I’ve lusted over a lever action rifle for way too long before finally buying one. Let’s be honest, every red-blooded American should have a lever action rifle in their collection.

For me there was only one brand and one version that I wanted. I knew it had to be a Henry, they are known to have one of the best quality in the industry. That was the easy part, the hard part was I wanted a side loading gate which Henry didn’t make. I could have easily settled for a lesser brand rifle or a Henry without it but I knew I’d regret it and eventually buy the one I wanted which would turn into a waste of money on the first one. So I waited and waited and finally, Henry came out with their Big Boy with a side loading gate.

Then I had to decide on the caliber. There are great calibers like the 30-30 but mine was going to be used for fun and I wanted the ability to shoot it at indoor handgun ranges as well so the rifle calibers were out. My first thought was to go with 357 magnum as I have quite a few revolvers in that caliber and I’d rather keep as many firearms in the same calibers. But that quickly went by the wayside when I wanted something bigger. I decided to go with the 45 Colt version as it’s just a classic round and just make sense for a lever action. Not to mention I have a handful of single action revolvers chambered for the 45 Colt and could then take my cowboy action firearms out and only have to bring one caliber with me.

My final decision to make was if I should get the classic Big Boy with the blued finish and wood furniture or the Big Boy Brass finish. While I like the brass finish I’m not a huge fan of the side gate look as it just doesn’t match, but even more importantly the blued finish just looks perfect. So that’s what I went with.

The fit, finish, and build quality is top notch. I clearly made the correct decision. Now I’m looking into some basic accessories, specifically a leather lever wrap and a matching leather sling with cartridge

Stay safe, be kind, and help those in need.