SIGforum
Another one checked off the list. Henry Big Boy .45 Colt

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/630601935/m/6220006594

October 18, 2022, 08:24 PM
Pale Horse
Another one checked off the list. Henry Big Boy .45 Colt
I’ve long wanted a lever action rifle in a pistol caliber but none ever felt exactly right to me until I got the chance to shoot a Henry carbine last year. It’s a 16.5” barrel version of their regular Big Boy rifle and I like the balance of the shorter barrel a lot. They make several variants of the Big Boy in .44, .45 and .357 as well as versions with round barrels, longer barrels and versions with brass receivers. I specifically wanted the carbine length octagon barrel with the side loading gate in .45 Colt, and it’s been a challenge to find. GB has them but they usually sell for several hundred over MSRP, and I wasn’t paying $1700 or more for the gun. Then I got lucky a few weeks ago and found one in stock at RK Guns for normal price and couldn’t check out quick enough.

I finally have it in hand and am very pleased. It should pair very well with this Ruger RedHawk in .45 Colt/ACP. I can’t wait to hit the range with it.






“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
October 18, 2022, 11:17 PM
Rey HRH
Congratulations!



"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
October 19, 2022, 09:00 AM
92fstech
Nice find on a beautiful rifle! Levers have been pretty hard to come by in recent years, especially if you're looking for something specific like that. I really like the 16" barrel on that one...so handy. I recently acquired my first 16" levergun, and it's a hoot to shoot, and ought to be fantastic to carry in the woods. I also have a Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt, and it's stupid accurate with 250 grain cast bullets. Mine likes a round-nose-flat-point over a semi-wadcutter, though, as the shoulder of the SWCs tends to hang up on the top edge of the chamber when feeding. I've not heard of the Henrys having that problem, though.

I'm a big fan of the .45, and I'm envious of your Redhawk. I passed on one of those just before Covid for $850 because I thought it was too expensive, but I wish I'd just sucked it up and bought it. I haven't seen one in person since, and the ones online are close to double that money now. I do have a Blackhawk Convertible in .45 Colt/.45ACP, and it's a great shooter.

Now take that pair out and let us know how they shoot Big Grin!
October 19, 2022, 09:11 PM
Pale Horse
Yeah I think I paid around $850 for mine in January of 2020. I was hesitant because the gun store had .45 colt only versions for something like $600 or $650. I remember it being a really good deal and I spent a lot of time trying to justify the extra money for the .45acp version too, but I have several thousand rounds of .45acp and only had a couple hundred .45 Colt at the time so I figured the extra money was worth the ability to shoot it more. Now seeing prices on the .45acp version, and prices of .45 Colt ammo, I’m glad I paid the extra.




“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
October 20, 2022, 04:46 AM
Chuck Perry
That is a handsome rifle, bet it will be a bunch of fun.
October 21, 2022, 06:50 AM
92fstech
quote:
I have several thousand rounds of .45acp and only had a couple hundred .45 Colt at the time so I figured the extra money was worth the ability to shoot it more. Now seeing prices on the .45acp version, and prices of .45 Colt ammo, I’m glad I paid the extra.


Yep. I reload, so it's less of an issue for me, but it's nice to be able to go spend a day on the range with a 1911 and bring the Blackhawk along and feed it from the same box. Also, they tell me that the .45 ACP is supposed to be less accurate out of the gun due to the longer jump to the rifling, but that hasn't been my experience at all. The thing is a tack driver in both Colt and ACP.

The other big advantage to the ACP is easier ejection/extraction....those short ACP cases fall right out of the cylinder with a quick tap of the ejector rod, wheras the longer Colt cases soemtimes need an extra nudge of the finger if I short-stroke it. The Blackhawk being a single-action, I'm not using moon clips, but I imagine the benefits would be similar with those in the DA Redhawk.
October 22, 2022, 09:44 AM
usncorpsman
Am I seeing this correctly…… side loading gate and tube fed? Beautiful gun.
October 22, 2022, 01:29 PM
Pale Horse
quote:
Originally posted by usncorpsman:
Am I seeing this correctly…… side loading gate and tube fed? Beautiful gun.


Thanks! And you are seeing it right. I think it’s been a few years now but Henry started making rifles with side loading gates but kept the tube loader as well, which really is the best of both worlds. I mostly still see the brass receiver versions around here, especially in the .357, .44 and .45 versions.




“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
October 22, 2022, 01:40 PM
Oaklane
Beautiful gun! I picked up a side gate loading .357 when they first came out. I love having both the gate and tube, makes unloading a breeze. I honestly thought about the .45 but I had a great stash of .357 and .38s, mine does double duty as a fun range gun and home defense weapon. Henry has definitely stepped up their game the past few years, not that they didn’t make a great rifle before, but now they make a great rifle that is much more “eye appealing” , at least in my opinion
October 23, 2022, 07:21 PM
Pale Horse
I’d like a .357 too. I’ve got a lot of guns chambered in .357. I’m torn between an identical model to my .45 and a mares leg that I SBR. If the mares leg models had a side loading gate it would be an easy choice but as of now they are tube load only.




“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
October 23, 2022, 07:53 PM
Pale Horse
quote:
Originally posted by 92fstech:
Colt ammo,

Yep. I reload, so it's less of an issue for me…


I used to reload and really enjoyed it. Less for the amount of cartridges I produced and more for the process of it all. Actually I stopped using my turret press and started only loading rifle rounds with a single stage press. It was therapeutic to me. I need to get back into it again and the .45 Colt might be a great place to restart.




“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
October 25, 2022, 08:57 PM
Pale Horse
I finally got to the range today and I’m convinced this combo of the 16.5” octagon barrel with side loading gate is the best combo available for a .45 Colt rifle. The 20” barrel versions seem a little too front heavy for my tastes while this is much lighter and way better balanced. But it’s still heavy enough to eat up recoil from heavy loads. I shot 250 rounds today mixed with cowboy, SD and hunting loads and the felt recoil difference was minimal. I could shot full power stuff all day out of this gun.

I want a .357 mag version now.




“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
November 04, 2022, 12:28 PM
KevinCW
Nice. Love that.





Strive to live your life so when you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the floor, the devil says "Oh crap, he's up."
November 04, 2022, 02:23 PM
92fstech
quote:
I want a .357 mag version now.



I can assure you, that's one itch that you won't regret scratching!