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I bought a Henry Big Boy lever action in .357 mag early this year. It is very, very nice. Haven't shot it as much as I would like, but the action in smooth, and 38 practice ammo is pretty cheap. The fit and finish is A+++. I literally can't find one flaw on it.

I haven't formally tested the accuracy, but I was getting decent groups at 50 yards as I recall with the historically-accurate-but-not-so-accurate-buckhorn sights. I may replace them with peeps, don't know yet. It has a 20 inch barrel, and I think the minimum I would go with a 357 rifle would be 18.5. More velocity will help keep it a good deer/hog gun at close/medium ranges.

The only downside it has is that it's about 9 lbs loaded. You may or may not mind. Slings are your friend.
Would definitely recommend that rifle. Just don't get the Rossi 357.....

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I see no reason at all that my (or any other) Henry wouldn't last for decades. It seems very well built. The brass receiver is nice and thick, the octagon barrel is a decently heavy profile, the action is robust. In my eyes it's the best lever action in 357 on the market for the quality and everything it offers.

I was looking at the Rossi but had difficulty finding good reviews. It seems most of them take gun smithing to get running correctly. Not worth the savings over the Henry.

You may have already looked into it, but for hunting deer/hogs I would recommend Buffalo Bore's 180 grain hard cast flat nose 357.
It is supposed to be loaded very hot, just under or right at 2000 FPS from a 20 inch barrel. It's mean.
In 357, I believe you want penetration; the hollow points may not penetrate adequately to reach vitals.

I would be very surprised if you weren't completely satisfied with a Big Boy, and Henry's customer service is great from what I've heard.

Just be warned that its such a good looking rifle, you may not want to shoot it when you get it!

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I'm pretty sure you can buy the regular sized lever separately and change it out.

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I have a Rossi 24" Rifle and 20" Carbine, both in 357mag and both purchase in 2009.  Both have over 4,000 rds through them and both are rock solid and a ton of fun to shoot; easily family favorites for a day of fun shooting.  I handload for them both and here are my thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of each.  

First off, a 357mag levergun is an awesome choice for a number of reasons.  Besides it's low recoil and relatively low ammo costs, it's a ton of fun to shoot for the whole family. If you don't handload, you can buy 38spl and 357mag ammo in bullet weights from 90grns to 200grns.  With the added benefit of handloading your own ammo, you can shoot virtually any combination of bullet and power that suits you.  

For instance, my 158grn full power 357mag handloads are capable of shooting accurately at 300 yds.  I love to ring steel at 300 yds with a pistol rd!  Best of all, I can shoot those 158grn 357mag handloads for cheaper per box of 50 than the cheapest 22 mag ammo bought on line!  Plus I can load up a wide variety of bullet weights and power levels to suit virtually any shooting I want from mouse fart light loaded light bullets up to heavy loaded heavy bullets suitable for up to medium game (deer and hog sized animals at closer ranges of 75 - 100 yds).

First about my two Rossis.  As I said, I've got a 24" Rifle outfitted with a Lyman Globe front sight, Marbles folding rear (not shown below), and Marbles Tang sight giving me a 30" sight radius and the ability to shoot out to 300 yds at 12" steel plates.  Every time I shoot it, it puts a smile on my face.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/DSCN2840.jpg

Next, I also have a 20" Carbine which I swapped out the stock sights to more precise Marbles bead front and half buckhorn rear.  Further, I added a saddle ring and some leather wrap to fancy it up a bit.  It's light, fast to shoulder, and even with only a 16" sight radius, 8" steel plates at 150 yds are dead.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/DSCN2830.jpg

Using Steve Young's Dvd and parts, I gave both of them an action and trigger job so they run smooth as silk and have really nice triggers for a levergun.  Further, I gave each a coat of WATCO Danish Oil right over the original finish with only a slight cleaning and no sanding to add depth and color to the Brazilian wood stocks.  Below are a before and after of color difference in the carbine stock.

Before the stock looked flat and dull. It's functional but looks just blah laying there.  Not an inspiring sight at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/100_0703.jpg

After a single coat right over the stock above, the color looks rich, deep, and grabs you.  It's hard to believe it's the same stock and the rifle looks like a million bucks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Coloradoglocker/DSCN2837.jpg

As I said above, both rifle and carbine have over 4,000 rds through each of them and both run like a top. They both have ½ cock hammers and are faithful copies of the 1892 Winchesters of old. They are very accurate and well worth the money plus a few bucks extra to slick them up using Steve's parts as they still come in at less than ?the cost of a Japchester without it's terrible rebounding hammer and tang safety. Both are always favorites at the range and never cease to thrill everyone who shoots them.  They are simple, rugged, and bring back a part of Western history that's many times lost.  They are a good way to help introduce the young folks to the ideas and values of a time long gone and to often forgotten.

Now to the pros and cons of each from my perspective.  Mostly their strengths and weaknesses depend upon what you want the firearm to do.  If you're looking for a light, handy woods walking plinker that can take small to medium game a close distances, you might want to consider the classic carbine.  At 5lbs 14oz empty and 6lbs 5oz fully loaded with 12 rds of 357mag, it's real handy for just having a great time.  Loaded up with light weight, low power ammo, it's a great little small game shooter that's both inexpensive and fun to shoot.  However, load it up with Buffalo Bore's Heavy 357mag ammo and you've got a 158grn JSP slug traveling at 2,153fps which makes it powerful enough to take deer at up to 100-125 yds with good shooting.  With another 25 or 30 rds in you pockets, you're set for a day of hunting up close or plinking out to 150 yds in the woods for a few hours.  It's also a popular choice for CASS shooting and as a faithful reproduction of the Winchester 1892 carbine, it's a great thing to have in your collection.

If you're looking for a bit longer range and higher velocity, the rifle gives me 22 fps faster speeds over the carbine with my 158grn 357mag loads.  However, shooting lower powered 38spl, the 4" longer barrel actually slows down the bullet somewhat.   Further, the 24" rifle is drilled and taped to accept a tang mount fold up sight which increases the sight radius from 20" to 30" making it a formidable irons shooting platform.  With the included .040" target aperture installed in the tang, the aperture increases your Depth of Field (the distance where objects appear in focus) such that both the front sight and a target at 100yds are clear as a bell, even if like me, you suffer from poor eyesight.  The longer, heavier barrel seems to hang as pointed for most shooters making it an excellent game rifle.  In addition, the longer magazine under the barrel allow one to carry 15 rds of 357mag ammo in the rifle ready to go.

The down side of this is that the octagon barreled rifle is not as compact, being 4" longer, and not as light which is something one will notice carrying it around in the field all day.  Empty, the rifle weighs 7lbs 10oz and fully loaded it weighs 8lbs 3oz.  That's almost 2lbs (1lb 14oz) heavier than the fully loaded carbine, however, it does have double the sight radius, carries 3 more rds aboard, and many (including me) think it's a much more natural pointer allowing you to swing onto the shot much more solidly.  Which is right for you?  Only you know what you want out of it so really only you can decide which size to get.  

Of course, you can always take the way I and many others do . . . not decide and get one of each.  
                 

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The only problem with the Henry IMHO is the weight, lever guns should be light and quick handling.  Henry makes a nice rifle, but I have no use for a 9lb lever gun (especially in a light caliber rifle)

I have a 20" Marlin 1894 in 44mag with 20" barrel, its pretty easy to swing around, you cant go wrong with either barrel length.  I would lean toward the SS Marlin in 16" if I was going to purchase one based off your description.  

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Actually Jim, I did validate why. If you read you will see I had difficulty finding good reviews, and not so good reviews were somewhat common. I'm sure they've put out some nice ones, but I would be very surprised if they came close to the quality of a Henry.

And maybe I'm just weird, but I think a lever action rifle should be made in America.

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I bought a Henry Big Boy lever action in .357 mag early this year. It is very, very nice. Haven't shot it as much as I would like, but the action in smooth, and 38 practice ammo is pretty cheap. The fit and finish is A+++. I literally can't find one flaw on it.
I haven't formally tested the accuracy, but I was getting decent groups at 50 yards as I recall with the historically-accurate-but-not-so-accurate-buckhorn sights. I may replace them with peeps, don't know yet. It has a 20 inch barrel, and I think the minimum I would go with a 357 rifle would be 18.5. More velocity will help keep it a good deer/hog gun at close/medium ranges.
The only downside it has is that it's about 9 lbs loaded. You may or may not mind. Slings are your friend.




Would definitely recommend that rifle. Just don't get the Rossi 357.....

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THAT BEING SAID:

I bought a standard Rossi .22 carbine for my 10-year old son.  He loves it.  I love it.  Great little gun.  A couple of plastic parts but I can live with it.

Henry ads claiming they are THE SAME COMPANY that made the 'Henry' rifle in 1860 leave a bad taste in my mouth.  Ads claiming that their company was founded by B. Tyler Henry leave a bad taste in my mouth,  The fact that their pre-production Big Boy rifles had loading gates and solid mag tubes, and their production guns have the retarded .22 style popout tubes boggles my mind.  Still can't understand why they went with this choice, it is the single most frequent negative complaint I've heard about the guns.

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Let me start out by saying that I have done a lot of reading in this subforum and have found a lot of useful information. I am going to be getting a 357 lever action soon. I am sure this topic has been discussed in length here. I have read variations of this discussion on other websites as well. I have pretty much settled on a Henry Big Boy, although I could probably be swayed.

Would you prefer a 16.5 inch or 20 inch barrel in 357. I understand the change in velocity is not that drastic, so you are gaining a longer sight radius and 3 extra rounds of 357 at the loss of some ease of handling. I am attracted to the shorter barrel because I want it to be handy in the woods and in the home. Can anyone who has handled both lengths comment on their preferences?

Final question: Does the Big Boy steel offer any added durability over the standard brass? I plan to shoot hot loads but I can't imagine that being a problem for either rifle. I am also concerned about corrosion resistance as I do plan to make this gun a user.

Thank you for reading!

ETA: Is modern marlin quality really as bad as people say? I really dig the stainless model they offer.

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I bought a Henry Big Boy lever action in .357 mag early this year. It is very, very nice. Haven't shot it as much as I would like, but the action in smooth, and 38 practice ammo is pretty cheap. The fit and finish is A+++. I literally can't find one flaw on it.

I haven't formally tested the accuracy, but I was getting decent groups at 50 yards as I recall with the historically-accurate-but-not-so-accurate-buckhorn sights. I may replace them with peeps, don't know yet. It has a 20 inch barrel, and I think the minimum I would go with a 357 rifle would be 18.5. More velocity will help keep it a good deer/hog gun at close/medium ranges.

The only downside it has is that it's about 9 lbs loaded. You may or may not mind. Slings are your friend.
Would definitely recommend that rifle. Just don't get the Rossi 357.....

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I have a brass 44 big boy and a steel 357 big boy.  The brass is about a pound heavier because it comes with an octagon barrel.
They are great guns and you can't go wrong.
The Rossis need at least some work which then make them not less expensive than Henry.  By the time Steve got ahold of my wallet I could have saved money going with Henry but only Rossi makes a 454 and they are discontinued.
I like them both.  The Henry is more of a take on the Marlin 336 without the stupid crossbolt safety, which is a good thing.