comparing Leverguns

[azmark]

This is kind of an extension of a previous thread...I was looking at a Henry Big Boy, but I guess I should look at other rifles as well. I see Rossi is marketing their model 92s, and I've read a lot of people on the forum mention them. How does their design compare to the Henry?

[TedH]

In my opinion there is no comparison. The 92 is far superior. The Henry is heavy and just ugly to my eye. The 92 is light, sleek and strong.

[azmark]

So, the fact that it's not a high dollar american made rifle is not a problem? Maybe I've been prejudiced. I have a Henry .22 that is awesome. The Big Boys are so expensive, I guess I just thought they were worth it. I have to admit I'm not crazy about the brass. Anybody got any experience with the new Rossis?

[AJMD429]

The Henry's look to me like boxy copies of the Marlin design, and just seem heavy in comparison. On the other hand, I like the company, it is US-made, and their RIMFIRE leverguns are the slickest out there, handy, and plenty accurate. Like the Marlin, if you want a scope, you'll find it easier to mount on them than on the Rossi 92's.

The Rossi's have 'evolved' and there are some eras the experts say aren't up to snuff, but the recent ones all seem to be well-made (the occasional 'lemon' appears but is fixable), and the Winchester design is strong, though complex (easy to lose or break itty-bitty parts) vs. the Marlin/Henry.

Anyway, that's the theory - but if you stick with factory-level loads I can't imagine you'd hurt the Henry's one bit, though, and I haven't managed (yet) to lose or break a Rossi part. As far as scopes, you can put one on a Rossi with a B-Square side-mount or a 'scout' mount. As far as actual weight, I don't really know that the Henry is heavier - it just looks like it would be.

I have a couple Rossi's, and I'd rather get a 'duplicate' of any one of them than a Henry, for the price difference, and the light/compact nature of the Rossi 92 clones. One thing I DO like about the Henry that only some of the Rossi's have is the tube-loading/unloading feature. If you cross roads while hunting, or come in with cold stiff fingers, it's nice to just dump the rounds out vs. cycling them through the action one at a time.

Of course the answer to that is just get a Ruger 96/44...

[Malamute]

Sorry to hijack,...

Do you have to unload your gun if you cross a road?

[aragornelessar86]

I own a Puma (which I understood is owned or made by Rossi) 92 and it's solid as a rock, and the most accurate rifle I own.

[olyinaz]

The only thing I like about the Henry rifles is the loading gate on the tube. The big, blocky brass receiver of the Big Boy really puts me off and the gold lettering on some of the rifles is not to my liking either.

Cheers,
Oly

[Hobie]

I saw one Big Boy some time ago and IIRC it was heavier. I don't like it. I like the Rossis and the Marlin 1894s for the "pistol" cartridges. While it is true that you often get what you pay for sometimes what you get isn't what you want or need.

[azmark]

What are your opinions on caliber? I already own a Mossberg 30-30 if you guys think that's pertinent.

[AJMD429]

Sorry to hijack,...

Do you have to unload your gun if you cross a road?

As far as I know, in Indiana you have to have your long gun unloaded if you're close enough to the road that you couldn't "hunt" there, and "unloaded" means none in the magazine unless the magazine is removed from the gun.

I once had a LEO try to take a handgun from me when I was out in our field with one (under my coat, he wouldn't have seen it until I got up close to his vehicle), and he stopped, and motioned me to come to his car. In doing so, I went "on public property" and was therefore "carrying concealed on public property without a license". My "permit" was at the time a "hunting and target shooting" permit, and only entitled the bearer to engage in those activities, or carry the handgun unloaded and locked in a case in his/her vehicle. A few years later, that LEO was dismissed for supplying relatives with firearms he'd confiscated under dubious circumstances, because he happened to do it to the kid of a 'prominent citizen'.

After that I got a "real" permit, and learned that even the law-abiding citizen needs to be wary of LEO's sometimes...

[azmark]

Paco seems to like the .357 in lever action rifles, but his article on them mainly talks about using reloads. Do you get similar increases in velocity when using commercial loads?

[AJMD429]

Paco seems to like the .357 in lever action rifles, but his article on them mainly talks about using reloads. Do you get similar increases in velocity when using commercial loads?

I don't have the data handy, but yes, according to my chronograph, and some factory loads fired in handgun and levergun, you DO get a decent velocity 'bump' from both factory and reloads. The theory would predict that a 'slower' powder (such as a reloader might intentionally use) than the factories would typically use in a handgun load, would bump the velocity MORE than a normal pistol powder would, in the longer barrel, but I've never seen real chronograph data to prove it.

The main advantage of the .357 levergun over a handgun is rapid precision aiming (for good shot placement), far less recoil (for more fun), and far less noise (for less hearing damage), all at the expense of portability and concealability. Those same advantages would apply for all the other chamberings in the Rossi's.

If you own a .30-30 and are considering a 'pistol caliber' levergun (what I'd call a short-action one, or a 'carbine', vs. a long-action 'rifle', although you can make a 'carbine' .45-70 or a 'rifle' .357), the Rossi's come in four chamberings fairly commonly - .357 Mag, .44-40, .44 Mag, & .45 Colt. NONE of those is a 'bad' choice for whitetail, home protection, or target shooting...! All have enough 'power' for those tasks, and if you reload, they can all go from mild to wild.

I'd get the one you already have a revolver chambered in, or if you don't have such a revolver, the one you might get such a revolver in.

Another thought is whether or not any 'novice' or 'petite' shooters may want to shoot the gun - if so, you'd either want to reload, or stick with a longer-barrel version, to minimize noise and recoil.

Factory loads ARE available that are 'light' for .38 Special and .44 Special and .45 Colt 'cowboy' loads that are all mild, and .44-40 would always be a mild factory load. The 'Special' ones though are shorter cases, and may not feed as well and may require a bit of chamber cleaning periodically for smooth functioning. Light loads are also available in .357 and .44 magnum (with full-length brass) if you shop around. At the other end of the spectrum, heavy "+P" factory loads are findable for .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt, as some brave manufacturers are ok with just telling their customers to only use their loads in STRONG modern firearms.

Reloading is pretty easy though, especially for straight-wall pistol cases like these.

If you go by what other posters say, it seems like there is a vague consensus that the best 'feeders' reliability-wise are the .44-40's and .45 Colts, with the .44 Mag and .357 Mag a bit less so, but I've just not had any 'failure to feed' issues (...yet, anyway...) with the .44 Mag or .357 Mag, so who knows.

[COSteve]

Deleted

[AJMD429]

COSteve, every time I think how "slick and accurate" the Henry .22 LR's are, I also think how much I dislike painted-aluminum as a gun material...
...then I remember how NICE yours looks after you just got rid of the paint and let it be 'au naturale'...