Hickok45 Video 357 Mag Big Boy Brass

[Rugerfanboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifdpZJ_G_y8

[PT7]

The Henry .357 BBB is simply a great rifle in a great caliber!!

[ditto1958]

My impression from watching his video was that he didn't like the Big Boy very much.

However... he also recently had emergency gall bladder surgery. I'm not sure, but he may have done the Henry video just prior to going in the hospital. It sounds as though he was doing pretty poorly before he had the surgery.

[CT_Shooter]

I was disappointed, too. I'm biased though. I own that rifle and can't speak more highly of it than I already do.

The Henry .357 BBB is simply a great rifle in a great caliber!!

[clovishound]

The only real negative he espoused was his dislike of the tubular magazine. He went to great lengths to explain that it was HIS preference and that there are lots of folks who absolutely love the Henry. I was a little disappointed that he had some feed problems with the .38s. In reality, I had some of the same problem with mine straight out of the box. After a couple hundred rounds through it, they started feeding smoothly. I believe some of that is the rifle smoothing up, and some is how my daughter and I operate the lever. I do shoot mostly .357 through mine.

[tx gunrunner]

My impression from watching his video was that he didn't like the Big Boy very much..

Remember he is a cowboy action shooter and has old Henry's , 1866 and 1873 which is the smoothest and fastest guns in straight wall ammo . The BB is better hunting gun because it will handle hunting ammo better then the toggle system . If you noticed all the hiccups and feeding problems he had with the BB plus the tube fill sucks over the receiver fill system .

[RanchRoper]

Ya, Hickok45 definitely likes his loading gate...having never had a loading gate rifle, the tube fill seems normal to me. But I can see how a gate is handy, and quicker to load on the run. I figure if I can't stop whatever it is coming at me with 10 rounds, loading another bunch won't make a difference...

[Mulby]

I'm one of the oddballs that prefer the Henry tube mag. I have found that out of the two types of 38sp I've put through my BB the AE 158gr lrn cycle flawlessly while the Blazer brass 125gr hangs up once in a while. I think it's less to do with length of the cartridge and more to do with the fact that there is a ridge on the Blazer between the casing and bullet while the AE is a smooth transition between the two parts.

[clovishound]

Granted, I have a lot of time on the Henry tube feed, and very little with a loading gate. I did not like the loading gate when I tried my friends Marlin. Yes, it would be far better to reload a couple rounds in the field. If I need more than 10 rounds while hunting, something is drastically wrong. My Henry gets almost all it's exercise at the range. The tube feed is much quicker, easier at the range IMO.

[White Squirrel]

Ya, Hickok45 definitely likes his loading gate...having never had a loading gate rifle, the tube fill seems normal to me. But I can see how a gate is handy, and quicker to load on the run. I figure if I can't stop whatever it is coming at me with 10 rounds, loading another bunch won't make a difference...

I agree. I have no problems with the tube loading system. Getting those .357 rounds into my Rossi 92 can be very difficult sometimes.

And, the tube fed rifle is much easier to unload than it is to cycle them all through in a gate loading rifle.

I guess the purists like the tube fed because that is what the old authentic Winchesters, etc. had. That's okay, but I have no problem with the tube loaded rifles.

[CT_Shooter]

I've never used (or even held) a gate loading rifle, so Henry's tube fed magazine isn't foreign or unnatural to me. I like it.

My H006M is the second one I've had, though. The first one did have issues, too many and too often, so eventually Henry's CS decided to replace it with a new rifle. The replacement has been flawless for more than 2000 rounds so far, and it has never had a feeding or ejection issue with either .38 or .357 ammo of any brand or handload. Not one.

Knock on some good Henry wood.

[RanchRoper]

I guess if the rounds jammed you could, as a last resort, release the brass magazine tube and hope the spring ejects it with enough force to disable your attacker...

[CT_Shooter]

I guess if the rounds jammed you could, as a last resort, release the brass magazine tube and hope the spring ejects it with enough force to disable your attacker...

I once lost hold of mine while closing it. It flew about 10 feet away!!!

[RanchRoper]

I guess if the rounds jammed you could, as a last resort, release the brass magazine tube and hope the spring ejects it with enough force to disable your attacker...

I once lost hold of mine while closing it. It flew about 10 feet away!!!

That must be designed that way by HRA's forward thinking tactical department.

[steelersfan97]

I would imagine that in an emergency type situation, you would be better off putting one round at a time in the chamber, than stopping to load the rifle regardless of which loading system it has.

The only other lever action rifle I have fired is a 30-30 Winchester that belonged to my grandfather and is now owned by my day. I have not fired it often, so my opinion might be a little biased, but I definitely prefer the tube system over the loading gate.

[steelersfan97]

I'm one of the oddballs that prefer the Henry tube mag. I have found that out of the two types of 38sp I've put through my BB the AE 158gr lrn cycle flawlessly while the Blazer brass 125gr hangs up once in a while. I think it's less to do with length of the cartridge and more to do with the fact that there is a ridge on the Blazer between the casing and bullet while the AE is a smooth transition between the two parts.

If you read the Big Boy manual, you will see that 38 special less than 158 grains are not recommended.

[Sunkist357]

I have watched dozens of his videos and I enjoy his take on things in general. He sure didn't have any trouble hitting with it! He always says he's not selling any of the guns he reviews, he's just giving his opinion. He's a history buff and has put 1000's of rounds thru his gate-fed guns. If you need more than 10 you can load one at a time just by tossing them thru the ejection port anyways. I jsut wish it had been a Steel like mine

[tx gunrunner]

He shoots thousands of rounds a month in 100 different guns a year and forms opinion on all guns . I was a gunsmith and got to shoot and work on 100 different guns and I form a opinion also . I think I watch everyone of his video twice and agree with his video's I've seem so far . You can take anything he tell you to the bank .

[RanchRoper]

I think his reports are pretty unbiased and you get the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself. Great info for sure. Hope he keeps doing them.

[midnightrider]

I would imagine that in an emergency type situation, you would be better off putting one round at a time in the chamber, than stopping to load the rifle regardless of which loading system it has.

I discovered that with my .45-70 you DON'T want to actually chamber the round, only throw it into the ejection port loose so that the carrier will lift it up in position for it to go into the chamber. If you actually chamber the round, the bolt won't close because the extractor stays behind the cartridge rim instead of being in front of it like it's supposed to be. A minor point maybe, but you have to kinda watch what you're doing for it to work right. Maybe this is only true with the bigger rimmed cartridges, I don't know.

Having said all that, if I need more than 5 rounds (with one in the chamber) of .45-70, my backup plan is to throw the rifle at whatever the threat is and then run away screaming like a teen age girl.

P.S. I currently have and have had many Marlins, all with loading gates of course, and this is my first centerfire lever gun with a tube magazine. But you know what? It doesn't bother me in the least, as long as I remember to rotate the inner mag tube when seating it to prevent the lever from popping open. And I've about got that down I think. Actually, I sorta like it!