I've been growing my collection and have had good luck finding nice Smiths to acquire. I have also been growing other areas of my collection, like ARs and a recently purchased Ruger Precision Rimfire. My question is, and the poll is about, What do I get next, non-Smith wise? I have time to hunt before I have the money, but when I get the funds, what should I buy? I have narrowed it down to 4 choices:
1. Henry Big Boy Case Hardened 16.5" lever action in .357. This wood be a companion for my growing stable of .357s. Out of stock everywhere, but I keep looking.
2. Bolt action target .22LR. I just bought the Ruger and I have a couple Winchesters that can shoot, but looking at CZ, Savage and others. Accurate rimfires are interesting AND an extreme amount of fun.
3. High Power or clone. Really just to represent an important design in my collection.
4. Ruger revolver. Redhawk, Blackhawk, GP100, any of the "Six" series, etc....
So, I can't decide what next. You decide for me. Really, I can't lose. Anyway you slice it, I get a nice gun.

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The best I can with what I got

I voted for a Henry lever action because I've always wanted one but never got around to it. Therefore I must vicariously through you...

Savage Anschutz are great .22 bolt actions.
Marlin 1894 in .357 from 1979-1984 pre-hammer block.

Ruger Blackhawk .30carbine

One of the shorter Hi-Powers. What are they called, a Detective or something like that? Like a Hi-Power Commander...

I vote for High Power. But get the real thing even if it’s one of the later MKIII versions rather than the early blue classic ones.

How about a nice Cooper 22 LR?

All four choices are winners. I have had an attraction to lever guns for a long time. I think they are nostalgic and sexy. Of the four, the case hardened Henry would be the one I would put in my lap while watching cowboy shoot'em-up movies.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

What, no 1911’s??????

Or P-38s, or Lugers, or Nambus? O.K. the last one is almost a joke. I'd say a majority of the days I've gone to the range there's been another shooter eager to see me fire his 1911-ish pistol so having my own was a low priority for decades. None the less, I would prioritize something more 1911-ish over a High Power.

I voted #4 because the broad variety of sub choices allows you to jump on whatever Ruger DA you stumble on to at an attractive price. Ruger has made a lot of good DA revolvers. If you insist on a specific model that's been in short supply then you'll most likely wind up paying a high price. However, do chose the approximate size revolver that you will get the most use out of. A Redhawk is so much larger and heavier that it feels nothing like a Six Series.

Tough decision. I had a high power many years ago and never fell in love with it and didn’t keep it very long. I’m a 1911 fan and have always gone back to them when I’ve strayed.

I do however have a couple of Henry big boy brass carbines in 357 and 45LC. They’re very well made, accurate, beautifully finished and really fun to shoot. Also they’re easy to takedown and clean.

I also have a CZ 457 training rifle. It’s another very well made and beautifully finished rifle and is very accurate. It’s a joy to shoot and a totally different experience from a lever gun but equally as fun.

You mentioned Blackhawk, I sold my Super Blackhawk that I’d had for 40 plus years. I just can’t handle magnum pistols now. I wound up with two Blackhawks I. 45LC and 38/357 to go with the Henry’s. I shoot mild 38 loads in the 357 and mild 45’s. You’d probably laugh they’re so mild but I can tolerate them with arthritis in my wrists and hands. Let me say the Blackhawk is a great revolver.

I don’t know whether you’re more into rifles or is told but I’d pick the Henry for a totally different experience from what you have. Lever guns are really fun to shoot.

Edit:

Missed the S&W’s. They’re always fun. Perhaps a nice pre 17 / K22?

I'd buy one of the best 22 lever actions ever made....either a 9422 Winchester, or a Marlin 39a. (Actual JM marked Marlin, not the new junk.) I have both, a 9422 I spent an entire summer hoeing beans and detassling corn to buy it back in 1972, ($99 at the local hardware store. I still have the box/papers.), and a 39a born in the same month/year as me, May '59, in near new condition found on Gunbroker. Nothing made today can compare to the quality of these two.

A Ruger Bisley or Blackhawk is a great choice. A convertible would be even better.

Not a fan of the GP100, but the Speed and Service Six are good choices.

At least you didn't have Glock as a choice.

LOL

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

The 9422 is such a ridiculously nice gun it totally ruined me for every other lever action .22.

I *really* wish winchester would tinker with the design a bit and chamber it in 9mm, which would make for one absurdly popular little plinker...

Blued Ruger Blackhawk in 41 mag. with 6.5” bbl. Would be my first choice.
Had the above in a 44mag also. Put a one power Burris pistol scope on the
41mag. Deadly accurate.
Both are long gone.
Second would be the Marlin 39A with micro grove bbl. As said above get
the older ones if you can find one. Got mine in 1966. Also long gone.
What’s the old saying? “ if I knew then what I know now” I NEVER would
have let them go.

Target .22LR, because some famous guy rightly said: "Only accurate rifles are interesting."

Let's see if I can respond to a few posts at once. I have a 1911, I have a Glock, before I get into Lugers I need to find a Sugar Mama. With a capital Sugar. Same thing goes for a Cooper. Beautifully expensive guns. A lever .22 will be on the list someday, but not right now. I have, in rimfire rifles, 1 auto, 2 pumps, 5 bolts and a single shot. If I get another it'll be a bolt. Before anyone says it, I have 3 ARs, if I get the itch again, I'll build another one. I've got a tactical shotgun and several hunting shotguns so I'm good on scatterguns. But keep it up. You might just come up with my next gotta have it right this instant gun.

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The best I can with what I got

Everybody should have a Ruger Blackhawk..... mine is a stainless convertible .357/9mm.

I voted for the Ruger revolver. I have a RH, a SRH, two SBH's, and two BH's. My favorite plinker (right now) is my 7.5" BH in .45 Colt. It just amazes me with its accuracy. Every shooter should own at least one Ruger single-action.

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I do have a New Vaquero stainless in .357. I'm not a HEATHEN.

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The best I can with what I got

If you are planning on getting a Henry in .357 (when you can find one, you may s well get a Blackhawk in .357 to go with it.

If you shoot 9mm, make it a Blackhawk 9mm/.38/.357 convertible.
Mine's been a great all-around shooter.

Now that might be a winner. Those have always intrigued me anyway. And I do shoot 9MM. In rifle and pistol calibers, I currently own 13 separate calibers. If we add in shotguns and black powder, I'm gonna need an abacus. I also have ammo for a couple of calibers I don't own guns for.

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The best I can with what I got

A Security Six snub can reach out to 100 yds plus for some fun.
A well tuned steel BHP is nice.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

Ruger Toklat (454 Casull)…and an arm brace…

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan Toklat .454 Casull - YouTube

I'm voting for a Ruger Security Six for selfish reasons. There's a dealer in the next state South that's got this one for about $400 USD.

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If you are going to get a .22 lever action don't spend your money on anything but a Marlin Model 57M. A .22 mag that looks and sounds like a high powered rifle and can be lethal out to two hundred yards and beyond.

This one was bought used in Southern California in 1972. It was taken to Alaska, Florida, Northern California, Washington D.C. Rhode Island, back to Southern California, and finely here to Northern Illinois. It was not fired following any of the moves after leaving Florida for Northern California, yet when I saw a groundhog near the lower corner of my neighbors property I unlimbered it and took aim. One hundred twenty five yards and ten seconds later there was one dead groundhog. She (yes I checked) jumped about 3 feet in the air, did a perfect back flip, then lay still. Both lungs and the heart destroyed.

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How does one choose between the stars in the sky?

I'd probably be MOST interested in getting a high quality .22 bolt action. Some can be more accurate than your shooting abilities, and you are not going to find anything cheaper to shoot (unless you add an air gun to the options mix).

I picked up a Winchester model 52 made in 1932 a couple of years ago. The gun is a wonder of design and engineering. Heavy barrel, competition sights, and a heavy full sized stock perfect for bench rest shooting. I'll NEVER be as good as the gun.

These kinds of classic guns are still out there, and not just Winchesters. Find one and you can marvel at the beauty, craftsmanship, and shoot them cheaply forever.

Best wishes to all.

Roger AKA Mr. Wonderful

Take up shooting Skeet and you'll never have any question about what to buy next. Because once you are hooked on busting Clays you'll always find a need for another shotgun.

Sounds like you have the bolt 22's covered pretty well already. I will agree with who ever mentioned a Marlin 39A though (a pre-safety avoids that annoying rebounding hammer thing).

I think you'd love a .357 lever gun to go with your .357 handguns. That will be my vote.

I'm of the belief that every serious gun collector should have at least one Hi-Power. A true classic, feels so good in your hand and shoots wonderfully. JMHO its the best 9mm ever made.
I have a Browning MK III, a FEG Clone and one of the FM Detective Models.



If you want a .357 Lever gun, do it right. Find yourself a nice Winchester 92 or clone. Great rifles! I have one made by Rossi and love it!

Sounds like you have .22 rifles pretty well covered. So that can wait.

As for Rugers..... They make outstanding guns. But if you want SA, I'd say get yourself a Colt SAA clone.
My favorite Ruger revolvers have always been the old "Six" series guns. Excellent revolvers, accurate and tough as nails. They haven't been made for a long time, but still can be found at reasonable prices.

I'm with the Henry .357 crowd, but good luck with your search. Much easier to find, though, would be the Ruger revolver...your choice.

The 9mm conversion can be useful but with standard factory ammo it isn't as accurate as .38 or .357 for obvious reasons. But the conversion is useful for reloaders. Got some reloads that might be a little hot? Shoot them in the Blackhawk. Some reloads too weak to cycle? Shoot them in the Blackhawk.

Lots of free 9mm brass available for most of us. Properly reloaded 9mm ammo is every bit as good as .38.

Now if you don't reload the conversion is probably not as useful. If you don't reload maybe you should spend your gun money on reloading equipment.

There are grizzly bears in the northern half of Washington's Cascades. Rumor has it they're moving south. They can easily swim the Colombia. .44 Mag. is a little small. S&W's X frames aren't small enough to holster like normal handguns. That leaves the .480 Ruger Super Redhawk in a class by itself. The cartridge was proportioned to get the most out of the Super Redhawk. You have nothing like it. What's that rustling in the brush outside? You'd best get an appropriate revolver before the 35 mph charge starts.

The one thing I missed out on was a decent Hi Power. Of course now even the clones aren't cheap. Here good things about the Turkish clones but really I want one with Browning or FN stamped on it.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

By the time grizzlies start roaming the Portland suburbs, my EDC will have gone up to a 12GA with slugs.

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The best I can with what I got

Your post seems to indicate you really enjoy .22s so get another one! You can’t have too many quality .22 rifles, or pistols, for that matter. Speaking of that, do you have a K22? If not…

While a bit heavier the 3.5" 460 X frame is just about the same length as a 4" 629 and carries well in a chest rig or cross draw.
No reason to leave home without a 460/500 other than weak hands and arms that need gym time.

If the OP does not have a short barreled X frame then now might be the time.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

While I like Henry rifles for about the same money buy the pre lock Marlin 1894 .357 you won't regret it

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Randy

Look at the High Powers or clones in Grayfox's reply #31. The hammers in all three of the mimic the original military pistol's hammer. That hammer spur chews flesh off the web of may thumb. I do not recall any other auto pistol's hammer biting me so I'm not overly sensitive about hammer bite. I wanted to like my Hungarian FEG clone. It was reliable. It was accurate. A replacement high spur Browning hammer was $50, too much for a $200 FEG, so it went away. I'm not the only one who gets bit by that hammer spur. I suggest firing a High Power with that hammer spur before buying one.

Get a 357/38 lever gun. Henry, Marlin, Rossi... doesn't matter which, you'll have a ball with any of them.

John

Voted Henry, only because I have two, (357mag, 22WMR).

I’d vote for a Winchester 92 in 357. Looking for one myself, to go along with my .44 & .45 92’s.

Kind of a weird post IMHO. You should buy what turns YOU on - not us. Purchasing a firearm must fulfill YOUR wants, desires and whims. We all see different qualities in wives, homes, cars, etc. and a gun purchase is no different. Your money, your desires, your decision. Just my opinion.

I voted the Hi- Power. Not a clone. Get something from the 60's or 70's. There was a mint 69 on the forum a couple weeks ago. I bought mine new in 1971 for 94.00 OTD

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

You seem to have more than enough mundane guns. Now is the time to figure out what you want and have it MADE for you. For example. Long before the 45 ACP Springfield Commemorative was thought of, I built a 4” tapered barrel, N frame in 45 ACP with the help of Dick Nickle who rebored the barrel for me. Another one is a Winchester 1895 with a sewer pipe barrel. I had this one rebuilt into a 405 WCF and could not be happier. A sporterized Springfield 1866, 50/70 is another one. Prefer small bores? I was lucky enough to find a Springfield Model 1922 from August of 1922 that had been converted to 22 Hornet.

Life is way to short to shoot common guns!

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Ruger Blackhawk 3 screw or Ruger Redhawk Alaskan! Though I’m partial to revolvers so I’m biased.

Well, it's clear you guys sure don't like clear favorites. I may have to change my strategy. Like my hometown Blazers former draft strategy: don't draft for position, take the best available player. Thanks for the input, though. I knew the Henry would probably be popular, but the High Power fans and the Smith diehards surprise me. I am a little disappointed in the Ruger crowd, but I understand this is the wrong forum. We'll see what jumps up and bites me in the butt. Of course with the way the fates have been throwing nice Smiths at me, this might all be a moot point.

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The best I can with what I got

I maybe a little late, but I voted Hi Power of those you listed as the choices. Just get a nice FN/Browning in 9mm since that was the original. Or in other words, not a clone.

If you do not have a Hi-Power it's time to get one now.

A real High Power would be my pick. I got mine new in 1968, carried it for over 40 years and never wanted anything better.