Henry Big Boy???

[Doug.38PR]

I was looking at the Henry Big Boy this evening and was very impressed.  Looks like a nice classic gun with with old west simple features and modern durability.  Octogon barrel like the old Henry and Winchester rifles.  20 inch barrel for short rifle.  Looked like a good all around gun.  American made too.  Lots of people seem to like it.   Started to think it might be a better alternative to the Rossi 92...

THEN I noticed something.....the gun doesn't have a feed ramp on the side    Then I saw what actually looked like a knob on the muzzel end of the tube that you undo and pull the entire thing out so you can feed it on the top end of the gun through a cartridge hole like on a silly little kids Marlin 22....I thought, "well maybe that's just for quick or safe unloading and it feeds on the bottom up on the stock like a pump shotgun.  Surely they wouldn't design it a serious gun like this to be reloaded from all the way down towards the muzzel like some 12 year old loading a BB gun or a .22 with his daddy.   Are they serious?  You actually have to turn the gun upside down, pull the inner tube almost all the way out and hold it or put it all the way out and put it down somewhere while you slide new cartridges down the tube??"

Say it ain't so.  That's a real deal killer with me.     Surely a gun any company today could think to insert a ramp or a feeding system up towards the breech. 

[pistol1911]

You know the "Real Henry" loads from the front end. I have never bothered to look at Big Boys because of their phony advertising."The history continues". They say they are coming out with an 1860 model. $2300. That price will not compete with the Uberties.

[Shotgun Franklin]

Since Henry finally bought enough advertizing from SASS to become an approved rifle, I've seen a lot of them used in matches. I remember one time when a 'Big Boy' actually finished a shoot without some kinda failure. That particular gun should have been put in a museum because it's the only time I've ever seen that happen.

[Advertising]

[Stillwater]

Since Henry finally bought enough advertizing from SASS to become an approved rifle, I've seen a lot of them used in matches. I remember one time when a 'Big Boy' actually finished a shoot without some kinda failure. That particular gun should have been put in a museum because it's the only time I've ever seen that happen.

You and I share the same opinion of Henry Rifles and the company that produces them.

I can't understand why people will buy such a poor product. You should see what one looks like when it has been disassembled.

What was it that P.T. Barnum said about one being born every minute...?

Bill

[Doug.38PR]

Oooookay, you men are discouraging me even more from buying a Henry.  It sounds like the modern company isn't as good ol' All American as the advertizements would have you believe.  Wikipeida even sings it's praises as one of the most popular and oldest gun companies

[Shotgun Franklin]

Wikipeida even sings it's praises as one of the most popular and oldest gun companies

Anyone can do a Wikipeida entry. In reality it's not the same company that made the original 'Henry Rifle' and it's certainly not the same gun. The only TV commercial I've seen is obviously clipped to make the gun seem to fire as slickly as an Uberti '73, which it is NOT.
IF we have discouraged you from buying a 'big boy' then you can figure we've done you a big favor.

[Stillwater]

Anyone can do a Wikipeida entry. In reality it's not the same company that made the original 'Henry Rifle' and it's certainly not the same gun. The only TV commercial I've seen is obviously clipped to make the gun seem to fire as slickly as an Uberti '73, which it is NOT.
IF we have discouraged you from buying a 'big boy' then you can figure we've done you a big favor.

A very big favor...!

Bill

[Coffinmaker]

Aw Cummon guys.  The "Big Boy" can be smoothed up a bit, well ok, not very much. Well, a very little bit.  They will shoot, just not very fast, well not for very long either andThey do load like a .22.  But .22s aren't just for kids.  I like to shoot .22s, oh and they do jam a little, ok, a lot

Well awrite, their just crap.  Stick with a '92.  Well ... Unless you just gotta have a real shiny expensive Tomato Stake

Coffinmaker

[Doug.38PR]

well if 100% of the people on a cowboy actions shooting sight don't like them....then they must be garbage.

How would y'all rate Rossi lever action guns?

[MJN77]

well if 100% of the people on a cowboy actions shooting sight don't like them....then they must be garbage.

I'm sure they are better than has been said here. I wouldn't touch one, myself because of the dishonest advertising and the fact that personally, I think the thing is just stupid looking. As for the Rossi 92, I have two of them. Both saddle ring carbines. One in .44 magnum and one in .44-40. Like both of them very much. They are not the smoothest thing out there, but they are tough little guns. I also have a Uberti 1866 sporting rifle and a Uberti 1873 short rifle, both in .44-40. There is no comparison between the Uberti guns and the Rossi guns. But a Rossi is less than half the price of a Uberti and twice as tough.

[Shotgun Franklin]

I've been shooting CAS since '97. I use a '73.
I work for a company where we take clients and let'm shoot Ol' West type guns. The two best rifles we use are the '73 clones from Uberti and the older Marlin '94. We have 2 '92 clones that we don't use much. The '92s are a lot more ammo sensitive. The Marlin is the easiest to strip and clean, the '73 second. If you have the money I recommend the '73, otherwise look for a used Marlin.

[Stillwater]

I've been shooting CAS since '97. I use a '73.
I work for a company where we take clients and let'm shoot Ol' West type guns. The two best rifles we use are the '73 clones from Uberti and the older Marlin '94. We have 2 '92 clones that we don't use much. The '92s are a lot more ammo sensitive. The Marlin is the easiest to strip and clean, the '73 second. If you have the money I recommend the '73, otherwise look for a used Marlin.

I have several Uberti '73's, and about six Marlin centerfires. I looked at the Henry guns and I can't believe how many people can be flummoxed into thinking they are a fine firearm...! Again, as P.T. Barnum said, there is "one" born every minute...!

Bill

[Abilene]

Okay, to be fair...
While I would not buy a Big Boy for several of the reasons mentioned above, I have seen a handful of shooters using them in the past year and they were working okay for them.  These were all newer shooters and not running them fast.

[Deadeye Don]

Okay, to be fair...
While I would not buy a Big Boy for several of the reasons mentioned above, I have seen a handful of shooters using them in the past year and they were working okay for them.  These were all newer shooters and not running them fast.

Your problem is that you are waaayyyyyy too nice.   

[Coffinmaker]

Waaaaayyyyyyy Waaaaaayyyyyyy too nice.

If you take a Big Boy apart, the innards resemble the geometry and function of a Marlin, but with a fully enclosed round breach block.  Should work, bur since nothing fits like it should and most of them are slightly out of time as new, their just not worth the time to mess with. 

Coffinmaker

[Shotgun Franklin]

I believe that if you took a brand new 'Big Boy' and spent about $1000 on it, it could be made to work right.

[redleg]

For what it's worth I'll pass along a friend's recent experiences with a Henry Big Boy in .44 Mag. The rifle arrived with a cracked butt stock which the company promptly replaced including the butt plate and a new forearm.  Then the bottom part of the locking bolt broke off. Another email to Henry and they sent a shipping label. The rifles was repaired and returned fairly fast. The next trip to the range and the gun wouldn't fire even though the paper work stated the gun had been test fired after replacing the locking bolt. Back to Henry for a new firing pin. Shortly after the rifle came back he was back at the range and the magazine tube and cartridges came shooting out of the rifle while firing it. It turns out the magazine tube cracked at the notch that captures the magazine tube retaining pin, thereby releasing it to be sent downrange by the spring pressure. Henry offered to replace the magazine tube , but he'd had enough and returned the rifle for a refund. On the plus side the rifle was fairly accurate and Henry's customer service was second to none. However, the rifle was certainly lacking quality.  Things may have been different with a lesser cartridge, but the maybe not.   

[Sleepy Floyd]

I'm new here, but I do speak my mind.  About a year ago I purchased an new BigBoy in 45LC.  I have approx. 1500 rounds through it and the gun has been nothing but flawless.  This was before I have ever heard od SASS.

I did not know this gun was legal for CAS, so I just purchased a Uberti 1860 in 45LC.  Now I need to decide which I like best.  So it's a toss up.

I watched my very first match today and noticed 3 Bigboys and no 1860's.  I guess the 1860 is a rare item on the firing line.  Might make that 1860 my rifle.

[Slowhand Bob]

I know of one brother/sister combo that shared one for several years and I never saw any problems with it.  They were an older couple and shot slow and deliberate like with it.  Later the brother bought himself a Uberti '60 model and likes it better than the BB that his sister still shoots BUT he still shoots slow and methodical like with the new gun.  For several reasons, beyond it being slow, clunky and dog butt uggerly, I would not support this as a SASS rifle.  The BB people are n business and that is what they are supposed to do, promote their product, BUT I will say shame on SASS for breaking their own written rules!!!! 

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

I have had a BB in .357 for 3 years now and only one hiccup.  Not the fault of the gun but,  I was using lead bullets without a crimp groove and I didn't crimp one enough, and the bullet got pushed down into the casing.  Other than that the gun itself hasn't failed me but, then again, I'm not a competitive shooter. At my age, I have won my category as soon as I fire the first round.

Heck, I also have a Chaparral 66 in .357 and it works well.