Henry Big Boy - Dumb Question

[ragtop69]

I own a 357M/.38special Big Boy. Beautiful piece. It is my first lever rifle. I live alone and keep a round in the chamber. I am assuming that, if I cock the hammer, it will fire the round in the chamber. Am I correct? The last thing I'd want is to do that if I ever needed to and nothing happened.

[Mr Twister]

With a round in the chaber you only need to cock the hammer and pull the trigger. Hope you enjoy your rifle as much as do mine.

[GunnyGene]

I own a 357M/.38special Big Boy. Beautiful piece. It is my first lever rifle. I live alone and keep a round in the chamber. I am assuming that, if I cock the hammer, it will fire the round in the chamber. Am I correct? The last thing I'd want is to do that if I ever needed to and nothing happened.

Sure will, as long as the lever is full up. If you're going to do that, be very very careful lowering the hammer with one in the chamber. You don't want to put a hole in something accidentally.

[markiver54]

Absolutely...and there are no dumb questions here.

[Vaquero]

Yes sir, just like a single action pistol.
Pull the hammer back and she's ready.

And, what Mark said.^^^

RP

[BrokenolMarine]

Questions, it's what we are here for.

I used to tell my students that the only dumb question is the one you hold afraid to ask. There are problem others with the same question, wishing someone would ask it.

[ragtop69]

With a round in the chaber you only need to cock the hammer and pull the trigger. Hope you enjoy your rifle as much as do mine.

I do love the look and feel of this beautiful rifle, but I'm thinking of selling it and replacing it with an H006GM or H006GMR. The side gate feature is a much better loading mechanism than that damn slot in the magazine. I gather the side gate weapons can still be loaded like the H006M, but I would imagine that the tube would never be out of mine if it were a side gate.

[markiver54]

JMO, but I would never own one with ONLY the side gate.

[Vaquero]

JMO, but I would never own one with ONLY the side gate.

WHY??

The side gate or loading gate, has been around since 1873. That's 150+ yrs.
Must be something to it.
I prefer the loading gate to the tube feed myself.
Out of the 2 dozen lever guns that I own, only the 3 Henry's have that pain in the A$$ tube feed.
If Henry had of added the loading gate 10 years earlier I wouldn't have but the one tube fed lever gun, the H001.

RP

[markiver54]

JMO, but I would never own one with ONLY the side gate.

WHY??

Easier to unload and to keep count. Not gonna scratch my receiver or pinch my finger either.

[Steve51]

I have never pinched my finger or drew blood using Henry's loading tube feature or loading a single round in the breech. I have drew blood more than once & pinched my finger many times using a loading gate. I only have one Henry rifle with the loading gate. I use it occasionally but most of the time, I still prefer loading through the tube.

[Vaquero]

I've been shooting leverguns since I was a young teenager, I can only remember a few times that I've actually had my finger pinched with the loading gate. Hell until henry came along the only way to load them were through the loading gate.
Guess most here never owned a Marlin or a Winchester, you know a"real" traditional Lever gun.
To each his own.
Hey Mark, I lied to you yesterday I forgot about the old 1892 Marlin 32 colt made back in 1899.
It is a tube loader.

RP

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

The side gate or loading gate, has been around since 1873. That's 150+ yrs.
Must be something to it.
I prefer the loading gate to the tube feed myself.
Out of the 2 dozen lever guns that I own, only the 3 Henry's have that pain in the A$$ tube feed.
If Henry had of added the loading gate 10 years earlier I wouldn't have but the one tube fed lever gun, the H001.

RP

I agree. Actually the only Tube Feed I have is the H001.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

If you're going to do that, be very very careful lowering the hammer with one in the chamber. You don't want to put a hole in something accidentally.

I just had to do that the other day. Had one ready to shoot and decided not to. But I wanted to keep the rifle loaded for now. I carefully pulled a little on the trigger while carefully releasing the hammer back down. BUT, I made sure I did it with the gun facing at a safe place just to be absolutely sure.

[GunnyGene]

If you're going to do that, be very very careful lowering the hammer with one in the chamber. You don't want to put a hole in something accidentally.

I just had to do that the other day. Had one ready to shoot and decided not to. But I wanted to keep the rifle loaded for now. I carefully pulled a little on the trigger while carefully releasing the hammer back down. BUT, I made sure I did it with the gun facing at a safe place just to be absolutely sure.

I've done that fairly often. Usually I'll put a piece of thin leather or something in the way of the hammer to keep it from striking the firing pin if my thumb slips.

[clovishound]

WHY??

The side gate or loading gate, has been around since 1873. That's 150+ yrs.
Must be something to it.
I prefer the loading gate to the tube feed myself.
Out of the 2 dozen lever guns that I own, only the 3 Henry's have that pain in the A$$ tube feed.
If Henry had of added the loading gate 10 years earlier I wouldn't have but the one tube fed lever gun, the H001.

RP

I suppose one could reply that the tube loading lever rifle has been around since 1860. That's 163+ years.

There must be something to it.

[Bill.68]

For the life of me I just dont get this rabid averdion to loading a levergun through the tube. So many people say its "such a pain in the a$$", really? How? The only situation where I see the side loading gate having any real advantage is if you were having to reload multiple times, under pressure, on the mo e or behind cover. Doing alot of fighting with our lever guns are we?
Personally I dont have any issue at all loading my henry through that horrible tybe. Turn it, slide it out, load and replace. Id say I can load through it faster than I can my other through the side gate, and its easier. Sure topping off your payload is much easier but again, I dont see very many people at all needing to shoot, move and reload with a levergun.
Im not against the loading gate at all, I have some too but the hyperbole surrounding the difficulty and inconvenience of the tube guns is just that, hyperbole.

[Mags]

Not difficult, but tube loading can be inconvenient. Most of my range shooting is done at undeveloped ranges. There are no benches, rests or props of any kind. Tube loading is done balancing the rifle with one hand, at just the right angle, while feeding the tube with the other hand. This is where sidegate loading has the convenience advantage over tube loading.

[markiver54]

For the life of me I just dont get this rabid averdion to loading a levergun through the tube. So many people say its "such a pain in the a$$", really? How? The only situation where I see the side loading gate having any real advantage is if you were having to reload multiple times, under pressure, on the mo e or behind cover. Doing alot of fighting with our lever guns are we?
Personally I dont have any issue at all loading my henry through that horrible tybe. Turn it, slide it out, load and replace. Id say I can load through it faster than I can my other through the side gate, and its easier. Sure topping off your payload is much easier but again, I dont see very many people at all needing to shoot, move and reload with a levergun.
Im not against the loading gate at all, I have some too but the hyperbole surrounding the difficulty and inconvenience of the tube guns is just that, hyperbole.

Could not agree with you more.

[BigAl52]

For the life of me I just dont get this rabid averdion to loading a levergun through the tube. So many people say its "such a pain in the a$$", really? How? The only situation where I see the side loading gate having any real advantage is if you were having to reload multiple times, under pressure, on the mo e or behind cover. Doing alot of fighting with our lever guns are we?
Personally I dont have any issue at all loading my henry through that horrible tybe. Turn it, slide it out, load and replace. Id say I can load through it faster than I can my other through the side gate, and its easier. Sure topping off your payload is much easier but again, I dont see very many people at all needing to shoot, move and reload with a levergun.
Im not against the loading gate at all, I have some too but the hyperbole surrounding the difficulty and inconvenience of the tube guns is just that, hyperbole.

The loading part is used as an excuse. What they are really having issues with is authenticity. Leverguns need a sidegate to be a real authentic levergun. What they dont realize is the tube feed has been around for a long time. I might be mistaken but Im not remembering a 22LR levergun with a sidegate.