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My father was a big advocate of old cowboy guns. Hailing from Europe by birth and upbringing, his fascination with the old West and the cowboys who won it bordered on overzealous. Any gun good enough to be preferred by the old-time cowboys was good enough for him.
He had a point.
I can still remember the days when I longed for my first rifle; the thought of a long shiny blued steel barrel and glossy walnut stock of my very own almost more than I could stand. Now I saw the same look in my little son Josiah’s eyes as he stood, hands shoved deep in his pockets, gazing with earnest shyness into my face as he answered my question. I had asked what he wanted more than anything for his upcoming ninth birthday. His answer? “A gun!”
A big chunk of the Henry portfolio is in rimfire and pistol caliber rifles and carbines. It was only within the last handful of years that Henry started to make some full powered rifles, which they call the “Large Caliber Rifles”. These rifles, like pretty much all of the Henry offerings, are down right handsome. We are talking classic styled rifles with Walnut stocks, deep rich bluing on the steel and of course the traditional Henry brass frame. They are sexy looking long guns that make it hard not to treat as safe queens. But these are rifles that can be a great field, truck or saddle guns. Henry now has the perfect compromise with the All-Weather Lever Actions that are available in 30-30 and 45-70.
Ever since the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum came on the scene in 2003, there have been a bunch of folks trying to figure out how to cram the cartridge into a rifle—especially a lever-action rifle. It’s an American obsession ever since the cowboy days: A guy “needs” to have a lever-action rifle chambered for his handgun cartridge.
Sometimes you find a product that just works. No false advertising, no gimmicks—just a piece of equipment that functions precisely as it’s designed. That’s what I found with Caldwell’s Lead Sled Solo from Midsouth Shooters.
While Hollywood gave screen stars Winchester rifles, many real-life heroes carried Marlin rifles. According to the company’s website, Annie Oakley, Captain Hardy, and William “Buffalo Bill” Cody all used Marlin rifles. And, today’s 1895GBL carries on the tradition of providing great lever-actions to consumers.
Our friends over at Henry Repeating Arms have some cool new guns set to launch in Jan. 2017.
Called “The gun that won the West”, the Model 1873 remains an iconic rifle of the American West some 143 years after its debut. And today you can have your own recreation of this classic rifle that you can shoot without the fear of damaging a valuable collectible.
The 1860 Henry, a paradigm-shifting lever action that first appeared in the Civil War era and influenced firearm design well into the future. But, originals of this firearm can be rare and expensive. So what about those of us who would like to own one for themselves, one that we can actually shoot?
To put it simply, Henry Rifles look cool. Maybe it is a Country-Boy-Hipster-Thing, but brass framed lever guns have that certain something that not only appeals to my gun loving side, but also to my functional art side. This is a slick looking rifle that, most importantly, is a hell of a shooter.