I have too many centerfire leverguns ( yea right ) any who, my next couple of purchases will most likely be a 22LR and a 22WMR lever action rifle. My question is a follows: does anyone have first hand knowledge of the differences in quality and overall dependability between the 9422 series and the Henry series or 22's.
There is a faily big price difference, but a piece of junk is a piece of junk no matter the cost. I have seen & handled a couple Henry Rifles but not shot any. From what I have seen they seem to be too small for the average adult ( not the youth model ) and alot of aluminum or "pot metal" parts.
I don't mean to be a snob, but my arthritis says I work hard for my money.

Not to step on Henry fans But thw winchester to me is a far better rifle reciever is solid steel and feels better in your hands. I have 2 9422 one 22lr and 1 22mag Legacy. the Leagcy is the better one My hands are mid-to large- and the pistol-grip lever fits better and I also like the longer 22 1/2 in barrel. As for the henery the one i've seen and handled are very much like the old ITHICA leve rifle made by ERMA back in the 70's but you can get two henerys for one winchester

I recently purchased the Winchester 9422 Magnum and have only hefted and handled a few of the Henry's. The Henry's have a reputation for good accuracy and are nearly a pound lighter than the Winchester if weight is a factor. IMHO the Winchester wins the overall quality battle by a wide margin. I am told the Henry's use a zinc alloy receiver. This may be OK in practice but is a turn off for many prospective buyers. I haven't been able to get out and shoot my Winchester so I can't offer you any accuracy results.
Good luck whichever route you choose.

I have a 22 mag Henry and I love it. It shoots darn accurate too. Half inch groups at 50 yards are easy with the ammo it likes which fortunately is several brands. Yea the Winchesters are good rifles I guess but I cannot see paying more for their 22 mag than what their center fires cost. I have talked to guys who have the older Erma and Itica guns have been shooting them since the late 60's early 70's and have had no problems with them. I get a kick out of some guys who badmouth the alloy reciever and then in a other post say how great their Ruger 10/22 is which is made out of a alloy also. :confused: :confused: :confused: I guess it is all about choice but the guys who have the Henry's like them from what I have seen on the web. Yea there are a few that don't but I bet that 90% or more that buy them like them. I think you cannot go wrong with either gun its your choice. I just get tired of hearing the same old story from the guys who have the Winchester and never even shot a Henry but proclaim the Winchester the better gun I beg to differ they both have their likes and dislikes and I think either one will suffice. I do prefer the Henry for the cost and the accuracy and the smoothness of the action. If I had to make my choice again between the 2 I would still pick the Henry. I have let 2 different guys shoot my gun at the range both showed up with Henrys after wards they just are nice guns in my opinion. Jim

Are the Henry rifle a brass frame? Or is that their .44 mag rifle?

Brass plated injection molded alloy...something zinc based. The .44 is Brass (of what alloy I'm not sure...are some very strong brass-bronze alloys).

The design of the Henry is a pretty one good...taking one to pieces isn't a fun job, but is should have to be done at all. Very good advice would be to never take it apart at all...if something breaks, let Henry fix it...if cleaning it, can take the butt stock off and "soak.brush.blow.clean".

Are the Henry rifle a brass frame? Or is that their .44 mag rifle?

They have the brass colored ones that is I think different from the standard ones as far as alloys go and the 44 ones I suppose are stronger yet than the 22 versions. . I have a standard one that is not a brass finish but I can see no faults with the design or function. Jim

I've yet to have my Henry apart. However, I HAVE had apart a 10/22, Remignton 597, and 795 series Marlins. ALL of them also have alloy receivers, and make use of many stamped sheet-metal, plastic and cast parts. A .22 is a .22, for the most part, afterall, and the Henry is basically near enough their price points to be in the same class. My point is, why does everyone rag on HRAC for alloy receivers when the rest of today's most popular models get a PASS in that regard? Six of one, 1/2 dozen of the other, IMHO.

Now, is the Winchester WORTH the extra hundy and change to buy? Yes, IMO, it is. It won't be any smoother than the Henry, nor will it have a better trigger, and maybe won't have any edge in accuracy. However, it will have a blued-steel outer receiver that common sense dictates would tend to withstand harder use(though how many of us would EVER test that?). It will also be nicer finished, overall, without any external plastic parts(mag follower), and it is take-down.

BTW, the GoldenBoy is also plated alloy, NOT brass. I think it also has a clear lacquer finish over that to help preserve the look. The BigBoy centerfire is SOLID BRASS, and is a hefty piece. You can see your reflection well enough in the high-polished sidewalls to shave!

Victor I we have talked before and I agree about every one ragging on the Henry while other guns simular built get a free pass. COuld be they are jealous? Jim

I bought a Standard Henry and it had a 4 stage trigger pull and still had to yank it to shoot. It wasn't a safe rifle. They sent it back to the factory but I got tired of waiting and decided not to take a change on more troubles, so I got a refund. I can't say how accurate it was because I couldn't keep it on my aiming point.

Even a rifle in the $200 range ought to be better than that unfortunitly most aren't.

Join the trigger club :( I bet you can take most any gun off the rack these days and they do not have good triggers? When folks complain about triggers my first thought is did you not try it before you bought it??? I mean most new guns do not have the greatest triggers these days but from what you describe I would have not bought it no matter what the brand and looked at a different gun! My Henry has a good trigger and the more I shoot it the better it gets it just needed some wearing in and it was not all that bad when new. I think you did not give Henry a chance to make right either as any gun factory can ship out a gun that may not satisfy their new owners I have had several ruger pistols I should have sent back but traded them in instead. I now realize I should have sent them back and had them fixed at the factory instead of taking a loss on them. THeir problems were more drastic than just triggers. Henry has a great service dept and I bet that they would have sent your gun back with a trigger that is better than one off the rack to make you happy. Too bad you did not give them a chance. Instead you will tell every one how bad a gun it was when you really do not know as you did not give them a chance to make it right for you. Other wise you should have tried the trigger before you bought it and if you did not like it should have bought or tried a other. Jim

It's still a valid observation that the new gun had a poor trigger, though.

My 9422 22LR Legacy had a 3 1/2 pound, clean trigger right out of the box. It's a tack driver.
Yeah, I'm "jealous" of the Henry......

And comparing cast steel to cast zink, not aluminum, is comparing apples to oranges.

Jim,

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on how to handle a bad product. If it was a radar range would you send it in to get it fixed or get something else? It's to bad it's such a hassle to take firearms back.

Anyhow I don't mean to judge all of their rifles but this one shouldn't have made it to the shelf in the first place. I'm just telling others about my experience. They don't make it easy to check triggers anymore either. Some of them won't let you take the trigger lock out. And you say: Go somewhere else.

Like I said before, most $200 rifles aren't too good. My last Marlin bolt action was lousy and there wasn't much you can do about them either.

Now they have trigger kits out, so why not do it right in the first place? Why? Cause if they go bang most people don't care.

If we don't complain how will it get better?

Again, ALL .22s in that price-point seem to have triggers which leave a LOT to be desired. However, the Henrys seem to be an EXCEPTION in that regard. Mine, and several others I've handled over the years, all have a trigger equal to, or better than the Win. or Marlin I had. Couple that with a much smoother lever/pump action OTB.

I'm not about to assert it's a better gun, so don't jump down my throat. I just wish you guys had the intellectual honesty(buzz-word alert!) to admit they have some nice qualities, and are a decent value-for-the-dollar.

I've been able to try the trigger at any store where they know me. They know I won't drop the hammer in a true, dry-fire manner. I interpose my thumb, a finger, or a folded-up business card between the face of hammer and the receiver to absorb the impact. Yes, I know you can't do this on bolt-guns, so they can be more of a crap-shoot. Outside of the Marts, you should carry an empty with you and ask if it's OK to insert it for the purpose of dry-firing.

I didn't say it didn't have good points. They are good looking and have slick actions. I still believe that for $200 they all could do better. I found that trying a trigger without letting it hit won't tell you much. REA

I was out in the woods today practicing off hand with my 9422 LR when a guy with a Henry Golden Boy came by (I was shooting beside a logging road) and we had a chance to compare weapons.

The Henry leaves a very nice first impression aesthetically. The polished brass, octagonal barrel, brass butt plate, etc. sure look pretty. On closer inspection, though, a plastic barrel band and 'thick' wood finish give it a "cheap" feel. This is weird: five feet away, the gun looks very classy; one foot away it looks a bit "cheap."

The 9422 is a new one and not as polished as earlier examples. The receiver is beautifully polished but the barrel, magazine tube, rear sight spring, and lever really should have been smoothed better before bluing. The walnut is nicer than the Henry's, darker, better grained, and the finish is better, though I don't really care for spray lacquer finishes on anything--wish they'd sell me an unfinished stock and let me put my multi-coat linseed/turpentine hand rubbed job on it.

I liked the Henry's heft; it felt a little bit heavier than the 9422, but it seemed to be slightly off balance forward. I didn't care for the buckhorn rear sight but I liked the dovetailed front sight.

The 9422 comes up and aims easier for me and seems better balanced. YMMV. I liked the semi-buckhorn rear sight better but don't like the smaller front bead on a screwed on ramp as much as Henry's dovetailed, taller bead.

The actions on both guns were smooth.

Shooting at a 1-1/2 inch spinner off hand at 25 yards, both of us shot better with the 9422. I suspect that the Henry was not sighted in very well, but this is only a guess. I know my 9422 was sighted in carefully because I had done it myself two weekends ago.

After putting a lot of rounds through both guns today, I'm glad I bought the 9422. The finish is a bit rougher than on earlier examples, but everything is steel and walnut, the balance and come-up-to-aim works better for me, and I shoot better with it.

I'm glad I got this chance. I see now how valuable it would have been to do this before purchasing anything.

Someone else might fit the Henry better. If at all possible, shoot both guns before deciding.

I own a henry 22 lr golden boy and a Winchester 9422. They are both good rifles and just because the henry is not steel in the receiver area doesn't mean its not a great gun. I've had the henry apart and it looks very sturdy in the action department. I've yet to hear anyone say that they wore one out. That being the case,tells me its on par with the 9422 as far as function and relibility. And Hi Jim we meet again....lol...

I've yet to hear anyone say that they wore one out. That being the case,tells me its on par with the 9422 as far as function and relibility.

That is something only time will tell, 9422s have been around a lot longer than the current Henry Repeating Arms Co. 22s. Not to be confused with original Henry Repeating Arms Co. of 1865.

DLS that is true only time will tell but I have talked to guys that have had the same gun in the guise of a Erma or a Ithica not to be confused with the single shot Ithica and they have had them and shot them for almost 30 years now with no problems. One thing every one is over looking and that is the Winchester is not a 94 it was first made in 1972 and it has different internal parts than the centerfires do so it is only a couple of years older than the Henry so I guess us Henry fans can say the same about the winchesters only time will tell :) Hi back at ya VMaxx :) Jim

I don't believe anyone has forgotten the 9422 is not the Model 94 and I don't believe the other guns mentioned contained the plastic the Henry's do either. So the same cannot be said about the Henry.

I don't believe anyone has forgotten the 9422 is not the Model 94 and I don't believe the other guns mentioned contained the plastic the Henry's do either. So the same cannot be said about the Henry. For all intents and purposes the Henry, Ithica, Erma, and Iver Johnson are the same gun. The new Henrys have plastic bands and front sights something these older guns may not have had but the internal parts are the same and have lasted according to the guys that I have talked too. The barrel and bolt are both steel and they are the parts that take the most abuse. The other parts just hold every thing together. Just as a alloy 10/22 receiver holds the steel parts together in that gun. Jim

The Erma and Ithaca and the Iver Johnson may be of similar design but, that in no way equates as to being the same gun. Unless of course, you know the material composition of the alloys and steels they used.

The Erma and Ithaca and the Iver Johnson may be of similar design but, that in no way equates as to being the same gun. Unless of course, you know the material composition of the alloys and steels they used. Ok with that arguement you can say the same about any gun made!!!! A 94 winchester is not the same from 1930 as is today. Same with any gun made say in the 70's compared to today and yes that means the 9422 also. You are going for apples and oranges here. Jim

A 94 winchester is not the same from 1930 as is today.

I say that all the time, ask Yanqui. I catch **** from him all the time for doing what you're accusing me of not doing.

OK :D :D :D but at least ya get my drift and not the snow one infront of the house either. :D :D :D Jim

Henry doesn't seem to be the Erma design (the IverJohnson was...havent had an Ithica apart to tell you)...are only so many ways to get a lever .22 to lever, but other than some design matches ( a lifter is going to work like a lifter no matter how made it), the Henry is it's own design.

Got no real complaint with synthetics or alloy if used in non-stressed areas so far as function is concerned....Nylon 66's have their fans and a good reputaion for working due to a good design.

Henry will proably work fine for years...seriously doubt it will be one that gets past from father to son to garndson. Recognize I could well be wrong about this, but reast easy in the knowledge I'll be long dead befor you can proove it.

And Henry's have not been around since 1976.
That's the same as saying the AMT is the same gun as the 10/22.

Ribbonstone all I know is what the president of Henry told me and he told me that His dad designed the gun and had Erma build the first ones then Erma made them for Ithica. The current Henry Company bought out the Iver Johnson company This I was told by Anthony the president of the present Henry Co. I suppose they bought out Iver Johnson for the machinery to make their own guns. There may have been a few changes most guns do go through that but he told me it is basically the same gun any changes I would think would be for the better even though the plastic bands could go back to metal and the front sights. So I am just going on what I was told by the prez of the company. Jim

And as I stated before the thirtys model 94 is not the same as the current USRC models either. Since the design was designed by the same family and been manufactured the same basic design I can say that the gun has been around since 76. I am sure the 9422 has had a few changes also whether they be cosmetic or what ever so are they the same gun. This arguement could go on for ever. Just stating that as the Henry has yet to be proven if it will be handed down for future generations you could say the same about the 9422. I would have to say I bet that both guns have been handed down already no matter what version we are talking about. Your comments about not being the same is like a chevy and a GMC not the same name and maybe some cosmetic changes but still the same beast underneith. Jim

I give up, a Chevy and the GMC are made by the same company. A Yugo and a Buick are both cars too.

This is true all I can say is that The prez from Henry says it is the same design same gun so that is what I am going on. You look at a same model Ford made in Detroit or Canada or Mexico they are all the same right but made in different countries. I think that is the same for the Erma/Henry conection. Jim

Hi Guys,

Let's not go to war over .22s, OK? Peace.....

My mistake...was looking at thw "golden boy"; I withdarw my comments on the design of the Henry as I've not been inside one of those.

Someone at the Rimfirecentral site said that their Henry Lever .22 had plastic parts on the inside. Is this true???
I've read good and bad things about Henrys, they are interesting for the price. I know that they aren't Winchester or Marlins. But I've read storys about those having problems out of the box. If you don't have a problem, I'm sure they will last forever. Now Henry's have some plastic on the outside (barrel bands), can someone tell me if there is plastic parts on the inside???

That post was in reference to a plastic part in the carrier/lifter, IIRC.

Mr. Imperato came on and posted that the part in question had been made of metal for quite some time now. THEN, he offered PAY for the shipping in order to have the customer send in his older model gun for the FREE upgrade.

IMHO, it's hard to compare the Henry to the Winchester. They are in different classes, much like a Remington model 700 is to a Kimber custom. When you shell out extra money for a Winchester 9422, or a Marlin 39A for that matter, you are paying for better quality materials and tighter tolerences used in the manufacturing process.

This takes nothing away from the Henry. They can be just as accurate and function just as well as the higher end leveraction .22's. The Henry makes a great entry level .22 levergun, but really can't be compared to the Winchesters and Marlins.

It's not the gun we shoot, it's the joy we get from shooting it. And that is what it is really all about. :)

The Henry Carbine with large loop lever in 22lr, has proven to be exceptional as far as accuracy, and smoothness of action, and an adequate trigger to boot.

I've owned Rugers, Remingtons, Marlins, CZ models
etc., but can honestly say that my particular gun is great!

The smaller size really comes in handi for a truck gun or when hunting through thick woods. I found the Federal HP's shoot the best in my rifle.

I put a Simmons 22 mag straight 4X on it and sighted it in at 125 yards. Can shoot bottle caps at that distance no problem. The balance of the gun is also a nice feature, it holds on target as no other rifle has before.

I know this all sounds like Bullxxxx, but I'll sware to it! Find someone who owns one and give it a try.

Great squirrel gun, took a bunch the first day out!

The Henry Carbine with large loop lever in 22lr, has proven to be exceptional as far as accuracy, and smoothness of action, and an adequate trigger to boot.

I've owned Rugers, Remingtons, Marlins, CZ models
etc., but can honestly say that my particular gun is great!

The smaller size really comes in handi for a truck gun or when hunting through thick woods. I found the Federal HP's shoot the best in my rifle.

I put a Simmons 22 mag straight 4X on it and sighted it in at 125 yards. Can shoot bottle caps at that distance no problem. The balance of the gun is also a nice feature, it holds on target as no other rifle has before.

I know this all sounds like Bullxxxx, put I'll sware to it! Find someone who owns one and give it a try.

Great squirrel gun, took a bunch the first day out!


Mike if you can hit bottle caps at 100 yards you have better eyes than I do. :p But I DO agree with your assessment of the Henrys accuracy. At 50 yards my 22 mag I have shot one hole 30 cal size with 4 shots into one hole with a flyer for one of the shots to make it a trye under a half inch at 50 yards for 5 shots. A gun that can shoot that accurate is a good one indeed. Might have to try that bottle cap thing though if I can find some bigger ones for me :rolleyes: I will say one thing I maybe could do it as I have always found I could shoot and hit targets that had a shape to them offhand better than shooting at paper though I can do that well too. Just something shooting at a shape seems to be easier. Jim

My 9422 has a factory 2.75 lb. trigger. I am beginning to believe it is actually better than my Marlin 1897T. I'll probably get kicked out of MarlinOwners Forums if this gets back over there.
A Henry is a Henry, is a Henry. A Winchester is a Winchester. Nobody ever said "Beware of a man with a Henry."

My 9422 has a factory 2.75 lb. trigger. I am beginning to believe it is actually better than my Marlin 1897T. I'll probably get kicked out of MarlinOwners Forums if this gets back over there.
A Henry is a Henry, is a Henry. A Winchester is a Winchester. Nobody ever said "Beware of a man with a Henry."

Just something to think about!

Winchesters were made by the Henry Manufacturing Company some years back, check the Winchester History.

I'm not saying this gun is better than anything else, but the one I happen to get, works better than all the other models I had before, and as I stated, there have been many. ;)

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

And my Casio kept better time than my Rolex. So?

BTW, Ford once made Edsels. I believe Winchester made the original Henry rifle, no relation to the present one, over 150 years ago. Some brand names carry a certain amount of prestige, deserved or not, and Henry is not one of them yet. And that is just a fact of life. Testimonials such as yours may change that sometime, but that hasn't happened yet. Glad you're happy with your Henry. Enjoy!

And my Casio kept better time than my Rolex. So?

BTW, Ford once made Edsels. I believe Winchester made the original Henry rifle, no relation to the present one, over 150 years ago. Some brand names carry a certain amount of prestige, deserved or not, and Henry is not one of them yet. And that is just a fact of life. Testimonials such as yours may change that sometime, but that hasn't happened yet. Glad you're happy with your Henry. Enjoy!

I presently own 10 Winchester 94's and only 1 Henry, just wanted to point out how well they work for the price! Don't think I'll collect them, but for a knock around gun, it cuts the mustard.

There have been several posts in this forum about the history of Hnery and the fact that Winchesters were made by Henry. This is nonsense. The Henry Repeating Arms Company has no illustrious history nor any connection to Benjamin Tyler Henry or Winchester. The original Henry Repeating Rifle was designed by B.T.Henry when he worked for the New Haven Arms Company, a company owned by Oliver Winchester. After the Civil War, New Haven changed their named to Winchester Repeating Arms Company and the Henry rifle was improved and reintroduced as the Winchester 1866. B.T. Henry did not found the Henry Repeating Arms company. Henry left Winchester and worked as a local Smith before he died in 1898. He did not found the Henry RAC or any other such country. the company's history is as fake as those DVDs being sold in the New York Subway...don't take my word for it look it up for yourself...

I think the Henry ads use the Henry History because of it's rich past. Now I have no idea if they bought the rights to the name or they are a distant relative or what the bottom line is they do have the right to use the name and they make a fine rifle with a great customer service to back it up. That is not knocking any of the other 22 levers they all have their place. Heck even the Ithica single shot based on the martini actions still sell used for a 150 dollar range I saw one just the other day for that price. The Henry's are here to stay and since the Winchesters are not made anymore and the Marlins and the Brownings seem to be pretty scarce on the market both used and new the Henry definately has a place. To be honest if any one has an issue with Henry Repeating Arms Co using the Henry name then they should have an issue with USRAC that used the Winchester name and the various gun companies that bought out other famous gun names Ithica and Smith and Wesson are two that come to mind or how about NEF bought out by Marlin and used them after the origional company sold out or folded. All too a common practice these days.

I have both of the guns being discussed in this thread and I have no complaints with either. I will say the 9422 has a better "close up" appearance than the Henry does but I enjoy shooting both guns and am satisfied with the actions and results from both. All I can say is that if you have the extra $, go with the Winchester. Even though production stopped almost three years ago now, you can still find the 9422's NIB if you are willing to pay the price for one which is going up. If you're on a tighter shooting budget, go with the Henry.

We have two 9422s, one is 22LR and the other is .22WMR. Both are very nice rifles. We also have a BL-22 (Cowboy), 39AS, and a Golden Boy. I like all of them and will most likely add more to the group over the years to come.

Having said that, I believe the Golden Boy has the slickest action out of the bunch. The 9422s are really slick, but I give the nod to the Golden Boy for being the smoothest.

9422 prices have gone through the roof in recent years. Marlin 39s have gone up to the level that has hurt them in sales. Henry offers a product for the fellow on a tight budget wanting a lever action rimfire and I applaud them for it -- just wish they would do away with that danged plastic.
Regards,
Rich