Henry Big Boy X

I”VE ALWAYS REGARDED the Henry lever rifles as top notch. Extremely solid, accurate, reliable, and something that will last long enough to be passed down to your grandchildren and beyond.

But many of us are addicted to suppressors and other firearm accessories that aren’t always compatible with the traditional firearms. Henry saw this void in the market and decided to fill it with the Big Boy X Model.

I was one of probably thousands of customers who has been asking Henry for a threaded lever gun for years. Although the rifle purist might balk at it, even Teddy Roosevelt saw how fun a suppressed lever rifle was. Rightfully so—the sealed breech makes for a quiet report and a quick and accurate shot. The threaded and suppressed .22LR Frontier models that we shoot at Marksmanship Camp is a popular favorite.

The Big Boy X now allows you to accessorize your pistol caliber lever gun nearly as you would the ever-popular AR15. Available in .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .45 Colt, or .44 Magnum/.44 Special these rifles are unique and quite fun at the range.

Dare I say you now can even consider them a formidable tool in your defensive load-out? As mentioned before, the 5/8×24 threaded barrel now allows for a suppressor, but also a flash hider or muzzle brake if desired.

The new Big Boy X models boast of a side loading gate instead of having to remove the inner magazine tube which is not possible when most muzzle devices are mounted. This allows the shooter to top off the magazine tube to 7 rounds on the fly.

In addition to the black synthetic stock, the fore end has a small section of picatinny rail perfect for mounting a bipod or tactical light as well as MLOK slots on either side.

If you decide you need more rail space than that, Midwest Industries now offers a full-length aluminum MLOK hand guard for Henry pistol caliber rifles such as this model. The rifle includes swivel studs front and rear, and a rubber buttplate is very appreciated since plastic ones tend to slide around too much.

Fiber optic sights are included. However, I decided to install a Bushnell RXS-250 red dot optic on the carbine as well. The does force you to raise your line of sight slightly, but you can easily adapt to it.

The action is smooth as any Henry lever rifle, but before using it in a defensive scenario I do recommend a bit of training. Lever rifles can still malfunction if the lever isn’t run correctly. Always manipulate the lever smoothly, not too fast, and not too slow.

As far as accuracy, with the Bushnell RXS-250 on the rail I would get one hole splatters on steel targets at 50 yards with any load. Shooting subsonic .38 Special wadcutters at 100 yards was nearly comical as you wait for the bullet to strike the target from that distance.

I suppressed my Big Boy X with the Griffin Armament Bushwhacker 46 suppressor and besides just being a range favorite, I will probably end up taking it hog or deer hunting with the more robust .357 Magnum loads in the future. You can find out more on this model as well as any other Henry offering at henryusa.com.

 

Email Dustin Ellermann at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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