Henry Rifle Forums

Hi All,

Name is Jordan, I am new here. I have one lever gun, a Browning BL22 in 22 rimfire. I am wanting to venture into the pistol calibers and the Henry Big Boy Steel has caught my eye. I like the carbine version and believe that is the one I'll go with. The question comes down to caliber, this will mostly be a fun/range rifle, and it might serve as self defense, and could possibly become a truck rifle. I was set on the 357 mag/38 sp, but see the 327 fed and it has caught my eye. I'm intrigued by that little caliber, I know ammo might be a little more scarce for the 327 fed, but I think it would be a fun little caliber in a carbine. I do not currently own and handguns, and would like to get a revolver to match whatever caliber I choose for the rifle. Anyone have any advice on this? I might venture into reloading as well for this gun. Just trying to make plans for the future.

Welcome to the forum! You will find a wealth of knowledge from people on here. I personally own a Big Boy in 45 Colt, and a Cimarron revolver in the same caliber. Don't know much about 327, but hang in there until others chime in.

I have a Big Boy in .357 to match my Smith & Wesson 686+ revolver and I absolutely love that combo! Having the ability to shoot .38s for either is a nice bonus.

I have no experience with the .327 caliber.

Welcome to the forum. I'm somewhat new here, myself, but not to lever guns.

As I see it, it all boils down to whether you will reload or not. If not, shooting the 357/38 is going to be less expensive and 357/38 ammo is everywhere. Any place that sells ammo will likely have 357 or 38s. Even though a 327 revolver can also shoot 32 H&R, 32 S&W and so on, ammo availability will still be hit or miss in some shops and when they do have ammo, not much of a selection.

In terms of self-defense, the 327 is a good round for bad guys, but still not up to the 357 level. Around here, I do carry a 357 as a woods gun because we do have bears and heavy 357 loads will handle black bears. A 327 will not. Also, if you plan to hunt, a 357 is doable for deer, too. Again, that's a stretch for the 327. The 357 is the more do it all round.

As for adding a revolver at some point, nothing quite as versatile and useful as a 357 revolver and I say that even though I am a big fan of the 327 and shoot the 327. A single action 357 revolver such as the Ruger Black Hawk would make a great first revolver. Even better, the 357 Blackhawk Convertible that allows you to also shoot 9mm. Nothing cheaper to shoot in a centerfire factory round than 9mm. Here's my Flat Top 357 Convertible with extra 9mm cylinder.



Again, love the 327, but as a first centerfire lever gun or handgun, the 357 is the better choice. Add the 327, later.

Welcome to the forum from CT. I love my Brass Big Boy .357 that I've paired up with a Taylors & Co. Uberti Cattleman SA revolver. I'd easily make the same choice of caliber today. It's a mild shooting caliber even in the handgun and it's also very easy to reload the brass.

Thanks for all the quick replies! I am leaning back towards the 357 mag now. I like the convertible revolver mention above by NCG. I have my hunting arms covered for deer and the like, I'm looking more for fun/plinking and self defense.

Welcome to the forum, lots of knowledgeable people here.

On another note. I'm in love with the new .410 henry lever, I will have to have one of them this year for squirrel hunting with my sons.

I definitely think the .357 is a much more practical caliber. It would also make a better self defense weapon IMO.

I have had the Big Boy steel in .357 for about a year and a half. My daughter and I put a lot of ammo through it every month. We have never regretted the purchase for an instant. If something happened to the BB steel, I would buy another just like the one I have as soon as possible.

Hi Jordan .... welcome to the Forums from Runcorn, UK!

Welcome to the forum. I'm thinking of the 357/38 myself.

Welcome to the forum. I would agree with the others who have said 38/357. The 327 is going to be a real seller for Henry I think. But for the first one I would go 357 because of the ammunition cost and reloading supplies if you happen to reload. Al

I would, without a doubt, go with the .357 over the .327

Back in the 80's I bought a Ruger .32 H&R Magnum. Ammo was hard to find and very expensive compared to the more common .38 spl and .357 magnum. (I now handload both of these calibers)

In the last few years I purchased a Ruger Blackhawk .38spl/.357 magnum and a Henry steel .357 rifle. This is a great combo and I would prefer it over the .32 caliber any day. Just my 2 cents worth.

I am a big 44mag fan. But having a shared caliber really makes sense. I really think you will be happy with any of the Bigboys. Let us know when you get it. And let us know what you think of it had how she shoots!

Reloading is a good thing and a great ideal. It gives you more control of the quality and the choices of loads. I reload for everything.

Welcome to the forum from Indiana.

You stated "You Might Get Into Reloading". For that reason alone get the .357. .357/38 special ammo is readily available if you do not get into reloading; .327 can be a little more difficult to locate. Shooting 38 special out of the .357/38 Henry for plinking at the range is a lot of fun and won't break the bank. You can always get the .327 later.

I would also steer you to the 38/357 especially if you do NOT reload .. many many shops will have multiple choices in both 38 and 357 mag not many will have 327 choices .. Resale of gun if needed would be much easier for the 38/357
in 38/357 you can go from very mild to very wild
great 100 yd deer gun with proper bullet and shot placement

Hi Jordan .... welcome to the Forums from Runcorn, UK!

add me to those who favor the 357 .... others have outlined the advantages of ammunition availability and the capability of the rounds .... as a range rifle, our Henry is a pleasure to shoot .... as a hunting round, within its range, it performs well .... our son's Ruger 357 GP100's matched with their Henry rifles represent a most capable combo

To me things such as the 327 are specialty rounds. The kind of stuff you buy when you already have the basics of the common cartridges covered. For me I would figure anything like the 327 or 41 magnum it would be a necessity to reload. I'm a 44 fan and street price for ammo is near $1 a round. Can't help but thinking that those 2 caliber would be higher if you can find it.

After the recent ammo shortages I made a conscious decision to stick with 4 common calibers. 44 spl/mag, 45/70, 45 acp and 22lr. That way if I have to buy ammo I'll have a much better chance of finding it. And hopefully more reasonable prices. I also handload for these. Minimal dies needed and all are easy to load straight wall cartridges. I can also use some of the same powders in all of them. A plus when times get tough.

These few calibers will cover everything from chipmunks to dangerous game.

Having said that I'm a big fan of any pistol cartridge in a Henry lever action. 357 and 44 mag are amazingly versatile in what you can use them for. Build them mild to wild.

Good luck with your search. That's part of the fun. If you call agonizing over which gun to buy fun!

Jordan, I'd like to welcome you to the forum also.
Let us know what you decide, I'd lean towards the .357 & you could shoot .38s too. There are a ton of good .357 handguns on the market as companion guns. The .357 will take deer, it'd be a good defense ctg too.
Come on back & Let us know which way you are leaning.
Thanks