Henry Repeating Arms has been working hard on new launches for 2023, and now we've got another look at not just the new Homesteader PCC, but also a lineup of overhauled lever-actions and even a new revolver series (that we won't get in Canada unless the law changes).
At this point, the only updated-for-2023 Henry models we're legally allowed in Canada are the lever actions. For 2023, Henry has added sidegate loading capability to its brass-receiver rifles. This allows the tube mag to be topped up or loaded from the receiver.
The original Henry lever-action rifles loaded from the end of the tube magazine, similar to the original Henry rifles of the 1860s. More recently, Henry had added sidegate loading to some models, but preserved the classic look of the brass receiver models by not adding the capability to those rifles. Now, the brass-receiver models load from either the front of the tube magazine or the sidegate, just like the All-Weather models. This includes the .45-70 and .30-30 models as well as the .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum models.
Speaking of calibre choices: Henry updated its lineup to include the new straightwall .360 Buckhammer cartridge as an option for the Lever Action X series. For US states with "straightwall rifle seasons" for deer hunting, expect those rifles to be a quick sell-out, as hunters attempt to gain a firepower edge.
The retro-look Homesteader rifle, chambered in 9mm Luger, appeared in Henry's announcement of 2023 models, but we'd already seen it. See our first write-up of the rifle here.
Basically, this is a blued-steel-and-wood rifle intended for Glock/Sig/S&W mags (as well as Henry's own 5- and 10-round mags) that is intended to compete with such pistol calibre carbines as the Ruger PC Carbine. It lacks the fancy-pants takedown feature of its Ruger competitor, and doesn't have the tacticool look of most other PCCs on the US market, but that may be an asset depending on the laws where you live
Sadly, for us here in Canada, this rifle would come in as restricted-status only, due to a 16.37-inch barrel, but if Henry lengthens that barrel by a couple of inches, expect these to sell well here.
Currently unavailable in Canada due to our handgun import ban and also our transfer ban. These double-action revolvers look a lot like a wheelgun from the second half of the 20th century, certainly not another already-done take on the Single Action Army formula.
Is that a smart move? The classic "highway patrol revolver" is now itself a pretty retro format, and there will be buyers who want it for exactly that reason. The only Big Boy revolver currently shown is a .357 Magnum-chambered, medium-frame, six-shot handgun with either Gunfighter or Birdshead grip options, and blued-steel-and-wood-grips look.
Pricing for these new revolvers is $928 for US customers.