Henry Big Boy carbine 45Colt - tips?, tricks?, accessories?

[Warden Callaway 4,456]

 

First impressions: It deceptively heavy for such a little package with its16.5" barrel. Despite its shortness,  it balances well.  The action feels smooth and light for a lever gun straight out of the box. It has a real sold feel to it.  I kind of like the lever shape.  The walnut furniture is finished well and fits good for a price competitive gun. The barrel is polished well and blued while the magazine tube has a brush finish and blued.  The lever, trigger,  hammer look to be just tumbled or cast and blasted and finished to a dull blue/black.

 

The action is pretty much a ripoff of the Marlin - more like the 336 series with its round bolt and and port hole ejection cut rather than the square bolt 1894 design.  I can see where some of the same action improvements made to Marlin could be made to the Henry.  By the way,  it'll hold 10 C45S rounds.  

 

I can't find any "cowboy up" accessories or any mods.  Maybe dress it up will brass tacks? 

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life 525]

The few that I have shot worked best when I focused on levering as smoothly as possible, do not get caught up in trying to go fast. When I did at about half of what I run my ‘73 started getting “ notchy “ and had a couple failure to feed and a jam. Slow and steady was a pleasant surprise as to how smooth it was and accuracy was excellent. 
regards

  

Gateway Kid

[WOLFY 90]

Henrys are an American classic 

[Ace_of_Hearts 1,068]

You can use an adjustable hammer spring that will lighten the cocking force significantly.

https://uniquetek.com/product/T1337

 

Do not overtighten any of the screws. <It is not a Marlin>

 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489 1,107]

Okay, so it holds ten C45S rounds.  Does it feed them?

[Warden Callaway 4,456]

6 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Okay, so it holds ten C45S rounds.  Does it feed them?

 

Not tried it  .... yet.   Got company coming.  

[Old Man Graybeard 305]

I hope you are right handed. I had a Henry rifle in 45 colt. Shot about 2 matches with it and got rid of it. Every shot shooting left handed was about like getting a glaucoma test every shot.

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life 748]

My .45 Colt Henry Big Boy is my go to SASS rifle. I have fired many thousands of rounds of Holy Black through it over the years. It has never failed me. I also have one in .44 Remington Magnum and another in .357 Magnum (My loaner gun).

 

I have not had to modify my .45 Colt version. It has done a good job for me in Canada, EOT, Winter Range and in lots of matches in eleven states..

 

It's not light but that just helps with its accuracy.

[Max Payne 205]

Sell it. Get a '73. Been there - done that. Although, the Henry does look really good in the safe1

[Texas John Ringo, SASS #10138 58]

"IF" it is so similar to a Marlin then someone would have already found a way to hot rod it

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 823]

On 11/20/2020 at 8:03 AM, WOLFY said:

Henrys are an American classic 

 

A doubtful concept in this case.

[WOLFY 90]

3 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

 

A doubtful concept in this case.

 

Same can be said for a knuckle head HD, but you’re not gonna see anyone racing it at the track.

Edited November 22, 2020 by WOLFY

[Abilene, SASS # 27489 1,107]

On 11/20/2020 at 10:03 AM, WOLFY said:

Henrys are an American classic 

 

4 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

 

A doubtful concept in this case.

 

And you are both correct.  The Henry company has done a great job growing their market and are now available at a very large number of retailers.  So it has become a classic as far as the general public is concerned.  As for as cowboy shooting or any historical interest, not hardly (except the 1860).

 

Given the proper ammo, proper operation at a proper speed, the Big Boy CAN be adequate to play in CAS, just not to compete in CAS.

[Warden Callaway 4,456]

Ok. A queston for you guys that have the BB and experience with them. 

 

One of the strong points of having the magazine with removable tube was to be able to unload without having to jack out each round.  But when I do that, one stays on the carrier.   I tried to just open the action and dump it out. But that didn't work well.  It worked better to put the tube back in and work the action. 

 

Is there a better procedure to empty the gun?

[Ace_of_Hearts 1,068]

7 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Ok. A queston for you guys that have the BB and experience with them. 

 

One of the strong points of having the magazine with removable tube was to be able to unload without having to jack out each round.  But when I do that, one stays on the carrier.   I tried to just open the action and dump it out. But that didn't work well.  It worked better to put the tube back in and work the action. 

 

Is there a better procedure to empty the gun?

The safest way is to just work all the rounds through the action. 

Removing the "tube" and dumping out the rounds has a habit of causing concern for muzzle direction not to mention that holding the gun upside down is awkward as hell.

 

If there is any good news from Henry, all their new "steel" lever guns will have a loading gate.... Yes even those in pistol caliber. It was just announced this morning.

https://www.henryusa.com/firearm-category/new-models/?j=776532&sfmc_sub=69288289&l=Consumers&u=9691764&mid=100016878&jb=1947&utm_source=Consumers Opted into Announcements&utm_campaign=New Side Gate Models 2 (Consumer)&utm_medium=email

 

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by Ace_of_Hearts

[Warden Callaway 4,456]

16 hours ago, Ace_of_Hearts said:

The safest way is to just work all the rounds through the action. 

 

Kind of nullifies the "benefit" of having a tube feed. 

 

Good news on the steel side gate model. I've seen the steel sidegate models but only in some tacticool configuration.  

 

BTW,  I tried some dummy C45S and they jammed up solid.  It would take a mod to the carrier like the Widder mod to Marlin. 

[Rooster Ron Wayne 1,463]

About 8 years ago I got tired of hearing everyone Repeating what they read about the Henry BB ,

But never owning or shooting one themselves. 

 

So with that said .

( I'm really a 92 man myself  ) 

I bought a Henry BB 44 Magnum. 

I took it to a shoot at Hidden Valley. 

Straight out of the box brand new. 

And Shot a Clean Match with it .

 

Is it fast ? No 

Is it clunky ? Yes 

Will it work ? Yes 

Now I'm not a fast shooter and never will be .

But the Henry  Big Boy  will work for 80% of the shooters in the game .

 

You just have to understand the rifle and its limitations. 

Run it hard with intention of fully cycling the lever  .

 

I put the rifle in my gun safe and never used it for SASS again .

But I can say I have used it .

And I personally know it will work.

 

So saith the Rooster  .

 

[Warden Callaway 4,456]

Thanks for the replies. 

 

Looks like the BB is in need of someone to work out some quirks in the action. 

 

I understand from long conversations with Widder,  his perfection of the angle feed Marlin was not done in an instant.  Or his conversion to C45S.  He likely built on work done by others.  

 

In any case,  I won't have this one to work on over the winter. Our youngest son Chris came down to deer hunt and took a liking to it and, long story short, took it home with him.  

 

 

He's not a cowboy action shooter and wasn't concerned with any limitations that may be encountered in playing the game.  He wanted a carbine complain gun to his S&W 25 in 45 Colt.

[Colorado Coffinmaker 3,341]

 

Never mind.  It's now a moot conversation.