My first lever action rifle - Henry Big Boy 357 Mag Carbine

rouchna · Sep 6, 2018

I have always wanted a 45-70 lever action gun, but due to ammo prices, I know I would rarely shoot it. Since I already have plenty of 357mag ammo, I thought this would be a perfect companion to my wheel gun.

I added a skinner peep sight but I still need to remove the buckhorn sights. The screw in the dovetail is in there pretty tight and even with heat, it will not budge. Need to figure out what to do.

Pics of the Henry Big Boy 357 magnum with 16.5" barrel. Can't wait to take it out. :party29:

John from MD · Sep 6, 2018

Spray some Kroil or breakfree around the screw and dovetail and let it work for a day or two. That should help loosen it.

steveh326 · Sep 6, 2018

very nice. I would love to have a rifle as beautiful as yours but in 44mag.

p.s. - 45-70 is a hoot to shoot.

rouchna · Sep 6, 2018

John from MD said:
Spray some Kroil or breakfree around the screw and dovetail and let it work for a day or two. That should help loosen it.

Thanks. I’ll give it a shot.

steveh326 said:
very nice. I would love to have a rifle as beautiful as yours but in 44mag.

p.s. - 45-70 is a hoot to shoot.

Thank you. I love shooting 45-70 but I just can’t stomach the price.

scout6 · Sep 6, 2018

Have been casually thinking of that rifle in the 45-70 as well, but far down on the list of wants. Tempted to rethink a smaller caliber for actually shooting it versus it sitting unused, same boat you were in I suppose. They are beautiful rifles.

SavageShooter · Sep 6, 2018

Beautiful lever action there! Almost to pretty to shoot. I have a Winchester Trapper from 2003 in .357/.38. You are going to love it. Nothing like a lever action. Enjoy!

RonRJA · Sep 6, 2018

Shot my soon to be fathers-in-law's, exact same model and absolutely loved it. Was thinking about getting a 45-70 as well but just don't know if I can justify it.

John from MD · Sep 6, 2018

For you folks who don't reload, the 45-70 Government cartridge is not something to shoot holes in paper with. It packs a hell of a wallop especially in light guns. Ask anyone who owned a Marlin 1895 Carbine. Currently Rossi is only importing rifles and carbines in .44 Mag and .45 Colt. You can probably find good deals on .45 Colt ammo as it is used in Cowboy Action. That would be my recommendation if you wanted to punch holes with a lever gun. You can also get Rossi's cheaper than you can find Henry's for.

Uncle Duke · Sep 6, 2018

John from MD said:
For you folks who don't reload, the 45-70 Government cartridge is not something to shoot holes in paper with. It packs a hell of a wallop especially in light guns. Ask anyone who owned a Marlin 1895 Carbine. Currently Rossi is only importing rifles and carbines in .44 Mag and .45 Colt. You can probably find good deals on .45 Colt ammo as it is used in Cowboy Action. That would be my recommendation if you wanted to punch holes with a lever gun. You can also get Rossi's cheaper than you can find Henry's for.

For that matter, and while it certainly isn't .45-70, many won't want to lean into 44Mag off the bench all day either. This is where .357 shines IMO. Choices, and all about what you want to do.

Uncle Duke · Sep 6, 2018

delete

CombatAK · Sep 6, 2018

That right there is a sweet rifle! You done right well!

rouchna · Sep 6, 2018

Thank you all. My choice in going with the 357 is due to the fact that I like to shoot my guns....a lot. I tend to leave the guns chambered in expensive calibers in the safe most of the time. I knew that by getting this one, it would be taken out as much as my 5.56 & 9mm Guns.

ezracer · Sep 6, 2018

Beautiful weapon...and made in the USA. Also, Mr. Imperato & and his family run a damn fine business!!

rouchna · Sep 6, 2018

ezracer said:
Beautiful weapon...and made in the USA. Also, Mr. Imperato & and his family run a damn fine business!!

One of the many reasons I chose Henry over a Marlin :thumbsup:

engineerbrian · Sep 6, 2018

Looks great. Skinner Sights are the way to go on a lever gun.

woodline · Sep 7, 2018

John from MD said:
For you folks who don't reload, the 45-70 Government cartridge is not something to shoot holes in paper with. It packs a hell of a wallop especially in light guns. Ask anyone who owned a Marlin 1895 Carbine. Currently Rossi is only importing rifles and carbines in .44 Mag and .45 Colt. You can probably find good deals on .45 Colt ammo as it is used in Cowboy Action. That would be my recommendation if you wanted to punch holes with a lever gun. You can also get Rossi's cheaper than you can find Henry's for.

I wish I had known that the Rossi R92 in .357 might be collectible someday haha. I definitely spent a lot of time slicking mine up, dehorning random parts that were sharp enough to draw blood, replacing random internals, and shooting the snot out of it. It's ugly and all scratched up from use, but I sure do love it. Mine came from the factory with a fantastic trigger, too.

Magnumite · Sep 7, 2018

fbi_surveillance_van said:
I wish I had known that the Rossi R92 in .357 might be collectible someday haha. I definitely spent a lot of time slicking mine up, dehorning random parts that were sharp enough to draw blood, replacing random internals, and shooting the snot out of it. It's ugly and all scratched up from use, but I sure do love it. Mine came from the factory with a fantastic trigger, too.

I empathize with you, but you have an old friend there just the way you like it. Those are the really good kind of guns, I think. Rock on :party29:

John from MD · Sep 7, 2018

My Rossi 92 16 inch .44 mag is my pig gun. Since it gets beat anyway, I stripped the finish and artificially aged the metal and stocks. Today it looks like an 1892 Winchester if you discount the scout scope mount and the 2-7x32 LER scout scope. :rolleyes:

It is more accurate than any Marlin 94 I ever owned. Partly because the 1 in 30 twist stabilizes the 240-265 bullets better than the Marlin's 1 in 38 twist. NOE's 430-275 HP bullet is one hell of a pig killer too.

JakeThePit · Dec 12, 2018

Beautiful. Nothing like a lever action. I'm buying one of these tomorrow, hope it's as beautiful as yours.

Picked it up from Bass Pro today. Bought the 20" Big Boy Classic. Beautiful furniture and features, heavy but balanced, was tempted to order the case hardened to cut weight, but prefer the brass. Ordered Skinner Peep Sight. Can't wait to shoot it.

cstone · Dec 12, 2018

I miss my Rossi 92 in .357/.38 It took a while to break it in and slick it up, but it was relatively inexpensive and I shot it a lot. That rifle cycled my .38 Spl reloads as well as my .357 Mag rounds and the .38 rounds felt almost as light as a .22lr I traded that carbine and some cash for a Browning B92 in .357 The B92 is a much better rifle and shoots extremely well, but I know what it is worth, so I don't shoot it as often or handle it in the same way I did the Rossi. I don't like having safe queens, but the B92 has become one.

Having long guns that share calibers with handguns makes the combination exponentially more valuable for me.

Be safe.

My first lever action rifle - Henry Big Boy 357 Mag Carbine

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