Side Gate vs Tube Feed

[ditto1958]

I've decided that later this month, when the new Henry single shot rifles come out, I'm definitely NOT getting one. I looked closer at the pictures on the Henry website, and they do not have loading gates. Total deal breaker for me.

[JNG3]

Very funny ditto1958. In all seriousness though I hope Henry NEVER strays from tube loading lever actions!

[Travlin]

I am another shooter who doesn't miss the "Kings Patent" loading gate although I do have two Marlins with it. Also H.R.A. has taken a lot better solution with their transfer bar and not some troublesome cross bolt safety.

[JBlaisdell]

I know what they'll call a Henry with a side gate: Winchester.

Seriously, if HRA started making Winchesters at HRA prices (like in the $700-800 range), they'd make a killing.

[JEBar]

I know what they'll call a Henry with a side gate: Winchester.

Seriously, if HRA started making Winchesters at HRA prices (like in the $700-800 range), they'd make a killing.

I have no doubt that there would be a market for such a rifle .... as one who has a early model Winchester Model 94 and three Henry rifles, I have no interesting in a side gate .... if I was trying to reload while on horse back or forced to reload in very cramped quarters, that would be different .... now that I have used the loading tube, I've come to prefer it

[Travlin]

Most Winchester leverguns are top ejecting.

[JEBar]

their classic Model 94's most certainly do

[RanchRoper]

With my 1860 I'm packing 13 rounds in the tube horseback...if that won't take care of the problem I'm in trouble.

[Henry88]

With my 1860 I'm packing 13 rounds in the tube horseback...if that won't take care of the problem I'm in trouble.

RR, can you imagine that kind of fire power in 1860?

[RanchRoper]

I think it was 14 rounds of 44 rim fire back then. Big firepower.

[JEBar]

RR, can you imagine that kind of fire power in 1860?

they were the "Assault Rifles" of their era ..

[Yornoc3]

That's a very good point. It's interesting that lever actions didn't become widely used as military rifles, though, and bolt actions did. Most of our troops were armed with single shots at San Juan Hill, while the Spanish troops had Mausers - the assault rifles for the future, in spite of the efforts of Arthur Savage, among others.

[JBlaisdell]

That's a very good point. It's interesting that lever actions didn't become widely used as military rifles, though, and bolt actions did. Most of our troops were armed with single shots at San Juan Hill, while the Spanish troops had Mausers - the assault rifles for the future, in spite of the efforts of Arthur Savage, among others.

Some countries did use levers. I believe France and Turkey were two. Bolt actions, though, are easier to fire while lying flat.

[BigAl52]

But there will never be the cool factor with a bolt or any other action that there is with a lever.

[LeverLover]

I frequently see reviews and comments about how people won't own a levergun unless it has a side gate. An untouted advantage to the tube loading is that it is an ambidextrous form of loading. Being a lefty I don't like rotating a loading gate gun upside down or swaping hands to get to that port with my left hand. This gun is designed to be loaded with either hand. I can live with the spent round ejecting from the right. It is not likely to throw a hot round down my sleeve as the AR-15 has. This gun is after all not designed to be used in a running gunfight where you have to stuff another round in while dodging shots from an attacker, it is primarily a hunting weapon. How many people have had to fight off a herd of 12 or more armed deer without being able to hide behind a tree long enough to do a "tactical reload" by stuffing a round in the chamber as you would do even with a side gate? No one ever whines about loading the Marlin model 60 through the tube!

[CT_Shooter]

Welcome to the forum from CT, LeverLover. I'm glad you joined the conversation.

[Beech Creek Gary]

Anthony didn't rule out making guns with loading gates in the recent Q&A. Personally, I think Henry would sell a lot more guns if they had loading gates.
If I had my druthers I'd prefer a gate but it's not a deal breaker if a gun doesn't have one. If Henry made one I'd be all over it.

[Henry88]

I was watching a you tube of a guy loading a new marlin and he was having a heck of a time. His fingers were being pinched and it was super stiff; using one round to push the previous one in, didn't want to go, etc.

It didn't look like much fun at all. Maybe they aren't so stiff after a while.

[tx gunrunner]

If you do a lot of shooting like me at matches I took a BIC pen made a bullet pusher ... This really works great and super fast and position bullet in tube 100% positive . I hate tube feeds when hunting or at matches on reloading rifle . I've also had the tube come loose and stop or jam gun . The only tube feed I ever owned was my Marlin 39 lever gun . This is my opinion ....

[tractortad]

Now that we own a couple of side gate loaders, I guess I can beat this poor old dead horse, too.

In my opinion, how a lever gun loads is much less important than if it loads well the way it was designed - so what do I mean by that? Well, the Henrys loading system uses a high quality brass tube with a nice steel knurled knob on the end that easily slides out and in and latches with a twist of the knob - it works well. The only problem I have encountered is sometimes losing the little rubber "o-ring" off of the end of the tube (occasionally happens on our 22LR Henrys when you pull them out of a gun case) - other than that, it is a well made, reliable loading system. Henrys are fun to load because they have a high quality loading system that works the way it was designed.

Our Browning BL-22 has an excellent tube loading system with a nice steel push button attachment mechanism (no "o-ring") at the end of the tube to hold it closed. I think it is a step up from the Henry's tube loading system design. The Browning is fun to load because it has a high quality loading system that works the way it was designed.

Our 1873 Winchester also has a high quality loading gate system that works really well. It is easy to push new rounds thru the the loading gate - not as fast as loading a Henry (for full reloads - my opinion), but you have the option of "topping off" with a couple of rounds without removing a loading tube - if the situation ever arises. Winchesters are fun to load because they have a high quality loading system that works the way it was designed.

Our new 1895 Marlin has a loading gate system that is a lot stiffer than the Winchester's. There are also some sharp edges at the end of the loading gate and the gate opening. When I load 45/70's in the Marlin, I see bits of lead and brass that get scraped off the round as it is pushed thru the gate. You really have to watch out for your thumb if you use it to push the round all the way in - that's why people use another round or a pusher "tool" to push the rounds into the gate. I kind of dread loading the Marlin at this point in its life - maybe it will loosen up over time and get easier, but right now, the Marlin is not fun to load because its loading system doesn't really work as it was designed.

In summary, it doesn't matter to me how a lever gun loads as long it loads well.