Observation - Most Popular Centerfire Calibers

[JEBar]

while I really don't know why, I was a bit surprised in looking at Henry's website to see that they offer 16 lines of rifles chambered for 44 Mag/44 Special than the do in any other caliber .... 45 Colt comes in second with 11 lines .... .357 Mag/.38 Spcl third with 9 .... .45-70 Gov’t is fourth with 6 .... I don't know what, if anything, that should tell us about calibers as they relate to use in lever action / single shot rifles .... we have three Henry rifles (a 357 Mag, a 44 Mag, and a 45-70) all of which happen to be in Henry's top 4 calibers (as determined by the number of lines in which they are used) .... if we could only have one, I'd be hard pressed to make the choice .... that said, we do fire many more rounds our of our 44 than the other two combined


https://www.henryusa.com/henry-rifles-and-shotguns/

[Henry88]

And of course, and probably just a coincidence, the original Henry was .44, was it not?

[PT7]

An interesting observation. This should be another part answering the Q: "So what are the things (attributes?) a .44 can do better than a .357?" The Q was in the recent threat discussion, http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 9&start=20. It would be revealing to see the marketing analyses that Henry looks at on the demand/sales of their centerfire rifles. Too bad DanAtHenry doesn't participate much in our Forum discussions; his in-the-know position would possibly bring some cool commentary/insights to our chats.

And the personal use of your .44, Jim, tends to support this data you've gathered.

Thanks for posting this observation.
PT7

while I really don't know why, I was a bit surprised in looking at Henry's website to see that they offer 16 lines of rifles chambered for 44 Mag/44 Special than the do in any other caliber .... 45 Colt comes in second with 11 lines .... .357 Mag/.38 Spcl third with 9 .... .45-70 Gov’t is fourth with 6 .... I don't know what, if anything, that should tell us about calibers as they relate to use in lever action / single shot rifles .... we have three Henry rifles (a 357 Mag, a 44 Mag, and a 45-70) all of which happen to be in Henry's top 4 calibers (as determined by the number of lines in which they are used) .... if we could only have one, I'd be hard pressed to make the choice .... that said, we do fire many more rounds our of our 44 than the other two combined


https://www.henryusa.com/henry-rifles-and-shotguns/

[PT7]

Yes, it was, Henry.

Jeff Quinn's (gunblast.com) 2014 eval/review of the "“The Original Henry” 44 WCF Lever Action Rifle, Made in the USA by Henry Repeating Arms," listed this brief description of the original cartridge used:

The original Henry was chambered for the 44 Henry Rimfire cartridge. It used a 216 grain bullet (pointed or flat-nosed) loaded over 25 grains of black powder (or 26 grains), and this cartridge is long out of production. The new Original Henry rifle is chambered for the 44 WCF centerfire cartridge (44-40), with only the changes needed to fire the newer cartridge. The 44 WCF was introduced in 1873 as a rifle cartridge.

And of course, and probably just a coincidence, the original Henry was .44, was it not?

[BigAl52]

Id like to see there sales figures. I know when the CCH guns were first released the first one to become available was the 45 colt followed by the 44 mag. The 357 didnt become available until just about 7 months after the information was released that these guns were going to be made.

[JEBar]

It would be revealing to see the marketing analyses that Henry looks at on the demand/sales of their centerfire rifles.

that most certainly would be interesting .... Henry is a very well run company that is in the business to sell firearms .... toward that end, they don't produce lines that sit on the shelves .... the fact that 16 of their lines are chambered for 44 Mag has to say something

[Mistered]

I suspect (and could be entirely wrong) the greater # of Henrys are chambered in .44 Mag due to nothing more than to equate the modern Henry rifles with a caliber that was predominant with original lever action rifles.
In actual use however believe the .357 is used more than either a .44 or .45. Reason is whenever I see ANY lever action rifle come up for sale locally either on a forum or in a LGS a .357 gets way more responses & interest than when a .44 or .45 is listed. Also when I see a used one show up on the LGS rack it tends to set there for a while and if a .357 shows up it is usually gone before my next visit to the shop.
MORE .44 are may be SOLD however but I believe the .357s actually get more use.

[RanchRoper]

I posted this awhile ago but in case you missed it. An original Henry 44 rimfire cartridge I picked up at a recent gun show. From the 1860's. Copper casing. Next to a 45 Colt for scale.

[JEBar]

I did see that picture and thanks for posting it again .... the old 44 rimfire had a comparatively short period of popularity .... it wasn't a strong cartridge but its the source of Henry's "Load on Sunday and shoot all week long" motto ....

[North Country Gal]

Not sure I would read too much into the fact that Henry has the 44 mag in more of their lines, but you could be right. Without actual sales figures, though, we're all just guessing.

I do know that with JM Marlins, the 357 also came in behind the 44 mag, 45 Colt and even the 45-70 as far as number of lines it was offered. Marlin never really pushed the 357 the way they did the 44 mag and 45-70, but, especially the 44 mag. I also know, however, that the demand for used 357 JM Marlins far exceeds the demand for the others. 357 mag JM Marlins are much harder to find than the 44 mags and when you do find a 357, now, you'll pay big bucks. People who bought 357 JM Marlins have always been very reluctant to sell them. I think user satisfaction and actual hours of use counts for a lot, too. For sure, our JM 357 is a rare gem and it shoots like a gem, too. Never sell gun for us.



post pics

[220]

For the man with only one lever action the 44mag is a great choice, it was my first lever.
Then I added a 357mag and the 44mag didn't get used nearly as much, when I added a 45/70 the 44mag never got used.
It is a non contest when it comes to the effectiveness on large and medium game between the 45/70 and 44 and if your chasing small game the 357 is much more suitable yet can still handle medium game if the need arises.

[North Country Gal]

It's an old song for so many of us, but every time I hear about how that old-timer 45-70 still manages to outdo so many modern cartridges, I can't help but smile.

[BigAl52]

And if I could only have one Im gonna be the odd man out. It would be the 41mag

[JEBar]

Not sure I would read too much into the fact that Henry has the 44 mag in more of their lines, but you could be right. Without actual sales figures, though, we're all just guessing.

in thinking about it, guessing is absolutely correct .... but its a guess that seems to me to be based on pretty sound logic ... disclaimer ===> sometimes what seems logical to me doesn't to my wife .. .. based on following Henry for a good while, it seems clear that they do their homework in determining what types and calibers of rifles they manufacture .... as mentioned earlier, I don't think they manufacture rifles with the intent of having them sit on dealer shelves .... thus, when they introduce a new line, they chamber it for ammo that they believe will be in demand .... there isn't a 44 Mag Long Ranger for a reason .... not too long ago they introduced two lines of single shot rifles ... in steel they offer 5 calibers ---- .223, 243, .308, .44 Magnum, and .45-70 .... in brass they offer 2 calibers ---- .44 Magnum and .45-70

[PT7]

Jim, did you consider contacting Henry to learn from them what their info shows to be the "Most Popular Centerfire Calibers?" Wonder if they would give that to you since you're a "Town Marshal / Deputy Admin" on the HRF? It would eliminate our guessing. Plus it would be interesting to find out.
PT7

Not sure I would read too much into the fact that Henry has the 44 mag in more of their lines, but you could be right. Without actual sales figures, though, we're all just guessing.

in thinking about it, guessing is absolutely correct .... but its a guess that seems to me to be based on pretty sound logic ...

[JEBar]

Jim, did you consider contacting Henry to learn from them what their info shows to be the "Most Popular Centerfire Calibers?"
PT7

nope, I'd not considered doing so ..

after reading your question, I picked up the phone and called them ..

the fellow I spoke with said his computer was down so he couldn't give any numbers but he said he does know that overall their best selling caliber is 22LR .... for centerfires it is 44 by a large margin

[PT7]

The .22LR best seller is not a surprise, both because Henry makes such great H001 rifles, and the fact that .22LR is an inexpensive ammo. Interesting to learn for centerfire it is the .44 by a large margin. Sheds a new light on that caliber for me, and will look forward to read up on it a little more.

Thanks for helping to minimize our guessing in this thread!

[ESquared]

It is guess-work, but it seems like it might also be the old chicken and egg when it comes to the re-launch and growth of HRA. If they re-launched with an emphasis on .44 due the Henry history, is it safe to assume that they offered more models in that caliber from the get-go? If so, and they sold lots of them, then the sales data would say 'Let's offer more in .44,' which served them well, while listening to customer demand for other caliber choices. It will be interesting to see how everything might even out as Henry continues to grow. Product development seems to be a strong suit, so it will be interesting to watch...

[North Country Gal]

Jim, did you consider contacting Henry to learn from them what their info shows to be the "Most Popular Centerfire Calibers?"
PT7

nope, I'd not considered doing so ..

after reading your question, I picked up the phone and called them ..

the fellow I spoke with said his computer was down so he couldn't give any numbers but he said he does know that overall their best selling caliber is 22LR .... for centerfires it is 44 by a large margin

That's close enough. I'd say that settles it about the 44 being number in both lines and sales of center fire Henrys. Observation, confirmed.

[GFK]

I have been considering a 357. I have not shoot a 44 mag. But, I guess people prefer shooting them out of a rifle than a handgun. I could be wrong. But, it seems like the recoil in a handgun could be challenging to deal with on a continuous basis. So, a 357 make be more fun to shoot in a handgun or rifle. Just my 2 cent.