45-70 Henry or Marlin ???

Buddy of mine just bought a new Marlin 1895, 26 in. oct. barrel ($980) and it is a beautiful outfit. Everything fit the way it's supposed to . I put it thru the paces yesterday and no complaint there neither... smooth action & fed perfectly, shot very well with anything I fed it, jacketed or cast.
 
I like the traditional lines of the Marlin. Just can't get past the loading of the Henry through the top of the tube. No benefit to that.
 
Hey folks. I own and hunt with a Henry 45-70. I do like the marlin, and would not discourage anyone from purchasing one. I do have a preferance for the Henry though. This topic has been discussed in other threads on other forums and seeing that I own one I don't understand the gripes. . The pro's that I see, is as follows: the loading tube. It is easy to load and even safer to unload compared to the marlin, as you do not need to chamber a live round to remove it from the weapon. On a marlin, quite often, pushing a round through the loading gate causes damage to the projectile, depending on the tightness of the loading gate spring. This is not a problem at all with the Henry. On other forums, some have posted that the tube allows for dirt to get into the rifle between the brass tube and the magazine carrier. The tube on the Henry fits snug and properly and even has an o-ring below the knurled knob that will prevent moisture from leaching in while shouldered in the field. If dropped in a mud puddle I would say all bets are off, but really, it's not like the marlin's loading gate is water/mud tight. Come to think of it, do bolt rifles react favourably to being uncared for and dunked in the mud? I think older marlins and the Henry are comparable in Fit, finish and quality. I can say that I am very happy with the quality of the Henry. I have never owned a marlin, but do hear favourable feedback on their quality as well (at least in the earlier ones) I suppose one con could be the rear sight. Many don't care for ghost rings, and therefore they should not by a Henry, as I do believe they only come with that sight configuration ( I could be wrong though). Myself, I prefer peeps and ghost rings over buckthorns any day. The Henry is easy to pack and very pointable. Long story short, you can't go wrong with either, but my preferance was and still is the Henry 101. Cory
 
sheep100 said:
Hunting in the fall wearing glove its much easier to load the tube than fight with the loading gate.
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I'd hate to lose or damage the loading tube while out in the woods. That could end a days hunt or worse. So for me it's always a Marlin, and if I could, it'd be the Cowboy model with a 26" barrel and 9 shot magazine.
 
Marlin 1895 all the way.
I have owned two Rossi Rio Grandes and a modern Henry in 45-70 as well as various 1895s so I'm not just blowing hot air out my backside.
If you're talking a 'JM' Marlin or a 'REP' Remlin made in the last year I prefer the Marlin/Remlin to either the Rossi or Henry products.
 
heronfish said:
In what situation would this matter.
You are carrying 5 rounds - 4 in the mag, one in the chamber. In order to need to reload quickly, it's either the world's slowest bear charge or the dumbest deer mixed with awful aim.
It is quite easy to put one round in the chamber of a Henry.
I still don't see the issue.
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Commanches immediately jump to mind. But it's been so long since there was an attack that I wouldn't concern myself with it.
 
skokie said:
I'd hate to lose or damage the loading tube while out in the woods. That could end a days hunt or worse. So for me it's always a Marlin, and if I could, it'd be the Cowboy model with a 26" barrel and 9 shot magazine.
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I bought one several years ago on a lark to see if it was possible to smuggle a rifle in the house without the then-fiancée seeing. I shot it a bit but never warmed up to it. No soul. I sold it a year or so ago, doubling my money. Wish I'd bought several of the soulless bastards!
 
BigUglyMan said:
I bought one several years ago on a lark to see if it was possible to smuggle a rifle in the house without the then-fiancée seeing. I shot it a bit but never warmed up to it. No soul. I sold it a year or so ago, doubling my money. Wish I'd bought several of the soulless bastards!
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What didn't you like about it?
 
skokie said:
What didn't you like about it?
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Probably boils down to it not being an 1886, which is what I really wanted. But the full length mag made it unbalanced to carry fully loaded and heavier than I thought a naked levergun should be. I also had an 1885 at the same time which was a dream to carry and had much better metal finish and nicer wood than the Marlin.
 
One thing I notice not being discussed is the transfer bar hammer. This is a great way to keep a rifle safe in the feild. I'm sure there are those that will disagree but it seems to me that it's worked well on revolvers for some time now. There's a lot of opinion on the Henry loading tube being untraditional but for me the side safety on the new Marlins is far worse. I have a '78 444 Marlin and the half #### is as safe as it gets for me. I also have a Henry 45/70. Just one more guys opinion.
 
I have two JM marlins and a Henry ,I really like the tube loading Henry, its fast to load and unload.
 
I had a marlin, never shot it a whole lot. While it worked fine, fit and finish on the newer Remington built ones are not great. Next lever rifle will be a Henry for me
 
Had a Henry, beautiful gun. Loading and unloading the mag tube at the range while keeping the muzzle pointed downrange can be awkward and takes some practice. Not an issue in the field, although a friend got back to the car once and no mag tube. Luckily he backtracked and found it. I love my Marlin SBL. Fit and finish are excellent, but the first thing I did was replace the safety with a saddle ring. My all time favorite lever gun, although it's in 45 colt not 45-70 is a Uberti special sporting rifle. That gun is a work of art, and I prefer the pistol grip to the straight stock, but that is personal preference
 
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