[McyNHMarlin]

I know it's not a Marlin, but finding a 39 anything around my parts is proving next to impossible, and I won't pay online prices. I have a Henry .22 Golden Boy and love it, but have no experience with the pumps. Anyone ever use one or own one? How are they? Any plastic parts inside like on the Golden Boys? Looking for reliability and longevity for small game hunting, and as much as I love my GB I don't like taking it on weekend long hunts into the woods.

By the way it's a used pump 98%, priced at $345 OTD, sorry no pix.

 

[Golphin]

I have a Golden Boy also and like you have never shot the pump. You could always buy a regular Henry 22 to carry in the woods. They look a lot like the Marlin 39. I see a lot of the Marlin 39's around here but most are $500. or more. The lowest I have seen recently was $450.00.

 

[oleroy]

Last decent Marlin 39 I've seen (couple years ago) was $695.00:vollkommenauf: So I went with the Henry Frontier (octagon barrel) & have "No Regrets". But I've never handled a Henry pump so I can't advise you on it, but if you had any problems with the pump, I'd think Henry Service (second to none I've been told) would take care of it. Check Buds Guns, as they have the Henry Frontier NIB for $357.00. I've been trying to find a Henry 17 HMR (octagon barrel) for couple of months now without any luck. I think people are just giving up on trying to find 22 ammo & going the 17HMR route cause ammo right now is plentiful.

 

[Condition 1]

I had the pump, the action was stiff in real world use and it will not feed CB rounds.
I bought a Remington 572 BDL pump which is infinitely better.
I did call Henry and they said their pump will not feed CB rounds so I sold it a few
days later and never looked back.

Their lever won't feed them either according to Henry. Lots of nice older pumps out
there and most of them better than a Henry!

If you want an Excellent Lever get a Browning BL-22 feeds and shoots anything and
is as slick as a wet cat on soap!
It's miles better than anything Henry could make.

 

[drjjpdc]

Mcy,
Here's my opinion for what it is worth. I have a 39A, a GB .22 and a Henry pump .22. I love all 3. The Henry pump is actually more fun then should be legal!

Nice thing about the pump it has an octagonal barrel (gives you some CB cred). If you can get the pump for $347, I would say grab it! It costs more than the levers do new and is a great buy. Plus with the Henry service you are practically guaranteed of a quality product and if it ever does need service (unlikely), Henry service is the equivalent of the type of service you received from decades past.

Just jump in and have fun!

John

 

[drjjpdc]

I had the pump, the action was stiff in real world use and it will not feed CB rounds.
I bought a Remington 572 BDL pump which is infinitely better.
I did call Henry and they said their pump will not feed CB rounds so I sold it a few
days later and never looked back.

Their lever won't feed them either according to Henry. Lots of nice older pumps out
there and most of them better than a Henry!

If you want an Excellent Lever get a Browning BL-22 feeds and shoots anything and
is as slick as a wet cat on soap!
It's miles better than anything Henry could make.

XXXXX

Sorry but I totally disagree. As far as the stiff action goes, half the Marlins I own had stiff actions. That is why all the experienced MO's here, tell all the posters to sit in front of the TV and cycle that action until it's butter smooth. I would not even compare a Remington .22 to a Henry .22. Remember this is the same Remington that everyone here complains about.

BTW, I have a Remington Model 5 Bolt action .22, but that sucker was not made in the USA. It is a great shooter and one that I like almost as much as my Weatherby XXII (note I did say almost). The Weatherby in Bolt Action is a quality product but a bit pricey.

Now the CB argument I don't get at all. I know the Conical Ball is a quiet and low powered round that is very good for house pests, but so is an air rifle! I can't imagine someone not buying a .22 rifle on the basis of how it cycles .22 CB ammo, that is hard to find and buy. A quick check of Midway had 116 .22 LR choices and only 2 in .22 CB! And people around here complain about the scarcity of .22 LR ammo? :hmmmm:

But this is the USA and we can agree to disagree! :congrats:

John

 

[Condition 1]

Disagree with me all you like but the Remington 572 BDL Deluxe that I bought was from 1980.
It's butter smooth and cycles anything. It's also a tack driver with a 24" barrel.
This isn't a new Remington. Why is it that Henry owners always seem to be on a first name
basis with Customer Service and Repair! No Thanks! I've dealt with their CS and
I'll be happy to not do so ever again!

People complain about the new Remington's not older ones.

I refuse to join the cult of Henry and for the record my Browning BL-22 was butter smooth
right out of the box and cycled everything and is stoopid accurate for close to the
same money as a Henry.

CB's are very quiet and even tho I have 12 acres give or take, my neighbors on one side
are pretty close and they are flaming liberal anti-gunner types.
So I prefer to shoot CB's in my backyard since I have several thousand rounds of them.
Nice to not wear hearing protection also.

I'm a shooter and I like to shoot CB's, they are quieter than a good air rife but only
have about 8 ft lbs. of energy so they also are low power which is also good for my
yard shooting.

Just because you can't understand why CB's work very well for some people
doesn't make it less valid my friend.
I can shoot CB's for a long time and not diminish my meager stock of 22LR.

I no longer own any guns that are ammo picky and that includes the Henry.
I have a replica of a 1906 Winchester that Rossi made a long time ago and
that pump was and is more fun to shoot than the Henry and it cycles everything.
I paid $200 for it, very fun little gun.

Try owning some better rifles than a Henry and you'll see what I mean.
If Henry is all you know then you can't really compare it.
There are far better guns out there than Henry, especially used ones.

Comparing bolt actions to pumps isn't really valid, totally different unlike
a pump or a lever which use very similar actions. The Henry Lever and
Pump are very similar internally.

 

[McyNHMarlin]

Thank you all for the replies. I had my eye on a 1895 in .450, but that deal looks like it will fall through, so that is where the Henry came in, (opposite ends of the firing spectrum to be sure!) One of the first guns I ever shot was my grandfather's old Remington 760 in .35rem, God how I wish he had never sold it! I guess the idea of a pump brought back old memories. Anyways, I've been pointed in the direction of a few 39's at decent prices that I will check out first, but if it comes down to it and I "pull the trigger" on the Henry I will be sure to give a full range report. At the moment my stock is diminished down to about 1500 rounds of CCI SV, so that is what I'll be putting through whatever gun I get. As far as the action, I don't think it'll be any stiffer than the 760 in the hands of my 12yr old skinny self!

 

[Condition 1]

Whatever you decide to buy, I hope it's a lot of fun. :biggrin:

 

[jstanfield103]

I have had a Henry in the past (Lever Action ) very nice shooter and a great company. I have two pumps not henry's though ( Remington 12C and Rossi 62 ) Love the pumps. I actually like the pumps more than the levers. I would not hesitate on a Henry Pump. Might be my nest purchase.
Let us know what you end up getting.

 

[drjjpdc]

Condition1,

Sorry you had a bad Henry experience, but according to all the posts here on MO's, yours is a minority experience. My standard for .22 lever is the Marlin line from the 1897 to the 39/39A. I will put my Henry right next to my Marlin 39A (which is 60 years old) as far as function goes. I also have a Remington Model 12C that I still shoot. My experience with rimfires is not just with Henry as I have listed in this post. I CAN compare them because I have many of them. Saying there are FAR (your word) better guns than a Henry is just plain ridiculous!

If you have had a problem with Henry CS, that immediately raises a red flag to me. They are an American company that stands by their product. I am also an audio nut and it is a pleasure to talk to the head of a company that makes a speaker or an amplifier when you have a question. Same principle with Henry. You mention Remington and Browning in your gun examples, do you have any Marlins?

Do you use your .22's to only shoot pests around your home? No need to get nasty or condescending. If you re-read my post you will see I fully understand and mentioned before you did the reasons to use .22 CB ammo. You say you're a shooter, so what does that mean, that I'm not? Actually I'm an Enabler and a Silhouette shooter. A round with only 8 ft. lbs. of energy is next to useless for any purpose other than shooting house pests. The vast majority of MO's need far more oomph than that from their rimfire rifles. Also having to wear hearing protection is not a negative to most of us.

Don't know why you are so cranky my friend. I also mentioned in my post that this is America where we are allowed to disagree. If those "flaming liberal anti-gunner types" are making you aggravated, don't take it out on me! :ciao:

John

 

[drjjpdc]

Condition1,

One other point I noticed. Kind of funny we are on a site called Marlinowners and telling folks looking for a lever action .22 to get a Browning? :hmmmm:

"If you want an Excellent Lever get a Browning BL-22 feeds and shoots anything and is as slick as a wet cat on soap!"

John

 

[javjacob]

I have 2 lever action Henry frontier rifles and so far so good. smooth action and quality is great if you ask me. I also agree with drjjpdc on the cb rounds... pretty much useless round for most people, pellet gun is much cheaper.

 

[Condition 1]

Look at my Sig it also states I am a member of Team Browning.
They make great lever guns as well.
You didn't answer my question about why every Henry owner is acquainted with
Henry's customer service.
The Henry is a decent gun for a cheap gun, it is not nearly as good as a Marlin 39A.
Nor is it as good as the other pumps I have mentioned.

I shoot 22CB's in my backyard. I shoot 22LR at the gun club both in pistol and
rifle. I own more than a few 22's. I prefer not to wear hearing protection in
my back yard when it's not needed.

You like to defend Henry, that's ok but they are still not as good as other brands.
Their CS is worse than Remington although I only called them once.

Their gun won't feed CB's but most other brands will. You don't care about that,
and that's ok but just remember not to buy certain ammo when you own a Henry.

I'm not saying Henry is junk, just that it's a cheap gun and it shoots ok but there are
better choices out there.

 

[javjacob]

acquainted with customer service? There are a ton of Henry owners who have never had to call customer service. I have a H001T and it was perfect, I also have a H001TM and it had a loose stock so I called customer service and they sent me a new stock without question and it fixed it. They both shoot great.

What makes the Henry so cheap? Henry is much better than Remington and Marlin now. If you want to see a new junk gun go check out the Remingtons and Remlins.

You should go check out thehighroad.org since its full of grumpy miserable old men who like to dog on everything.

 

[Yogi]

Oppps - this is interesting
Preferences:
I am the Lucky owner of four excellent .22's; Marlin 1897 (1903) 39a (1965) a Browning SA 22 (1914) and a Winchester 190. (60-something) I really, really think i need a .22 pump also, and i would sure go for the Remington of 60 - 90 years of age I haven't tried the Henry's but would sure like to. I shoot the subsonics (1020 fps) due to the same issues as Condition1 - plenty of smack in those but a Little more noisy, that's correct.

Opinion:
The question was more or less which pump to buy when a 39 was out of the question. I would turn it around and say... AFTER you have purchased the pump, you STILL want the 39 right? Then why wait? Yes i know it is ridiciolous prices, it's a rip off, it's cheating it's robbery. But we're talking about a Marlinitis related craving of the mighty 39. My Texan friend calls it "The Caddilac of .22's) Take the Money you want to give for a 39 and throw half the Money of a Henry on top - and you got the 39. Then forget about what you paid and go shoot. Now you own it. I don't think they get cheaper and your 39 craving won't go away. I paid too much for mine and i even had to do repairs, but it is my absolute favorite. My signature rifle, my Little baby.
When it comes to the action-talk, the smoothest action i have is also the oldest I guess the MO advice of just working them Again and Again is right. Try to go through MO member Eli Chaps' excellent polish-guide, he's a genious and has been a perfect tutor for me as a Marlin Novice.
Nice to follow the disagreements We all love our rifles and have different preferences, but it's like football. Try to convince a packers fan to go cheering for the Bears - tough job. "i disagree with what you say but i will defend to the death your right to say it" That is the cornerstone of a free country.

 

[Condition 1]

One of the LGS had a Marlin 39A but it was a special model as it was $1,600!
That's a lot of cash.
Not sure if they sold it or not. My wife doesn't often say NO but she did at that
price.
Oh sorry they still have it and it's $1,750! I know it's a Model 39.
Condition is only 85% and it only has a 4 digit serial #.
Must be something pretty special to cost that much!

 

[drjjpdc]

One of the LGS had a Marlin 39A but it was a special model as it was $1,600!
That's a lot of cash.
Not sure if they sold it or not. My wife doesn't often say NO but she did at that
price.
Oh sorry they still have it and it's $1,750! I know it's a Model 39.
Condition is only 85% and it only has a 4 digit serial #.
Must be something pretty special to cost that much!

Condition1,

This is not to you alone but what is a reasonable price on a 39 or 39A?
I sent McyNH to Auction arms the NRA site and this afternoon there were 3 of them and they all sold for around $500. I don't think that is outrageous pricing.

My point on the Henry's that you missed is the analogy I made to makers of small volume American audio companies. I have not had to call Henry for any service, just to order accessories. When I did I actually have talked to the father and the son which is an enjoyable experience. Their enthusiasm for their products is obvious. Far better and more pleasant than communicating with the faceless drones at a large company that makes any kind of product.

John

 

[swany]

Never met a new gun ever that I was happy with out of the box. They all need smoothing up. If not it's used and someone done it for you.

 

[Condition 1]

Condition1,

This is not to you alone but what is a reasonable price on a 39 or 39A?
I sent McyNH to Auction arms the NRA site and this afternoon there were 3 of them and they all sold for around $500. I don't think that is outrageous pricing.

My point on the Henry's that you missed is the analogy I made to makers of small volume American audio companies. I have not had to call Henry for any service, just to order accessories. When I did I actually have talked to the father and the son which is an enjoyable experience. Their enthusiasm for their products is obvious. Far better and more pleasant than communicating with the faceless drones at a large company that makes any kind of product.

John

Well I can't say what is reasonable for some special Model 39 that I have never seen but for $1,750
it had better be something.
The $500 bucks sounds about right for a decent one if you can find them. In my area you really can't.
GunBroker will get a lot more than a gun is really worth and there is a book that lists guns values and it
takes a lot of factors into account. I'd guess they are probably close for whatever value they list.
Too bad that book is so expensive.

I'm not going to duke it out with you over Henry. Many people have needed their guns serviced, some
right out of the box. There are many forums out there discussing this and while Henry owners love
their guns, not everyone does.
if you think yours is great I am happy for you.
I myself will never buy nor recommend a Henry to anyone.
That's about all I have to say about that.