Journey

[JEBar]

early last year my best friend since high school was diagnosed with cancer .... over the years we have hunted, fished, and traveled together .... I do not have a brother by birth but in every other way we were brothers for over 50 years .... I'd take him to chemo and radiation treatments, after which we would often stop by the local gun shop or he'd bring a couple of his guns and I'd clean them for him .... he has really nice S&W 357 and really wanted a Henry to go with it .... I've long been a fan of lever actions and have my grandfather's Winchester Model 94 along with a 1970 BLR that is one of favorite hunting rifles .... I'd never paid much attention to a Henry, had seen them in store displays but as best I can remember, I'd never touched one .... our Henry conversations quickly turned to him getting a 357 to go with his Smith and me getting a 44 to go with my Ruger Redhawk .... his cancer spread quickly and we never got to order them and spend time on a range .... after his funeral, I ordered a H012 .... while waiting, I began reading about Henry and its history .... the more I researched, the more I came to understand my friend's enthusiasm .... did I need another rifle, nope .... somehow I'd reached the point that I couldn't not buy one .... when the 44 came in, it confirmed all of his high praise .... as a side note, there are only 2 guns I've never owned that I've wanted for decades .... one is a 204 Ruger type long rang varmint rifle and the other an elephant gun .... yep, an elephant gun .... guess I watched too many African safari movies .... I used to tell folks that I'd love to have one but doubted I'd ever fire it .... when I leaned that today's 45-70 is certified for all of Africa's big 5, I couldn't stand it until I had a H010CC .... and yes, I have fired it .... in August we plan to order a H012MR 357 for my grandson's 8th birthday in September .... he will be taking the state hunter safety course and I believe that the 357 will be perfect step between his 22 and a deer hunting rifle with more recoil .... it won't be the same going to the range with him as it would have been with my friend .... in some ways it will probably be better .... that's how I got into the Henry camp, care to share how your got here ?

[RanchRoper]

Great story. I just always loved everything cowboy. Been riding horses a long time, and love the life. Have a huge collection of books & movies on the old west. A real nice lever gun was on my bucket list, and with luck will soon be a reality. There was a Winchester 94 in 30-30 in the store near me, and a Uberti Silver Boy .22 as well, but they got sold. So I was pretty much decided on a Marlin 1894 until I found the Henry site. Also lots of people have said over the years it wouldn't hurt to carry a rifle in the remote back country.
I respect the fact that Henry is USA made, and hear nothing but good things about them.

[Sir Henry]

I bought my first H001 in 2001. I'm a south paw and got tired of working a bolt the wrong way. But after a year the H001 started giving me problems. It got to the point where I didn't want to shoot it anymore because it jammed too much. I complained about Henry in another forum and people told me to stop complaining and send it in to Henry. I did so and received the rifle back in record time and it was fixed proper.

I was so impressed I bought another Henry soon after. That was my biggest mistake because another soon followed me home, and then another and another until I had 17 Henrys with one currently on order.

Henrys are like potato chips. I keep telling myself I need to shoot some of my other rifles but come range day I usually only take my Henrys. They aren't the most accurate rifle I have but are the most fun to shoot. And really is a 1/2" group all that much better than a 3/4" group?

[RetiredSeabee]

Very nice tribute to your "Brother". I have three brothers but many more who I served with. Good to hear you have a grandson to mentor and watch your legacy grow.
My route here is less interesting. I saw the Mare's Leg and knew that I "needed" it.

[Squatch]

Thanks for sharing.

[CT_Shooter]

The first firearm I ever purchased was a beautiful Henry H001 in 2012. It was such a joy to shoot that soon afterwards, I purchased a Henry H006M. The lever action was my primary attraction and Henry's reputation gave me no other option but to buy theirs.

[Deadwood Dutch]

I wanted a rifle to start hunting deer with back in 1964, and for me it had to be a lever action. So I purchased a new Winchester Model 94 .32 Winchester Special that was made in 1963. I used it until 1971 when I bought my .30-06 Remington 760 Gamemaster. But I have always had a fascination with the lever action rifle. I have had a Marlin that I sold and I wish that I still had that Winchester, but it is long gone. I purchased two more Marlin .44 Magnums, 1894's, between 2002 and 2006. But then around 2008 I started hearing about this Henry Golden Boy that was on the market and I knew that I had to have one. So, one day in 2009 I read where Cabela's was having a big gun sale and one of the rifles that was on sale was the Golden Boy .22lr. I went over, and the store was only one half hour from me, I took a number at the gun counter, waited for one and a half hour for my number to be called and walked out with a new Golden Boy for $340. The barrel band at that time was not brass. So, that was my first Henry and it has served me well. But, a few months ago after taking it on a hike in the game lands I realized that I wanted a lighter Henry .22 to take on my hikes and to do some plinking with. So, I went down to my local gun store and bought the H001 for $310. I like both my Henry rifles, beautiful fit, finish and accurate. But, at this time I have no plans to buy anymore guns. I just turned 71 and I am satisfied with my collection of 10 long guns and 4 revolvers. Well..................let's give that some more thought.

[Steve51]

My first encounter with a Henry rifle was by coincidence. It was 1999 and I was in our local Walmart looking for fishing items. I had purchased a Remington 870 from them a few years earlier and I glanced at their available guns. A very good looking lever action rifle took my eye - beautiful walnut stock. It was priced at $179 - so I asked to look at it. It was a Henry H001 and I could not believe how slick the action was. I told my wife about it and she gave her approval - so the next day I went back and purchased it - had to wait another day before I could take possession (Illinois). The rifle far exceeded my expectations and I was hooked on Henry rifles.
In 2001 I purchased the golden boy H004 and in 2009 the H001TM .22mag w/octagon barrel (good varmint rifle). Although I don't have much need for one in Illinois, I always wanted a centerfire rifle and I was now hooked on lever actions. I wanted a Henry .357 but none were available (thanks to the Obama caused gun buying craze) so I bought a Rossi M92 in .357. A nice rifle but far short of what I really wanted - the action was very rough. I did a Steve Gunz action job on it including different springs and it is better but the action is still not "Henry" smooth. I have since purchased a Henry Big Boy .44 and a Henry steel .45-70.
I wish Illinois would allow rifles that shoot straight walled revolver cartridges for deer hunting as some of our surrounding states do. I have contacted the DNR urging them to allow rifles that shoot straight walled cartridges but it falls on deaf ears. I have taken deer with bow and arrow and with shotgun slugs but I would really like to harvest one with the .44mag or .45-70.
When I depart this life, I have a Henry rifle to leave to every grandchild.

[PT7]

.... In August we plan to order a H012MR 357 for my grandson's 8th birthday in September .... he will be taking the state hunter safety course and I believe that the 357 will be perfect step between his 22 and a deer hunting rifle with more recoil .... it won't be the same going to the range with him as it would have been with my friend .... in some ways it will probably be better .... that's how I got into the Henry camp, care to share how your got here ?

My journey is quite short, only starting around my retirement time. For the first time about four ears ago, I shot a friend's Henry lever action, an H001. Almost hard to believe how smooth the lever action was, and also how accurately it sent those .22LR bullets to the target! Still at that time, I wasn't considering getting a rifle of my own. I started my retirement hobby with my .357 Magnum revolver.

But that good and fun range experience led me to check out the Henry rifles on their web site, and I remember thinking, "what a beautiful collection of rifles are being offered by Henry." Then the bronze Big Boy web page popped up, and that did it.

Probably most everyone knows what it's like "gun-rack-shopping" at your LGS; a little like my wife has experienced "window-shopping" at her favorite clothing or shoe store, and then I help her to the van with the packages. Well, my outing happened to be at Cabelas. At that time, there were just a few Henrys in their gun rack. (Today I think they had to build another rifle rack to display all the Henrys they have out!). Anyway, that beautiful H006M was there! That was it for me. Both the bronze and beautiful wood furniture grabbed my eye, and I was hooked. And when I handled it for the first time, that smooth lever action was there, just as the H001 had "the smooth." Quite a bit of juggling with the finances followed, I got a quick (surprising) okay from my wife, and quite soon I had my very first, very own Henry rifle in hand!

The BBB has a Henry companion in my gun cabinet now, the SGC (H001TLP) in .22LR. One centerfire and one rimfire are my Henry "collection." It's a quality collection, and I'm glad to have my two Henrys. Although a short journey so far, I look forward to the Henry road ahead.

Thanks, JEBar, for your post. Sorry for the sad loss of your best friend.

And thanks also for this topic thread. It's fun to read the different Henry histories out there.

[JWC]

Those are some great stories. I wish I had an up lifting story, or a funny make you laugh story, to tell about how I came to own a Henry. Actually, I was looking for a Marlin JM stamped straight stock 45colt. I could not find one. On a local gun site, a Henry 45colt came up for sale. I did not buy it initially, but when it was re-listed, I called the seller and bought it. It was one of the best gun purchases I have ever made. Smooth action, great trigger and more accurate than I am. I will own more Henry rifles.