Henry Mare's Leg in .44 Magnum?

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Hello all,

I was looking around the forums (search) and can't find an answer... I was wondering if any Canadian dealers are selling the Henry Mare's Leg in .44 Magnum. Every one of these I see up here seems to come in .45 Colt only... which is probably the least desirable of the three calibers available as far as ammo availability and cost goes. :(

According to the manufacturer's website, they do indeed come in .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum, plus many dealers in the States sell them in those two calibers :

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-mares-leg.cfm


Also, I am aware that Rossi makes a Ranch Hand in .44 Magnum that's available from many dealers in Canada... however, I'd rather spend the extra few hundred $ on a quality, non-jammomatic US-made product (Henry Arms) instead of a lower quality Rossi. The reported ammo feeding problems on the Rossi's seriously kill the deal, especially on a backpacking survival rifle that needs to be 100% dependable.

Any input would be very welcome. Thanks!
 
happytrout23 said:
I was just in wss in kamloops today, they had one. hope that helps
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You sure it was in .44 Magnum? Their website says that they only carry .45 Colt (same as everyone else and their brother, up here in Canada...) ovrec

ht tp://ca.wholesalesports.com/storefront/firearms/lever-action-rifles/mare-s-leg-lever-action/prod13868.html

Anyway, I can't go there in person (it would make for one hell of a road trip though!) and it seems like ordering online is not an option with these guys (not in stock). But thanks anyway.

:redface:
 
I was looking at a ranch hand in 45 colt and asked the fellow behind the counter if ammo was hard to find. He said we have a couple different types on the shelf so I looked and they did. Hornady Leverevolution and another brand.

But I held out and ordered a ranch hand in .44 mag. as I already have a Ruger carbine in .44 mag. Don't have any feeding or jamming problems with it yet.
 
Duffy said:
I was looking at a ranch hand in 45 colt and asked the fellow behind the counter if ammo was hard to find. He said we have a couple different types on the shelf so I looked and they did. Hornady Leverevolution and another brand.

But I held out and ordered a ranch hand in .44 mag. as I already have a Ruger carbine in .44 mag. Don't have any feeding or jamming problems with it yet.
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From what I gathered so far, feeding problems with the Rossi are a hit & miss - if you don't have them YET, that's because you don't have them at all. Some guys had to ship'em back to the dealers for a bit of gunsmithing in order to get them to cycle properly. Some guys in the States report .357 Magnum versions of the Rossi that don't cycle AT ALL. :eek: None of this is reported with the Henry, which is also said to have a much smoother action and better finishing all around.

As for the .45 Colt ammo, I am sure that I could manage to find it somewhere. But... given that I cast my own boolits in .44, that I have a carbide die set for .44 Magnum/Special and that I have plenty of readily available brass, I'd be stupid to buy one in .45 Colt... especially when .44 versions are being made (so there is a glimmer of hope that we'll get them north of the border one day!). :rolleyes:

Besides... even if you don't reload, .44 Magnum or .357 Magnum are just a logical choice to make, both availability and price-wise. I bet all these .45 Colts ended up here because our neighbors down south gobbled up all the .44's and .357's, leaving only a big pile of .45 Colts on Henry's shelves. That said, I am done buying rifles in uncommon calibers. Having 50+ dies in your gun cabinet and spending 5x more on "special brass" that only Starline makes (not to mention custom molds in some cases) is just a freakin' PITA -- done that for a while when I was heavily into antiques. Good for historical guns I guess such as a genuine Henry from the late 1800's, but not new production ones.

;)
 
Sorry i can`t remember if it was a 45 or 44 it was a quick vist in and out for some powder i just happened to notice they had one there.
 
happytrout23 said:
Sorry i can`t remember if it was a 45 or 44 it was a quick vist in and out for some powder i just happened to notice they had one there.
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Would've been a pretty long trip for nothing, eh?

(Quebec - B.C. & back)

In the end, I think I would've bought the freakin thing in .45 Colt right then and there... just so that I wouldn't come back empty handed, lol!

:D
 
hey bud it's been buggin me so I called wss here in kamloops the one they have is a 44 . last one left they got 3 in and have sold the other two in less than a week. hopefully that can help you get closer to geting one.
 
happytrout23 said:
hey bud it's been buggin me so I called wss here in kamloops the one they have is a 44 . last one left they got 3 in and have sold the other two in less than a week. hopefully that can help you get closer to geting one.
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Cool, thanks for the help! I'll write them an e-mail and see what they say. Perhaps it's possible to order one like that, without going through the official website.

:)
 
 
"Sweet cherry pie... Oh yeah... That's what I'm talking about!"

Oh yeah, there it is! I'm in for a Henry! 45 LC will be just fine. I have 3 other rifles in 44mag. Don't need them all the same. Do they come in 357mag? That might be a good choice, too.
 
two-dogs said:
"Sweet cherry pie... Oh yeah... That's what I'm talking about!"

Oh yeah, there it is! I'm in for a Henry! 45 LC will be just fine. I have 3 other rifles in 44mag. Don't need them all the same. Do they come in 357mag? That might be a good choice, too.
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.357 Mag is the third caliber available. Unfortunately, we still only have .45 Colts around in Canada. Bummer...

After some further research, it look like Henry just released the new batch in .44 and .357 Magnum not too long ago, so that may explain why we're still not seeing them up here... as .45 Colt seems to be the first ones that were produced.

Link:

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-mares-leg.cfm

Hungsolo said:
The Henry is 6 pounds. Heavy little gun. I believe the quality is much better though.
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It's probably all that brass and a thicker barrel that give it +-1 pounds of extra weight. The good thing about the brass receiver is that it's naturally 'slippery' (like teflon), which gives it its' butter-smooth action. Well worth the extra weight, IMHO.

As far as quality is concerned, a little Google search on customer reviews regarding Chiappa, Rossi and Henry Mare's Legs is very telling. Guess which one of the three comes up on top?

:)
 
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A lot less recoil than a .44 Magnum revolver, reportedly. Most likely due to the extra weight (certainly due to the weight, actually). In that respect, a slightly heavier Mare's Leg is probably better... so yet another point scored for the Henry.

In the YouTube comments section for that video, he says it himself (almost no recoil).
 
Are you sure it's only 1 pound between the Rossi and the Henry? I held both back to back and the Henry felt significantly heavier.
Total deal breaker for me as a backpack/camp gun.

I wasn't too sure how the brass receiver would take heavy loaded 45 colt over time either.

I went with the Rossi and am very pleased with it. I have shot it a bunch and nary a problem. Did change the sights to regulation, tho.
 
It's a lot heavier then the Rossi and shorter it's only 25" long. Nearly 2 pounds. Thats like 50% heavier then the Rossi.

Edit: How long is the Rossi exactly? 26" ?

Edit: Never mind it's actually shorter :O 24"...
 
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i have a mare's leg in 44mag, nice little gun. i measured mine its 24.75" and weighs 7.5lbs empty according to my bathroom scale lol. oh and Le Baron carries them.

IMG00179-20120524-1712.jpg
 
Spinal said:
i have a mare's leg in 44mag, nice little gun. i measured mine its 24.75" and weighs 7.5lbs empty according to my bathroom scale lol. oh and Le Baron carries them.
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Cool, thanks for the info. So they are indeed north of the border, that's definitely good news. Although there is a Le Baron here in Montreal, I'll be ordering my Mare's Leg from out west, because I'll be damned before I pay Quebec tax on a firearm ever again (since they are doing their best to register and disarm all of us, in that order).

When it comes to firearms, I'd much rather pay for shipping from another province than Quebec's tax, any day of the week. If our assh*le provincial government hates legally-owned guns so much, then they shouldn't be collecting tax off of them. It's only fair, eh?

Thanks for the 411... and congrats on your Henry! (she's badass beautiful!)

;)
 
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