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Posted: 3/31/2025 3:50:13 PM EDT
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Getting ready to pull the trigger on a 45-70 and it’s either going to be a Henry X or a Marlin Trapper. What I like about the Henry is smooth action, no cross bolt safety and a better trigger. My only dislike is 19.8” barrel length since I’ll be using a suppressor on it. What I like about the Marlin, 16” barrel, stainless and laminated stock. My dislikes are the cross bolt safety and trigger isn’t very good. Non of the dislikes are deal breakers, I can live with what each has and doesn’t. I currently have a Henry X 44 mag and really like it, great trigger, smooth action and a 17.” barrel. Plus the price difference favors the Henry, this isn’t a reason why I’d choose the Henry, if I do I’ll have a few more hundred for other stuff like a picatinny rail and optic. For those that have both or experience with both I’d like to hear your thoughts. |
| You can get a safety delete from Turnbull I installed on in my Marlin it's gtg. |
America is at that awkward stage, it’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards....Claire Wolfe
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Originally Posted By 50-140: You can get a safety delete from Turnbull I installed on in my Marlin it's gtg. Marlin is solid. JM is best. No experience yet with Ruger Marlins, but the Ruger warranty is perfection, so no fears. JM perfection: 
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Preferred pronoun: MARINE
 Safety delete with saddle ring, quick take apart lever screw, fiber optic front sight with skinner rear, happy trigger, bear proof extractor, metal mag tube follower. I love the little tack driver.  
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Those who beat swords into plowshares usually end up plowing for those who don't. --Benjamin Franklin.
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No 45-70’s in my stable. I haven’t ran across any T-Rex’s in my location yet. I do have three Henry’s and a friend has four, including a 45-70. I only have one Marlin currently, a 39a. The Henry’s are smooth and the triggers are decent. Also, being able to load and unload from the tube is suprisingly handy. I do think the lines of the Marlin are better. The Henry’s tend to look “clunky”. My 44 All Weather 
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"He had the right hand of the devil strapped tightly to his side."-The Last Cowboy
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I have no real experience with Henry rifles , messed with them in a gun store a few times , not impressed with fit/finish .I owned a "golden Boy" 22lr at one point , it was very smooth and slick but some of that was due to the use of plastic and aluminum parts , I am not sure how the Henry centerfire rifles are built. To be clear about Marlins--- Used JMs are good Ruger made Marlins look very very good in fit/finish and they have real rifling which in my book is better than "Micro-Grove" in the JMs Avoid Remington made "marlins" , Many of them were slapped together very poorly . The price of Ruger/Marlins will make you pause , hopefully street price will come down a bit as they catch up (supply and demand and all that) but when one considers the inflation we have had in the past 5 or 6 years on most any product and the super nice fit/finish on the Ruger/Marlins it really isn't horrible. My gut feeling is with use the Henry guns will get sloppy and the proven design of the Ruger/Marlins will get slicker and smoother with use. Has S&W done a 45/70? Something to watch for |
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I have a Henry X in 357 and a Marlin 1894 SBL, both are great rifles and both are very smooth. The Henry doesn’t have the trigger slip the Marlin does but that’s a design thing. Both are good triggers with a nice break. I personally like the overall look of the Marlin better and the fit and finish is nicer compared to other Henry’s I’ve looked at with comparable furniture. Attached File |
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Henry X in 38 special suppressed is pure sex. Attached File Attached File Attached File With a few more mods: Attached File Attached File |
We're living in an episode of Who's Line is it Anyway.
Where everything's made up and the points don't matter.
Where everything's made up and the points don't matter.
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I’ve got the standard Henry 45-70 and I find it to be really nice. I highly recommend them. Attached File |
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You can fix your two complaints with the Marlin fairly easily. If just leaving the cross bolt safety off isn’t sufficient you can delete it. The triggers on both of mine broke in nicely after a couple hundred rounds and don’t prevent me from shooting sub MOA groups but if that’s not to your liking you can stone it or you can put a Timney trigger in it. You cannot bring the Henry up to the quality of the Marlin however. |
| If I could choose between the two and could afford either one, I'd go with the Marlin. I only have my dad's Henry .22 and I like it well enough but the Henry's just look cheap to me. The Marlin feels more solid than the Henry's do. |
The value of Freedom is not realized until it is lost
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Originally Posted By hiih8r: You can fix your two complaints with the Marlin fairly easily. If just leaving the cross bolt safety off isn’t sufficient you can delete it. The triggers on both of mine broke in nicely after a couple hundred rounds and don’t prevent me from shooting sub MOA groups but if that’s not to your liking you can stone it or you can put a Timney trigger in it. You cannot bring the Henry up to the quality of the Marlin however. Cross bolt safety isn’t a big deal, can leave it off. Only thing I’d like to do is the trigger as they are a little on the heavy side. Over I prefer the size of the marlin vs Henry. |
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I'd pick the Marlin, I'm sure the Henry is good but there is just something about the center-fire guns that turns me off. The new Marlin Trappers are really handy feeling guns but I'm afraid the light weight won't make them something you'll want to shoot all day. If they offered them with a black finish instead of stainless I'd maybe grab one. As for the safety. If you don't want to spend the money for the delete just take the stock off and tighten the small set screw that holds the safety detent in until the safety is fixed off. |
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Originally Posted By gunner76: I'd pick the Marlin, I'm sure the Henry is good but there is just something about the center-fire guns that turns me off. The new Marlin Trappers are really handy feeling guns but I'm afraid the light weight won't make them something you'll want to shoot all day. If they offered them with a black finish instead of stainless I'd maybe grab one. As for the safety. If you don't want to spend the money for the delete just take the stock off and tighten the small set screw that holds the safety detent in until the safety is fixed off. They have a dark horse model. |
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Originally Posted By arjohnson: Cross bolt safety isn’t a big deal, can leave it off. Only thing I’d like to do is the trigger as they are a little on the heavy side. Over I prefer the size of the marlin vs Henry. Both of mine broke in very nicely and are probably 5-5.5lbs now. There are spring kits too plus the Timney. |
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