Henry Big Boy X Review: Side Loading Gate! [Tested+Video]
Finally! An all black Henry lever action with side-gate in .357 Magnum. We hands-on review the Big Boy X and try to tacticool it just a little bit.
Gucci gear nerd. Recreational shooter. MilSim Airsoft enthusiast
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Check out our video review of the Henry Big Boy X above and don't forget to subscribe!
Looking to combine that love of pistol caliber carbines with a need to be unique and flaunt some vintage flair?
Are you often consumed by a deep need to take dubious-quality, room temperature whiskey to the face before riding off into that Amarillo sunset?
Henry's modern take on the classic .357 Lever Action Big Boy series might just be for you, pardner.
Then head down for all the nitty-gritty.
Table of Contents
Henry Big Boy X Specs & Features
Specs
- Caliber: .44 Magnum / .44 Special (also available in .357 Magnum/.38 Special and .45 Colt)
- Action: Lever-action
- Capacity: 7+1
- Overall Length: 36.3"
- Barrel Length: 17.4"
- Weight: 7.3 lbs.
- Stock Material: Synthetic
Features
- Synthetic stock with rubber recoil pad for comfort
- Side loading gate and removable tube magazine for versatility
- Threaded barrel for suppressor or muzzle device compatibility
- Picatinny and M-Lok rails for optics and accessories
- Fiber optic front sight and fully adjustable rear sight for quick target acquisition
Meet the Big Boy X
You… may have noticed that we’ve done a pretty hefty amount of AR reviews recently, and while it’s always useful to have a back catalog of reviews for people to sift through, wow does black rifle after black rifle grow a bit tiresome on our end after a while.
Thankfully, the cloudy Armalite-laden skies appear to be lifting for the time being, and through them shines a lever-action ray of light--I’m not really sure where I'm going with this poetic prose, but long story short--Henry’s .357 Big Boy X is a pretty welcome breath of fresh air as far as plinkers go.
Essentially an update to Henry’s flagship series of lever actions, the Big Boy X takes the rustic charm of wood and polished steel and replaces them with sleek black polymer furniture and surfaces that are going to be much more familiar to the modern eye.
The Big Boy X we’ve got on hand is capable of feeding both .38 special and .357, and finally features a side-loading gate that allows for quick reloads without removal of the magazine tube… although quick is going to be a pretty relative term here.
I have no real experience with lever guns at all outside the odd ones we’ve played with here and there for the website, so getting used to the mechanical differences in how one approaches anything remotely close to a ‘smooth reload’ took a bit of time--though if the cowboy action shooting community has anything to say about it, you absolutely can run a lever gun with some brutal speed if you… dedicate your life to cowboy LARPing.
I found that the side loading gate was pretty particular about the exact angle one needs to hit the door at in order to effectively load a round.
Although it’s reasonably okay with only a few cartridges in the 7 round magazine tube, it’s definitely going to make you fight for those last few--though I suspect that might break in over time. It’s also a bit of a pain in the ass to load with gloves on, and that trapdoor has a habit of wanting to grab your gloved fingers.
Outside of that, the action itself is pretty damn smooth, though I think I do need to get into the habit of really driving the lever forward to ensure a clean ejection, as there were a few instances where the spent casing failed to extract--or a live round fell out of the chamber--likely as a result of being a bit too gingerly with the process of running the lever.
Like I said, it’s an unfamiliar platform, for the most part, so a few kinks are to be expected, but I'm going to say this is probably much more me than the Big Boy.
The trigger itself is incredibly crisp, as obviously the lever is going to cock the hammer, meaning that you’re right up against the trigger’s wall as soon as you place pressure on it. No creep or take up to speak of.
I’ve fired a handful of .45-70 lever guns before, and comparatively the .357 is super minimal in terms of felt recoil, and even jumping up to .357 magnum from .38 special was only a barely noticeable increase in recoil impulse.
Not that .357 is a huge round when you’ve got a mildly heavy carbine built around it, but it’s certainly much less gnarly to shoot than .45-70 bear loads. Duh.
The gun comes with fiber optic iron sights featuring a green front and dual orange dot rear, and they're pretty adequate for daytime shooting.
We’ve also added an aftermarket section of Picatinny rail for attaching optics on the receiver as well--though it should be noted that the addition of the optics rail is going to block your iron sights completely.
We initially wanted to run something quite small and low profile on the big boy, but unfortunately the Vortex Viper microdot we swung for first was having some issues with getting on target zero-wise.
We decided to swap over to a larger EOTech EXPS for the sake of time despite the fact that you’re not going to be able to get a super solid cheek weld with that height over bore.
For film purposes here we’ve got a Sig Romeo 5 on the low mount, and it’s just about right.
Regardless, it didn’t appear to make a huge difference once I started warming up to the gun, and although it’s not super impressive, I was able to ring ~100-yard steel pretty consistently while standing once the optic was on target.
While we didn’t do any super scientific testing of groups, we were able to produce a pretty decent cluster of steel impacts at 25 yards with no issues--and realistically it’s a .357 carbine--you’re not going to be pulling any Mark Wahlberg sniper shots off with this thing.
The handguard itself features a 3 and 9 o'clock MLOK mount, which is perfect for the addition of stuff like scout profile lights, especially if you’ve got a mount that puts them at a high 1 o'clock, if you feel the need to add some throwable lumens onto the business end of your cyberpunk cowboy gun.
There’s a small bit of pic rail at the very end of the handguard as well, which while intended for a bipod, is actually not a bad spot for something like a low-profile hand stop if you’d prefer a little bit of extra grip to index off of instead.
We added a generic spandex shell carrier thing on the stock after cutting a small slit for the built-in sling swivel, although it's obvious the carrier is intended more for .308 length rounds as .357 is going to sink pretty far down into the slots.
But you know, whatever, +5 cool points.
Lastly, the barrel itself features 5/8x24 threads--which typically match up to .308 muzzle devices, however, you best not be putting a .308 brake on a .357 gun lest ye be wanting to lose some fingers.
Anecdotally, we’ve heard folks have had success with .350 Legend muzzle devices, but your mileage may vary and we’re not liable if you wind up grenading yourself.
By the Numbers
Reliability: 4/5
While we don't think any of the occasional hiccups with the gun were the gun's fault, there were hiccups nonetheless. Again, it's likely nothing that training and forming muscle memory can't address.
Accuracy: 5/5
We didn't really have the opportunity to stretch the Big Boy much past 100 yards, but it rings true consistently up to there. We're certainly not lever-action marksmen, but considering our intended use for the gun is "fun," this feels pretty damn acceptable for us.
Ergonomics: 4/5
Surprisingly, the antiquated design of the lever gun in general is still quite comfortable to run, and although it's obviously not as sleek and ergonomically-driven as a modern AR build, I didn't have any biting gripes about it outside of the lever being slightly painful to operate for long periods of time if you're not wearing gloves. Even then, that's still a pretty surface level criticism considering the platform.
Looks: 4/5
Maybe I'm a sucker, but modernized versions of antique guns are cool as hell. The Big Boy X is pretty damn hot in its stock configuration, and only looks better when you start slapping on optics, lights, suppressors, etc. Perhaps the only potential improvement would be adding a full, slim MLOK handguard out of the box, but that can be rectified pretty easily.
Customization: 3/5
While there's not a ton of aftermarket support for the Big Boy X in the same way as more modern/less niche rifles, it certainly does still exist. As mentioned, optics, lights, lasers, shell caddies, and slings are going to be your bread and butter here, but you can push it further if need be.
Bang for the Buck: 3/5
This is always a little hard to quantify as it depends entirely on you--but at a ballpark price of ~$900 or so, it might be a bit on the pricey side for a fun range toy. If you're Mr. Moneybags and you don't mind dropping a cool chunk of change to get your kicks, then by all means.
Overall: 4/5
Conclusion
If you’re looking to get your Instagram-worthy swag points on with a fully tricked out, modern lever gun chambered in a functional plinking cartridge that isn’t going to tenderize your dainty basement flesh after a day’s worth of shooting, we can’t think of a better base for it than the Henry 357 Big Boy X.
Even if that name sounds more like a SoundCloud rapper than a firearm, we had a blast with this neat little hombre, and it's a refreshing break from having to take a microscope to every AR-15 we encounter to give y'all the minute differences between them worth talking about.
Are you thinking about unleashing your inner buckaroo with one of these Big Boys? Have one? We wanna know all about it, so drop us a comment or review below. Want other old-school options?
