemic black powder loadings and several companies produce ammunition appropriate for use in modern rifles. Just don’t shoot them out of your old Trapdoor Springfield!
The Rest of the Rifle
Beyond the gorgeous exterior, lever-action rifles built by Henry Arms have a buttery smooth action and rock-solid lockup. The semi-buckhorn style sight has a diamond that is highly visible and the front sight is an ivory bead. If you want to add an optic the receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
At the Range
I set my target up at 100 yards with the rifle supported by sandbags.
Being that I have a few rifles and even a pistol chambered in 45-70, I had a few varieties of ammunition on hand. I took a 20-box of HSM Cowboy Action Lead RNFP 405 Grains and a 20-round box of 325 grain Hornady LEVERevelution.
Henry 45 70 Problems Youtube
I have to say the trigger is a thing of beauty too and breaks at a crisp 4 pounds.
Using the HSM ammunition first, my best 4-shot group was at 2.05”. The Hornady ammunition felt a bit stouter but performed much better at 1.5”. I was impressed but thought I could do better.
I did engage some steel targets at various distances while standing and rang steel all day. The big lead 405-grain slugs leave a nice big mark, too.
Skinner Sights
I know that most rifles are more accurate than the shooter behind the trigger. For years I was a diehard iron sight guy. That was how I learned and unless I am shooting at longer ranges, I tend to prefer irons.
However, I’m approaching my half-century mark on this earth and on some days things can get a little blurry. Even though the Henry is drilled and tapped for a scope and I do have a lever gun with an optic, I wanted something to keep this rifle a bit more traditional for now.
I have two other lever-action rifles equipped with receiver mounted peep sights made by Skinner Sights. I have tried tang sights and veneers and considered it for a minute until I talked to Andy Larsson.
Henry 45 70 Problems List
We met in person at a Blue August Media event in Las Vegas. He was demonstrating his sights and a few other projects that they have in the works. I asked him if he made a tang sight.
“No, those things are up when you want them down and down when you want them up.”
I agreed and told him how I had his sights on two of my other rifles and loved them, but that I wanted to add one to a Henry and keep the old-timey look. Motherload goldium edition mac. He had the perfect solution.
Skinner Sights offers a brass peep sight that fits in the scope mounting holes on the top of the receiver. It is very reminiscent of the M16/AR-15 type sight and the aperture can be changed. It is completely adjustable for windage and elevation. They offer a black version, too, but the gold one looks like it was made for the brass-framed Henry.
While you do not have to remove the rear buckhorn sight, it kept throwing me off, so it had to go. Skinner makes an easy to install dovetail slot filler that completes the look of the rifle.
Cannondale serial number. I returned to the range and with the HSM ammunition was able to shrink my group size down to just over 1 inch.
It works on the principle of a scope by allowing you to see better. Small apertures improve your ability to focus just like when you aim a camera or a rifle scope. It’s an assist for your vision and the increased distance by moving the rear sight from the barrel to the rear of the receiver gives you a longer sight radius. It may not give you as fast a sight picture as the factory sights, but you’re not exactly going to be protecting your covered wagon from Paiutes or Comanche anytime soon.
If you are looking for a sight like this for your Henry, Marlin, Winchester, Thompson Center or Ruger check them out at http://www.skinnersights.com/
Downsides
If there is a downside to brass framed Henry rifles it is that they look too good. I shoot a few old commemorative rifles, so that has never been a problem for me, but I could see truly dedicated hunters and outdoorsmen craving a more subdued or subtle finish and reduced checkering on these rifles or else they may be hesitant to go afield with them. Maybe as time goes by, we will see these rifles offered in blued steel with plain walnut furniture.
I do think adding the side loading gate to rifles with Henry’s Brass receiver flagship look was an incredibly smart idea, though.
The only other thing that will be an issue on this model is the brass butt plate. I didn’t find it bad on the 35 Remington version, or too much with the 405-grain bullets. I definitely knew I was shooting a big bore with the Hornady, though. A nice rubber recoil pad will be a welcome addition to a field model if they ever roll out.
Final Thoughts
As a lever-action fan, I was always partial to other brands, but Henry is quickly making me a believer in their products. This is the second Henry Rifle I tried out with the side-loading gate and all I can say is that I hope more calibers and configurations are offered down the line.
I see the demand there already for 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum and I think my personal dream gun would be a side-loading gate on a 41 Magnum Mare’s Leg for an SBR project. The other benefit of the side gate is that threaded barrels can be incorporated with close to full-length magazine tubes.
- Model Number: H024-4570
- Action Type: Lever Action Rifle
- Caliber: 45-70
- Capacity: 4 Rounds
- Barrel Length: 19.8″
- Barrel Type: Round Blued Steel
- Rate of Twist: 1:20”
- Overall Length: 38.1″
- Weight: 7.09 lbs.
- Receiver Finish: Polished Brass
- Rear Sight: Fully Adj. Semi-Buckhorn w/ Diamond Insert
- Front Sight: Ramp w/ .062″ Ivory Bead
- Scope Mount Type: Weaver 63B
- Stock Material: American Walnut
- Buttplate/Pad: Brass
- Length of Pull: 14″
- Safety: Transfer Bar
- MSRP: $1,045
- Website:https://www.henryusa.com/
About Mike Searson
Mike Searson’s career as a shooter began as a Marine Rifleman at age 17. He has worked in the firearms industry his entire adult life as a Gunsmith, Ballistician, Consultant, Salesman, Author, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1989.
Mike has written over 2000 articles for several magazines, websites, and newsletters, including Blade, RECOIL, OFF-GRID, Tactical Officer, SWAT, Tactical World, Gun Digest, Examiner.com and the US Concealed Carry Association as well as AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
- Home page: www.mikesearson.com
- FB: www.facebook.com/mike.searson
- TWITTER: www.twitter.com/mikesearson
Compared: Marlin 1895G and Henry H010 Lever Action .45-70 'Guide Guns'
By Randy D. Smith
The .45-70 cartridge has been around for 140 years and is certainly not what most would consider anexample of modern ballistic performance. Most loads sighted 3” high at 100yards will drop nearly a foot at 200 yards. Yet, in spite of its less thanimpressive performance, it is a popular choice among sport shooters andhunters. Nearly every historical single shot replica is chambered for the.45-70, but I believe that the .45-70 is at its best when chambered in leveraction rifles and carbines. Carbines chambered in .45-70 are excellent, shortrange “knock-down” guns, ideal for deer, feral hogs, black bear and larger game.
By the mid-20thcentury, the .45-70 had nearly disappeared from the scene as a popularcartridge, but legend, reenactment and product promotion brought the roundroaring back. Perhaps the most influential of the lever action rifles is theMarlin Guide Gun. Today, the Marlin Guide Gun is a popular choice for anyonewanting a short range, fast shooting, powerful, dangerous game defense gun. Whilemost of us will never have to face the wrath of a charging grizzly in thealders of Alaska, the romance of the Guide Gun is addictive. In addition, as Ihave found over the years, the .45-70 Guide Gun speaks with such authority thatit is often my first choice when other rounds would do just as well.
A feral hog hunterdoesn’t usually need anything more powerful than a .30-30 or .243, but the.45-70 is just more fun to shoot and it anchors hogs like the hammer of Thor. Comparedto just about any dangerous game rifle on the market, the Marlin Guide Gun isvery reasonably priced. It is a popular hunting gun and will probably continueto be for decades.
I’ve owned and partedwith three Marlin .45-70 rifles during several decades of quenching my thirstto experience hunting with different types and styles of rifles. The first wasa Model 1895 equipped with a fixed power 1.5X scope. I took an excellentwhitetail buck at 50 yards the first season I owned it.
My second Marlin was astainless steel Guide Gun with ported barrel and I added XS Express sights. Itremains one of the fastest on target hunting rifles I have ever owned. I could starta tin can at 40 yards and roll it along as fast as I could lever and shoot thenext four rounds. I bought that gun brand new and sold it two seasons later fora $200 profit. I wonder what it is worth now.
My third was animpulse purchase during the closing of a sporting goods store chain. I bought astandard walnut and blue steel Guide Gun at a little over dealer cost. Icarried it quite a bit backpacking and horse packing in the mountains. I soldit for what I originally paid to a Colorado horse packer guide who wanted itfor his business. He probably needed it more than I did.
I was preparing for aMontana and Idaho camping and wolf calling trip. I decided that I’d like tohave another Guide Gun to take along for camp and bear defense. That was when Iran across a new Henry H010 carbine in .45-70. I was impressed with the generalfit, finish, and design of the Henry and it is American made, so I decided togive it a try. The price was higher than a Marlin, but the Henry came standardwith XS Express Sights that made it very competitive.
Marlin Model 1895G Guide Gun
The Marlin Guide Gun Model 1895G is atraditionally designed lever action big bore carbine with a polished bluefinish and standard grade straight grip walnut stock. It is a side ejection,solid top receiver, traditional Marlin 336 action with the hammer block safetybutton near the hammer. It has a short 18-½” barrel with standard barrel bandslinked to the forearm and cartridge feed tube near the front sight. The opensights are traditional semi-buckhorn rear with a blade and bead front sight. Itis equipped with detachable sling swivel studs on the butt and forearm band. Thewrist and wide forearm have traditional and fairly rough machine checkering.
The example I boughtat a gun show was new, but from a dealer’s old stock. It rested beside a pairof new Marlin Model 1895GBL rifles in .45-70 with big loop levers, pistol griplaminated stocks and matte blue finish. I was not impressed with the fit andfinish or design of either of the newer rifles. I sighed and thought to myself,“Is this where Marlin is going under Remington ownership?” The 1895GBL isdesigned to sell at a competitive price to city slickers, but it is not therugged, outdoor, dangerous game carbine that the older model is.
I use a new Model 336Yin .30-30 as a truck gun with the same finish and laminated stock design. Itfunctions and shoots fine, but the finish is nothing less than a rust magnetand demands nearly constant attention. The heavy laminated stocks have all theappeal of a fence post. The GBL's were priced cheaper than the 1895G, but Igave them only a passing inspection before selecting the older, much betterrifle. I felt it was best to get one of the good guns before they were gone.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Model #: 1895G
- Type: Lever action repeater
- Caliber: .45-70 Govt.
- Magazine Capacity: 4 rounds
- Sights: Adjustable semi-buckhorn rear, ramp front sight; tapped for scope mount; offset hammer spur included for scope use
- Metal finish: Blued
- Stock: Straight grip American walnut with recoil pad.
- Overall length: 37”
- Barrel length: 18.5”
- Weight: 7 lbs (empty)
- Country of origin: USA
- 2013 MSRP: $680.00
Henry Model H010
The Henry Model H010 .45-70 is a side eject,solid top lever action carbine that looks quite similar to the Marlin at firstglance. The pistol grip stock and forearm are walnut with a smoother darkfinish and shallower machine cut checkering than the Marlin. The forearm seemsthin in the hand compared to the Marlin’s wide forearm. The butt of the Henryhas a substantial vented recoil pad and sling swivel studs are provided.
There is no safety switchmounted in the receiver, as Henry is equipped with an internal transfer barsafety that prevents hammer contact with the firing pin unless the trigger ispulled. There is also no half cock hammer notch on the Henry. The exposedhammer is either fully cocked or resting against the receiver.
There is no side loadingport cut into the receiver. Load is by means of a brass loading tube, similarto the under barrel feeding tubes of many .22 rifles. It is secured withsubstantial plastic bands and is equipped with sling swivel studs. Tube feedloading is a design feature common to all Henry rifles, I assume to remainsimilar to the original Henry rifle of 1860. The tube is opened by pushing downto free a short pin from a retaining slot then turned to allow the tube to beremoved. A cartridge slot is cut midway down the loading tube housing to allowloading without fully removing the tube. The Henry is also equipped withstandard XS Ghost Ring sights with a white strip clearly visible on the frontsight post. The finish is matte blue on the receiver and barrel, less refinedthan the 1895G, but not as crude as on the 1895GBL Marlin.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Model #: H010
- Action type: Lever action repeater
- Caliber: .45-70 Govt.
- Magazine capacity: 4 rounds
- Sights: Adjustable XS Ghost Ring rear, blade front; drilled and tapped for scope mounting
- Metal finish: Matte blue
- Stock: Pistol grip American walnut with recoil pad
- Overall length: 39'
- Barrel length: 18.43'
- Weight: 7 pounds (empty)
- Country of origin: USA
- 2013 MSRP: $800
The Comparison
I guess the initialtopic for discussion should be the purpose for owning a .45-70 lever actioncarbine in the first place. Other than as a heavy knock down thick cover biggame hunting rifle, the real reason for designing such a gun is for defenseagainst dangerous predators. A dangerous game guide or outfitter needs acarbine style repeater chambered for a powerful cartridge that can be deployedvery quickly at close range. The rifle needs to be light, manageable andfoolproof. It should be a design that will ride well in a saddle scabbard orcan be carried for long hours in the field in all weather conditions.
Both the Marlin andthe Henry are reliable actions that feed and function very well. The triggerpull on both is adequate at about 4 pounds.
The Henry has a longerlength of pull. I had some trouble getting the Henry into my shoulder quickly,as the heavy recoil pad seemed to hang up on my shirt and jacket. I had topurposely push the butt away from my shoulder and draw it back for quick shots.The Marlin was much smoother to get into shoulder alignment. Advantage Marlin.
The Henry’s recoil padand pistol grip stock helped to significantly soften the recoil of heavy loads.I was quicker back on target after shooting with the Henry. Advantage Henry.
The Henry’s Ghost Ringsights are extremely quick on target. If you have never used a ghost ringsight, you need to try it, especially if you do a lot of close range, fast shooting.They are quite accurate out to 100 yards and I have never had any damage to anyghost ring sights in the field. I have damaged traditional open sights, such asare on the Marlin Guide Gun, in the field. Advantage Henry.
Marlin’s side safetybutton design is a joke, a lawyered up gimmick that never has and never willmake sense on an open hammer, lever action with a hammer safety notch. I pushthe button to shooting position and leave it there on all my Marlins. Everyonce in a while, however, I try to make a shot and the hammer does not makecontact with the firing pin, because the lawyer button got bumped into safetyposition. Hell of a thing to happen on a dangerous game carbine! I considerHenry’s transfer block system to be much superior. Advantage Henry.
I had trouble from dayone with the loading tube of the Henry. I contacted the Company and they wereperfectly willing to inspect and repair the gun under warranty with the cost ofmailing both ways on them! That is impressive, especially if you’ve ever hadany dealings with Remington’s crack pot warranty and repair program. Onwarranty service, advantage Henry.
However, the loadingtube concept is an issue for me. The Henry can be loaded and unloaded veryquickly. I’ve heard and read arguments that the Henry is fully out of service whilethe tube is being loaded, which is true. When things work right, however,loading can be done very quickly. In fact, the tube feed can be loaded quickerthan the Marlin's side port feed.
The trouble is thatthe loading tube on my Henry would stick tight and I could not remove itwithout the use of pliers to free it from the tube housing. I tried everythingI could think of to loosen the tube for quick reloading before contacting thecompany. It seemed that the heavy recoil of .45-70 loads was driving the rubbero-ring on the loading tube into the tube housing. I went back to the gun shopwhere I purchased the rifle and examined the tightness of the loading tubes of.44 magnum and 30-30 Henry rifles in stock. Some tubes were very tight andothers were easy to work. I took the rifle to the dealer and one of his big,burly, sales staff with hands and fingers like slabs of meat had no troubleopening the tube. He then asked me if I knew that I was to push down on thetube to free it from the retainer notch. Duh! Teach your mother to suck eggs! Iwas probably hunting with my first .45-70 when he was being potty trained!
I recently read anarticle in a gun magazine where the author was demonstrating in a photo how ashooter could load the side port of a lever action while holding the butt ofthe rifle to his shoulder. This was being used as an argument for the advantageof a lever action rifle. I can just imagine trying to pull .45-70 cartridgesfrom my belt and jamming them into a Marlin loading port with one hand while Ikept the rifle carefully in shoulder position in case the dangerous critter Iwas after charged before I got another critical cartridge chambered into therifle. Poppy cock!
The fact remains,however, that a side port can be reloaded quickly and I have been insituations where my shaking, nervous fingers were having trouble just holdingonto the cartridge, let alone getting it into a rifle. It seems like no matterhow much you’ve practiced, in truly dangerous or tense situations, nothingseems to work as planned. A loading tube, flopping around on the end of therifle in thick brush while the nervous user tries to charge the rifle, does notappeal to me. Neither does a stuck loading tube in wet, snowy, or icyweather. So, on the loading issue, I have to say, advantage Marlin. (We had absolutely no trouble with the magazine tube of the Henry .45-70 we reviewed--see the Product Reviews page for details. -Editor.)
For me, this becamethe critical difference and why I chose to keep the Marlin over the Henry. Bothare excellent shooters. Both handle smoothly without a hint of malfunction ormisfeeding. The recoil of .45-70 loads, especially Hornady LeverEvolutionrounds, is much heavier with the straight wrist stocked Marlin, but I don’tnotice recoil when shooting in the field, especially in tense situations. TheHenry is also a more bulky design than the Marlin 1895G and did not handle asquickly in tight conditions. The tables are entirely turned when comparing theHenry to the cheaply made 1895GBL. I’d go with the Henry every time.
A recreational shooterand sport hunter should have no trouble with the Henry H010 loading tube and Idoubt it will ever be an issue. However, for me, when I’m jamming a .45-70 intomy saddle scabbard for a ride into the back trails of Rocky Mountain bearcountry, it will be the Marlin 1895G.