357 Mag Lever Action, Rossi or Henry?

I had a Uberti 1873 in 357 and found it to be super smooth and a beautifully fit and finish. I sold it due to my aging eyes as it was a top ejecting and I could not add a scope to it. Having handled both the Rossi and Henry they are very close in feel but I prefer the side eject so I can add an optic. I am currently looking for one at this time.

The Rossi R92 Double Black comes with a top rail. It can accept any red dot sight or longer eye relief optic.
 
I have a Henry big boy 45colt. It’s a very smooth action out of the box.
No experience with the Rossi except handling in a store.
 
I've got a NSR in 44 mag, that action is super smooth.
And a Henry brass mares leg in 357 that I put a full stock on it's a gorgeous little thing but haven't had it out yet sadly
 
I did a fair bit of research before I bought a lever action. Marlin was having QC issues at the time, most Winchester, Rossi and Chiappa are top ejecting which meant a rail couldn't be mounted on the receiver for an optic (there are optic mounting options for these though).
The ability to load and unload the rifle from the tube was also a plus for the Henry. If you can handle them to get a feel for the ergonomics, that's a plus too. I would recommend a Henry with a side gate, as the older ones didn't have them and they are handy for topping up when you still have rounds in the rifle.
 
1st choice: Winchester
2nd choice: Winchester
3rd choice quality Italian repro of a Winchester

If the price of a Winnie is a barrier, there's always used, but there really is a reason they cost more.
 
Rossi over Henry, Winchester over either. I just don’t get the Henry thing…. at all.

X2, Henry to me is an abomination of a lever gun

I agree, I have never seen the appeal. A Ruger made Marlin could be a good choice too. They are pretty robust guns and the QC issues should be gone.

I've never had a Henry and no plans to add a lever action to my collection anyway, but I'd like to hear why you guys don't like them.
 
My Henry H010 45-70 carbine is also excellent. No complaints. My earlier Marlin 1895 guide gun in 45-70 was nothing but one problem after another and I was relieved to get rid of it. Sure, the QC has improved, but the experience has had a lasting effect.
 
I've never had a Henry and no plans to add a lever action to my collection anyway, but I'd like to hear why you guys don't like them.

No hate here, just no interest. No history, just don’t like the looks. And actually a gunsmith buddy of mine didn’t have much good to say about working on them. If you like them buy em and shoot them. If nothing good to say I should keep my mouth shut. Haha
 
I've never had a Henry and no plans to add a lever action to my collection anyway, but I'd like to hear why you guys don't like them.


I don’t like them because of the magazine failure issue. A known issue by Henry. Here’s what happened to my ..44mag Big Boy after just 73 rounds fired.

5D525999-C470-4E5A-A6CC-CD8896EB202E.jpg


The lock tab fails under recoil. This happens with all of Henry’s center fire calibers (not an issue with rim fire). Now to Henry’s credit, a new magazine tube will be supplied free of charge. But if you’re not well versed in the Henry’s full disassembly, attempting to replace it can cause further problems. Just ask me…with Henry furnishing me with instructions that omitted a pretty important detail, my rifle ended up in many parts being thrown across my shop on the floor. (They failed to include the fact that the mainspring tension needed to be released before removal of the butt stock.)

To make a long story short, my wait time and expense to have it reassembled and function tested by Henry’s Canadian warranty center was 5 months. The wait, shipping charges, and heartache I went through convinced me to never buy a Henry again. I’ve also met a few that have had the same issue. There’s lots of threads on lever action and cowboy action forums regarding this issue. Henry has tried to make the lock tab and magazine tube more robust, but I don’t think that has totally solved the problem.

I would think they would be ok if their magazine tube was a sealed unit like every other lever gun out there. They’ve introduced side gate loading, but still have the removable rod and cartridge opening on the mag tube. Which is prone to failures.

Oh and btw, Henry’s are over priced as well.
 
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Rossi over Henry fer me, especially the Ranch Hand units I tweeked to suit me. The nicest 357 mag rifle I bought new was a Winchester model 94 Legacy
that handled, functioned and shot like a dream. I really miss that rifle. Yo Miroku! Bring back the 94 Lagacy models.
:bangHead:

ROSSI RH 357 & 45 sm.jpg
 

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I've never had a Henry and no plans to add a lever action to my collection anyway, but I'd like to hear why you guys don't like them.

I use the word 'abomination' with a bit sarcasm. I'm sure they are fine firearms but for me the look and feel like cheap copies of the various different platforms that have been around for decades and have real history behind them.
 
I don’t like them because of the magazine failure issue. A known issue by Henry. Here’s what happened to my ..44mag Big Boy after just 73 rounds fired.

5D525999-C470-4E5A-A6CC-CD8896EB202E.jpg


The lock tab fails under recoil. This happens with all of Henry’s center fire calibers (not an issue with rim fire). Now to Henry’s credit, a new magazine tube will be supplied free of charge. But if you’re not well versed in the Henry’s full disassembly, attempting to replace it can cause further problems. Just ask me…with Henry furnishing me with instructions that omitted a pretty important detail, my rifle ended up in many parts being thrown across my shop on the floor. (They failed to include the fact that the mainspring tension needed to be released before removal of the butt stock.)

To make a long story short, my wait time and expense to have it reassembled and function tested by Henry’s Canadian warranty center was 5 months. The wait, shipping charges, and heartache I went through convinced me to never buy a Henry again. I’ve also met a few that have had the same issue. There’s lots of threads on lever action and cowboy action forums regarding this issue. Henry has tried to make the lock tab and magazine tube more robust, but I don’t think that has totally solved the problem.

I would think they would be ok if their magazine tube was a sealed unit like every other lever gun out there. They’ve introduced side gate loading, but still have the removable rod and cartridge opening on the mag tube. Which is prone to failures.

Oh and btw, Henry’s are over priced as well.

I have the option for tube loading my rossi in 454, but I don't use it, I much prefer the side gate. There has not been any issues with the end of my mag tube, but it threads into the outer tube rather than a "quick twist" release.
 
Henry's are simply too heavy. That brass one is a boat anchor.
Try carrying them in the woods instead of the range. You will learn quickly why rela hunters don't hunt with them in the bush.
Walk 5 miles and tell me how they work.
Rossi's are good, Mossberg 464 30-30 are fantastic bush guns (my choice because they cheap, superb accuracy for the price and you can beat the crap out of them),
Model 94's are the premier, and Marlins are littel chunky but excellent.
There is a big difference in bush hunting, stand hunting, and range shooting.
The only issue with the 464's is you have to change the plastic follower to metal eventually. I did both of mine but it wasn't required.
I didn't want a failure in a hunting situation.
I have no experience with uberti's but they sure are pretty. Not sure that means they are good hunting rifles.
I am open to being told different. I notice there are no sling studs. That's a full stop for my style of hunting.
 
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I have levers in Henry, Savage, Marlin, Winchester and Rossi. The Henrys have a weird elongated-feeling receiver/tang that I find odd to sight quickly but they are beautiful guns. Savage, well....I find them ugly as hell but love the history. I really dislike the action though. The bolt closes in the last inch or two of lever travel that, in my opinion, makes them difficult to cycle without dropping the gun to #### it. Marlins have a very simple and smooth/strong action and are a dream to clean or shoot. Winchesters are overly complicated with many little parts that make deep cleaning a PITA! However, they are sleek, light and ###y little actions and substantially easier to wield than the Marlin. Rossis are just the poor man's Winchester and quality control seems to fluctuate. Nowadays they are only a few hundred less than a real Winchester but one upside is that they offer stainless versions if that's your bag. These are just my own opinions of course.
 
Hi again! Just to update this thread and considering everything peeps have said here, (thanks very much for all the discussion!) I've finally made my decision and it arrived right on time for Christmas.

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Yes it's a Henry and yes it's in .357 with a 20 inch barrel. I think in general it ticked a lot of my boxes: the cheap to come by caliber, a gun that looks quite handsome, (seems to be fairly debatable in this thread, eye of the beholder etc., but I just love the look of brass, the dark walnut with an octagonal barrel. I also understand the fact that it's not a historical design, but that doesn't really stop me from larping cowboy with myself or my friends lol.) it cycles very smoothly both the 357 magnum and 38 special I've fed it, very easy to disassemble and clean.

Obvious cons incude the weight, it's quite a hefty boy at 8 and 1/2 pounds, for a range toy this isn't much of an issue, though taking it trekking or for hunting will probably suck lmao, I haven't taken it out to do any of those things and even if I do I do those things rarely, so that's fyi. I've also heard it does not have the upgrade potential of the Rossi or Winchester but I don't run CAS so I know not a lot about that.

Let me know if you guys want to know anything else, other than that merry Christmas and have a great New Year!
 
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