Henry introduces its "Marlin Killer"

[The Annoyed Man]

That’s right.... a SIDE-LOADING Henry rifle. It’s being introduced first in .30/30, .35 Remington, and .38/55, with brass receivers. But I imagine that it’s a matter of time before they start producing all of their offerings with a side loading gate option. I’ve predicted for a while now that, with Remington's continuing inability to produce Marlins of the same quality as the JM stamped pre-Remlin rifles, TWELVE YEARS after the acquisition, that if Henry came out with side loading rifles, it could put Marlin out of business. Interesting to note that the new Henry appears to alao retain its tube loading feature for those that prefer it.

Evidently, Henry has been listening to what people are saying. If they start producing it with a blued receiver, y’all will be seeing my Marlin for sale on these pages.

https://youtu.be/FboK4wA1y7A

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/side-gate-lever-action/

[mojo84]

I love my Marlin but that looks pretty dang nice.

[The Annoyed Man]

I love my Marlin but that looks pretty dang nice.

I agree. I’m not as partial to the high polished look of brass receivers as some people are - preferring the more subdued non-reflective finish of matte bluing. But there’s no denying the quality that goes into this rifle. Look at the product page, and check out the closeups of the wood grain and the checkering. I like my Marlin 336BL too, but I had to spend extra money and put in some sweat equity to make it right. Out of the box, the condition was unacceptable. And even after the sweat equity, it’s not as nice of a rifle as the Henry is.

Like I said, if Henry produces one of these side loaders in .30-30 with a blued receiver and barrel, I’m all in.

[bblhd672]

Like I said, if Henry produces one of these side loaders in .30-30 with a blued receiver and barrel, I’m all in.

I've been wanting a Henry for a long time, the tube feeding dissuaded me buying one. The brass is pretty....just doesn't seem practical for hunting with the possibility of a sun flash off the receiver spooking the game.

[mojo84]

I prefer the blue steel for practical use but love the shiny brass from an aesthetic show off barbecue gun perspective. Guess I'm like a baby when it comes to shiny objects. :)

My son and I have shot many deer with my 30-30 and have never had to track one. Most drop straight down immediate. The ones that didn't went no more than ten yards. I love hearing my buddies talk about how they had to track deer after shooting them with their big long distance flat shooting rifles.

I don't see me taking this Henry hunting though.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I've wanted side-loader Henry for a long time. Having the option to use the side-loader or the tube is a great idea. I'd use the tube to load and the side-loader to top-off. Like others, I want one in blue.

Chas.

[Soccerdad1995]

This might also kill Henry's non-side loading guns. I love my Henry's but I absolutely hate that I have to put my hand in front of the muzzle to reload. Any design that requires folks to violate one of the rules of gun safety is a bad thing, IMHO.

[Weldonjr2001]

Those Henry’s are nice. My “Marlin Killer” is my new Mossberg 464 30-30 lever action. It was sitting next to a 336 in Academy’s gun rack.

I asked to see the 336, and as soon as I put it to my shoulder I could see the magazine tubed out of line with the the barrel. Deal killer right there. I have a 1949 made 336, and despite many “character” marks, it is is well made. This new 336 just looked a little crude by comparison to the older one, which I had examined before running down the street to Academy.

So I asked to see the Mossberg, and it looked great. Nice blueing, nice wood, no sharp edges, and I liked the no-pistol-grip stock. Looked up reviews on it there in the store and decided to take a chance.

I’ve been to the range 3 times with it, and put about 75 rounds of various brand 150 grain soft points through it. The loading and cycling was a little rough at first, but those have smoothed up nicely.

Love it, no regrets.

[puma guy]

That’s right.... a SIDE-LOADING Henry rifle. It’s being introduced first in .30/30, .35 Remington, and .38/55, with brass receivers. But I imagine that it’s a matter of time before they start producing all of their offerings with a side loading gate option. I’ve predicted for a while now that, with Remington's continuing inability to produce Marlins of the same quality as the JM stamped pre-Remlin rifles, TWELVE YEARS after the acquisition, that if Henry came out with side loading rifles, it could put Marlin out of business. Interesting to note that the new Henry appears to alao retain its tube loading feature for those that prefer it.

Evidently, Henry has been listening to what people are saying. If they start producing it with a blued receiver, y’all will be seeing my Marlin for sale on these pages.

https://youtu.be/FboK4wA1y7A

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/side-gate-lever-action/

Interstingly they offer it in .35 Remington, so they have their ear to the ground targeting Marlin fans, in particular those who prefer .35 Rem. They are aware JM marked 336 Marlins (Pre Remlin) in .35 are sought after. Ironically when I was selling guns in the 60's and 70's I can count on two hands the number of Marlin 336's I sold in .35 Remington and I sold a couple thousand 336 Marlins and Model 30 Glenfields. I would try to impress the buyers with my knowledge of rifle ballistics to persuade them to get their new lever action deer rifle in .35 Rem instead of .30-30 Winchester, all in vain. Probably sold half a dozen in .44 Rem mag. I have to admit I didn't convince myself either and my 336 is caliber .30-30 because I figured it would be easier to sell if I ever decided to do so. (I still have it, LOL.) I think Henry has a winner!

[puma guy]

I've wanted side-loader Henry for a long time. Having the option to use the side-loader or the tube is a great idea. I'd use the tube to load and the side-loader to top-off. Like others, I want one in blue.

Chas.

I don't think you'll have to wait too long.

[The Annoyed Man]

Those Henry’s are nice. My “Marlin Killer” is my new Mossberg 464 30-30 lever action. It was sitting next to a 336 in Academy’s gun rack.

I asked to see the 336, and as soon as I put it to my shoulder I could see the magazine tubed out of line with the the barrel. Deal killer right there. I have a 1949 made 336, and despite many “character” marks, it is is well made. This new 336 just looked a little crude by comparison to the older one, which I had examined before running down the street to Academy.

So I asked to see the Mossberg, and it looked great. Nice blueing, nice wood, no sharp edges, and I liked the no-pistol-grip stock. Looked up reviews on it there in the store and decided to take a chance.

I’ve been to the range 3 times with it, and put about 75 rounds of various brand 150 grain soft points through it. The loading and cycling was a little rough at first, but those have smoothed up nicely.

Love it, no regrets.

The magazine tube alignment was one of the complaints when I bought my 336BL. I wrote about it here: viewtopic.php?p=1128014#p1128014. I have a Henry Octagon Frontier in .22 that I really like a lot. So far, living with loading through the day of the magazine tube has been a non-issue, but it has only been used as a plinker at the range. OTH, I really want the top off ability of the Marlin's side loading gate for field use. Now that Henry is beginning to offer it in centerfire calibers, my Marlin's days are numbered.

Another of the complaints I had about the Marlin was that the side loading gate was so stiff that it was unusable. It was so bad that, the first time I took it to the range, I gave up trying to load through the gate, and just fed dingle rounds through the ejection port. I fixed that with a replacement part from Ranger Point Precision that has less spring tension. I have a JM stamped Marlin 1895G Guide Gun in .45-70, and it is a beautiful rifle (and for sake too!). I did a full write up on my 336BL on my website here: https://annoyedman.com/firearms/lever-guns-remlins.html.

So I have a frame of reference between older and newer Marlins, and the new ones just aren’t up to snuff. The older ones are heirloom rifles - the newer ones no so much.

But Henry more than makes up for all of that’s OTH even their tube-loading design. They are beautifully made, even the little .22s. This is the one that I bought: https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/lever-o ... ier-rifle/. Henrys are rifles that you’d be proud to pass down to your kids and grandkids.

[SigM4]

Now, make them in .357 and .22 with blued recievers and threaded barrels...

[puma guy]

Now, make them in .357 and .22 with blued recievers and threaded barrels...

Sorry, I'm having visions of my Lever gun with a can on the end of the barrel! Might as well go full tilt boogie! Only in .30-30 Centerfire, but you can get one in .22 rimfire.

[The Annoyed Man]

Now, make them in .357 and .22 with blued recievers and threaded barrels...

Sorry, I'm having visions of my Lever gun with a can on the end of the barrel! Might as well go full tilt boogie! Only in .30-30 Centerfire, but you can get one in .22 rimfire.

Ah yes.... the "Hi-Point Carbine" of lever action rifles. Proof positive that Bubba lives!