Henry Steel .38/.357 carbine

[hoc9sw]

I am considering a Henry Steel .38/.357 carbine (16.5"). No real reasons, except that I sold an unneeded (other brand) pistol for what I had in it (cash in pocket), and have more .357 revolvers and ammo than anyone will ever need. Not a special deal, but I have the money that will get lost in the abyss if I don't find a place for it.

I have some other more exotic long guns, but all will offend the latest run of antis in a state I may have to move to, and would not go with me.

Those who have read my posts know that I am very limited due to arthritis and bone loss, so larger calibers are out, and I've sold those off over time. I did see that Hickok45 had a bit of lever-handling trouble (not smooth) that would be much bigger for me.

I barely remember my lever gun as a kid, but I did like it. And it seems to be the last thing short of a single shot bolt action that will be in the crosshairs.

I've seen various posts from members about them. Just wondered if anyone has other downsides I might have missed.

 

[robert1804]

I have that exact rifle. Finding downsides to it is tough, but I'' try. The tube magazine is too easy to load and safely unload. Even with full power 357's, there is not nearly enough recoil and blast. The finishes are a bit too nice for the price. The amazing accuracy with nearly any ammo becomes boring. Bolt removal is too easy. The crisp trigger with almost no over-travel is a problem if you prefer poor triggers.

Sorry for the smart-alec answer, but in my defense, you pose a difficult question...

 

[max503]

I had a 357 Handi Rifle and I really miss it. It was the best thing for anchoring varmints in the back yard like ground hogs and similar stuff.
That long barrel tamed the muzzle report nicely.
38 wadcutters were very mild yet they packed a punch. 38/357 makes a good rifle round.

 

[Shark Bait]

I don't have a Henry, but I did recently pick up a Marlin 1894 in .357. It is a lot of fun to shoot and handles all ammo I have tried, from 135 gr to 180 gr. It is quite impressive with the Grizzly 180 grain hard-cast cartridge, pushing the bullet at 1750+ FPS.

 

[bigwheelzip]

If your intent is to use your existing ammo, I'd be careful of which shape bullet profile you drop down the tube. Never heard of a round going off in the tube, but who knows ….

I love my .357 Rossi. It's so pleasant and fun to plink with. I bet you will love shooting that Henry.

Good luck.

 

[VaTom]

Was at my local Wal-Mart yesterday and they had the Henry .357 lever action on clearance or "roll back" price (I don't recall which). I belive they had another caliber also at same price - a .44 maybe? Believe it was priced at $597. Don't need one but looked like a good price to me.

 

[white cloud]

I think the Henry would be a great gun for you. I have a number of .357 revolvers and an M77/357 Ruger rifle. I am also giving the Henry some serious consideration. It looks like a bargain to me. I have other rifles in other calibers but .357 is very versatile and easy to reload for. I can tell you from personal experience that a .357 rifle works great on deer if you confine shots to under 100 yards and use an effective load.

I am also stocking up on .357 reloading components while it is convenient to do so. My suspicion is that when the Dems come back to power and they will, hunting and shooting is going to become a lot more difficult and expensive.

 

[hoc9sw]

An update.

I've been sick as a dog lately, so the Henry went off the burners altogether. I finally got out over the weekend, and went by the LGS. The one I wanted (had some really nice matched wood stocks) had been sold. The less perfect one was still there. It was about $50 more than some sources advertised, but I have pestered the life out of one of the LGS guys for weeks about it, so they earned the extra bucks.

So I went ahead and bought it. As it had been on the wall, the young man cleaned it up nice and packed it per the factory as we were doing paperwork. I haven't pulled it out yet, more because I hit another bad spot the last couple of days than anything else.

This may be yet another gun that will get sold by my executor without ever having been fired, but I'll try to get to the range here soon. Motivated, I suspect.

Just wanted to close the circle and thank all who offered comments.

 

[the wiz]

l have a .357 Henry Brass with an octagon barrel. You will absolutely love it in any configuration. The recoil with a .38 ammo is like shooting a .22. Shooting .357 ammo gives you a satisfying recoil that is no way hurtful. I do not think you will be unhappy with it. Also, it is easy to load with arthritic fingers. I speak from experience.

 

[Rock185]

hoc9sw, that's exactly the version, .357, 16.5", I've been considering. Hope you can get out and put some ammo through it and let us know what you think of it.

 

[hoc9sw]

I put this on another thread from a European member asking about ammo, after some things were posted that concerned me in regard to what ammo the Henry would reliably consume.

The results from a conversation with Henry were less than what I had hoped for.

= = = =
Had a chat with Henry CS this morning. They confirm that I will have issues with the specific .38sp ammo I have, and that they do have calls about jamming, most because of cartridge length.

I suggested they at least put a sticker on the manual indicating that it also applied to the model H012, and make the .357 orientation clearer in advertising. I expressed my disappointment (very politely), didn't get so much as a pleasant response.

I'll be selling mine. May shoot up some left over .357 first, but the reason for buying it was ammo commonality, and that is blown at this point.

Another good reason to not make $$ decisions while on chemo. Oh wait, I'm on chemo for life, .....

 

[hoc9sw]

Has anyone tried Hornady .357 with the 140g FTX bullet in a Henry .38 / .357?
I was at Academy today, and they were clearing out some lines at dirt cheap prices. Didn't need it, but picked up what they had at $5.68 / box of 25 (usually $22 a box). It actually is labelled as "Lever evolution", supposedly for lever guns.

If it doesn't work, I have .357 revolvers. But just under $12 / 50 .357 can't be passed up.

 

[Ribwizzard]

Marlins new models of 1894c should be hitting shelves soon, something about having the loading gate has me holding off a Henry , waiting on the Marlins

 

[Eddietruett]

I was looking at a Henry .357 recently and was about to pick one up until the manager of the shop I was in told me that the Henry would not feed .38 special very well. While not a big issue as I could always load .357 down if I found the need, it would just be a lot more convenient to shoot either when the need arises.

 

[hoc9sw]

I was looking at a Henry .357 recently and was about to pick one up until the manager of the shop I was in told me that the Henry would not feed .38 special very well. While not a big issue as I could always load .357 down if I found the need, it would just be a lot more convenient to shoot either when the need arises.

Exactly my intention, then quandary. I have multiple .357 revolvers, and a lot of .38sp +P Ranger. That was my ammo to share, but Henry says no, it WILL jam. I had a visit with LGS, and they are going to carry my thoughts to the distributor, who has been pushing the .38 compatibility as a shining star. Not sure I expect any useful feedback after the CS call I had.

And I physically can't do reloading, for several reasons.

For now mine is still wrapped up in the box. Maybe I can trade it without losing my shirt.

 

[Tom K]

I had a Rossi Model 92 in .44 Magnum that would not feed .44 Special reliably. And with its steel buttplate, .44 Mag was just too painful to shoot. I suppose I could have downloaded but sold it instead.

My LGS has the steel Henry in .357 for $605, and in .327 for $615 on their "store sample" rack. I'm tempted by the .327.

 

[hoc9sw]

The replies to a couple of inquiries to Henry are back, and their attitude is less than acceptable (I would say what I really think, but don't need another ding). Right in line with the CS rep I talked to. It seems they are happy to blame the distributor, LGS, and me for not reading the manual BEFORE selling / buying the gun, and not understanding that the ammo comments were to be interpreted as absolute gospel, not strong suggestions.

So I am clearly at fault, according to them.

My LGS has decided to quit stocking them.

I'll do what I normally do when taken for an idiot. That being to advise DO NOT BUY their products.

I'm not sure what will become of this one, but I'm even hesitant to sell / trade it unless the new owner would understand the limitations.

I do have a few hundred rounds of real .357 158g, so I could shoot those. But even the majority of my .357 is not 158g, so according to them, not usable.

I am not a happy camper.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I think John Browning did it right when he designed the Model 1892. Both of mine feed magnums and specials without a hitch of any kind. Not bad for a gun designed in just one month 126 years ago...

John

 

[p8riot]

Have had two Henry 357s; a steel rifle, and a brass carbine. Having several lever guns (Winchester and Marlin) for decades, I just could not get used to the tube loading. I realize that this is my problem, and no problem with the guns. Other than that they functioned well and were accurate.

One thing to remember is not to feed it aluminum cased ammo. I had feeding issues with it, THEN I read the manual, where Henry recommends against it.

I really liked the steel over the brass. The fit-up of the wood, and the wood itself, seems to be nicer.

 

[hoc9sw]

Update, since I noticed another member had put up a "Henry" thread.

Mine has not come out of the box yet, so I have no range report. I still am thinking to sell or trade it, but I've found enough .357 that fits the profile that I could shoot it as much as I'll ever be able to.

I've had some cancer complications, and had to go through another round of radiation therapy for some deteriorating bones, so getting to the range is complicated. I have to have some RO support these days.

So what did I do?
Nothing, except buy a consignment 1983 Ruger Mini-14 at the same store. I did get it out first time this week, and in spite of everyone at the range who tried to give me pointers I didn't want, I got some nice groups. Could have done a lot better, but that becomes work, not fun. And I had three guys ask to buy it, so it may go quickly when I fall in the medicare doughnut hole.