Somewhat surprisingly, lever action rifles are having a bit of a revival these days—or at least, that's what Henry Repeating Arms thinks. At the end of 2020, Henry overhauled its line of steel-framed lever-actions. Now, Henry's introducing three new levers and a single-shot shotgun, all aimed at specialty uses.
First up, take a look at the Lever Action Magnum Express, in .22 Magnum. A lever-action in .22 mag is nothing new; Henry's offered similar rifles before, as have other manufacturers. But this version isn't an old-school Western-style rifle aimed for John Wayne wannabes. There are no iron sights on the rifle; instead, there's a Picatinny rail on top of the receiver, for mounting optics. Henry also put a raised comb on the stock, to align the shooter's eye with optics.
Instead of cowboy cosplay, this rifle is for varmint shooting. Most hunters aren't going to rush out and buy one for coyote blasting (although it would work, within reasonable distances). Instead, expect this to see action in the Prairie Dog Wars and similar skirmishes against smaller mammals. Henry wants $622 for this rifle in the US, but we haven't seen Canadian pricing yet.
If you're looking for a centerfire rifle with more punch, Henry has two new offerings. First, it's now offering the X Model in .30-30.
In case you haven't seen it before, the X Model is yet another unusual take on the lever-action formula. Instead of wood stocks and a saddle-up-partners attitude, you get synthetic furniture and fibre-optic sights. The stock also has swivel studs and M-Lok accessory mounts. There's a Picatinny rail under the barrel, for mounting a light or other gadgetry. The muzzle has 5/8×24 thread, to accept accessories. It looks like something off the sci-fi shoe Firefly, not High Noon.
Why even build such a thing? It's a way for some shooters in the US to buy a rifle that's tactical-ish, without worrying about confusing state firearms laws. We feel their pain. The US MSRP is $1,019; again, no word on Canadian pricing.
Henry also announced the All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate. It's kind of an awkward name, and Henry probably should have just called it the Lever Scout, or something like that. Henry says this rifle borrows "elements from Jeff Cooper’s scout rifle concept." The receiver-top Picatinny rail allows for forward-mount scopes, if you don't like the standard adjustable peep sight. The rifle comes with a hard satin chrome plating as standard. Those stocks look like they're made of synthetic material, but they're actually wood. Henry's used a similar process before, on its All Weather rifle series.
This rifle looks well-suited to hunting thick brush, or other situations where a hard-hitting, fast-shooting rifle is needed. Henry lists a $1,221 MSRP in the US market, with no word on Canadian availability yet.
Finally, we also get the Single Shot Turkey Camo shotgun, in Mossy Oak Obsession. This is simply a camo'd break-action single shot, chambered for 3.5-inch 12 gauge shells. That sounds like a recipe for painful recoil, but Henry did add a soft rubber butt pad to lessen the blast.
The Turkey shotgun has fibre optic sights and a removable turkey choke. If you want to add a red dot scope, the shotgun comes drilled and tapped for mounts. There's a $687 price tag on the shotgun in the US.
See more details on Henry's latest offerings at HenryUSA.com.
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