I've had this exact Henry for over a month but waited for all my "space cowboy" upgrades to be complete before I took it to the range and sighted it in. I went with the Ranger Point Precision hand guard, their 6-round M-Lok quiver, as well as the Midwest Industries ghost ring rail with the Sig Sauer Romeo 3 reflex sight. It's an unbelievable setup and can't wait to shoot it again. So fun.

This is my first time watching your video. I am impressed with your philosophy concerning the .45 Colt. I believe this video will encourage quite a few people to go the direction of the .45 in the Henry. Your narrative is spot on and concise. As of my viewing of this video, it is 10 months old. I will be looking for your follow up videos concerning this rifle and what you have found as far as the best loads for specific applications. Keep up the good work and God bless you too.

Thanks for this very informative video! A cool feature of the Henry's with the side loading gate is that they still have the ability to open the mag tube. When unloading, you only have to eject the chambered cartridge, leave the chamber and lever open, open the mag tube, and dump the remaining rounds through the front of the tube.

This helped me a lot thank you for the post. I've been going back and forth with the 44 or the 45.

Great breakdown! Been loving the thought up picking up a modern lever recently. Had my eyes on the more traditional walnut Henry Big Boy in 357 but I think you just changed my mind to go with the X version! Nice channel!

when back and viewed some of your first video before commenting. Good to see a young man doing it the right way. That is thinking first before juct makeing gun vids. I have a very large collection and am a retired army guy. You are right the 45 colt has been around a long time and can be very good for the reasons you stated. Good luck and great video.

I also like how the side gate lets you still load with the silencer blocking removing the tube.

Great “preview” your philosophy makes a lot of sense to me. I’ve been trying to get my hands on the 38/357 version for a while. Looking forward to more videos!

I think you are right on target and I'm looking forward to future videos. I am a big fan of the colt 45; there's a reason it's been around for so long !

Excited to see this project.

You're right 45 Colt is very versatile I hand load for it and now with Star Line making that 45 Cowboy special brass making subsonic stuff is amazing

Have my Henry X 45lc about a year now. Great shooting gun been putting accessories on here and there.

Got one in 44 mag about 2 months ago. It’s friggin great 👍 AND...... I’m going to pick up the 20” round Barreled blued, walnut, large loop in 45 colt tomorrow!! Very excited, like a kid on Christmas Morning.

Awesome video sir. I’m a long time 45 colt addict. I use it in 1860 open top conversions, and a s&w model 25-15. I’m a new subscriber. Found you on a post from Alaskan ballistics. I really like your channel so far.

Just wanted to share what I have learned along the way. Thank you for the opportunity to butt in and share my experiences.

Colt45 has come a LONG LONG way with smokless powder and modern gun steels, they are 44 mag County and more. Very cool round and i have a titanium 45colt for my side arm for the woods. Hell back when it was Black powder it was 357 range power but more weight and diameter, its no slouch. Love the video man me too new lever guns are just amazing

Looking forward to your review once you receive your suppressor - I actually cancelled the one I ordered because all I could find out about suppressors on a 45 LC (you're also correct, I have never seen a video with a suppressor on this caliber lever rifle) is it only takes the decibels down from around 162 to around 130db - which is still quite loud and requires hearing protection (have to get down to around 90db to not require hearing protection). Good luck Modern Mountain Man, looking forward to seeing your video showing it suppressed.

Just look at how Buffalo Bore and Underwood are getting their high end +P+ loads touching low end 45-70 numbers, and the Henry can shoot those loads with no issues. That's a lot of power in a compact rifle

Can’t wait to see this project progress. My wife just gifted me a Henry 45-70. I was like a kid on Christmas.

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. I have the 357 and 445 colt models. Have the 45/70 on order.

Fair and amazing review! I like your passion.

45 Colt is tricky as far as reloading. I have been playing around with the Lee 230 grain Truncated Cone mold working up a load. My research showed me that 8.5 grains of Unique is a pretty common load. I did some more research and found that most published loads are meant to work with old style revolvers that have weaker frames and therefore can't handle a lot of modern loads. After I found this out, I started pumping up the load. I went higher and higher with no signs of pressure. I finally stopped when I started to feel uncomfortable, but I think it could have gone higher. On top of it all, because data is meant for revolvers, the velocity is also tested with revolver length barrels. Out of a lever gun, the velocity I tested was way higher then published loads. After all said and done, the bottom load of published data to the highest tested loads I did ended up having hundreds of FPS difference. Definitely a round with possibilities, especially for reloaders.

Very nice gun! I’ve been wanting a Henry for a while. I was looking at a 44 but maybe I’ll go 45 colt. Great video!

Good video! Cans are fun!

Last year I decided I wanted a Lever Action rifle, never had one, but I really wanted one. I decided to go with the Henry Big Boy Classic because it is a gorgeous piece. Three choice for me were .357 .44 and the .45 Colt, I was leaning towards the .44 magnum because of it's power. The sales person was very well informed and convinced me to go with the .45 Colt because it was more versatile than the other two. You can shoot anything from the cowboy loads to 300 grain hard cast +P rounds. Buffalo Bore, Underwood and a few others make ammo for this gun that turns it into a poor mans 45-70, damn near .454 casull power range. My only downside with this rifle is, when loading some of those +P underwood ammo, it kicks pretty hard with a brass butt plate.

I put a light on my picatinny rail. Very useful in low light situations.

I just got one today, I’ll update you after I get it out to the range. I’m sure it’s going to be Great. I’m a big fan of the 45lC

I don't handload so I got a .44 mag. Could use .44 special as a subsonic. Just put on a Tourbon ammo holder on the stock and put on a black AK sling since it needed to be short. Have a Ruger Redhawk I could carry if I wanted the same ammo for both guns. I like the 45-70 but when you don't handload they are about $3.00 and up per shot and I already have plenty of .44 mag ammo

All of what you said is absolutely valid, and is why I bought mine (and LOVE it!). But one thing that you missed over is that .45 Colt makes for a damn fine revolver round (say, S&W's Model 25 classic revolver). Not so much for a .45-70. And you can fit more rounds in the .45 Colt carbine than a similarly sized .45-70, which makes it more applicable for defensive use.

Good video. a Henery is on my bucket list. No experiance with the 45 Colt but I'm watching!

Don't forget about the screw compensator/suppressor installation on the barrel. It is a very good feature. Be aware if you mount a suppressor you will need to get a optic picatinny rail and red dot/scope. The suppressor is to tall. The compensator is a very good fit and allows you to use the fiber optic sights. I chose the rail mount and red circle/ laser sight. That's very useful. The iron sights are no longer useful unless you're ready to remove the optic and rail. That's easily done but at what cost. Useful iron sights or red circle dot/laser using a single triple A battery.

Okay okay. I made a big deal about the optic and rail. I have to say this about that. I took the optic and rail off and went with Henry's design. The fiber optic iron sights are very useful and make sighting and firing this weapon fun. Even with my old eyes they work well. The rail and optic are still an option. I think for awhile I am sticking with the fiber optic irons. with the picatinny rail I still have the light /laser combo choice ad well . I do really like this rifle though it combines old style with new and it works well.

I like your concept. Good all around option and may be a little more practical option for personal defense over 45-70…cent for bears.

Love Henry Lever Action rifles; have the x Model in 30-30, which is Awesome as f-ck to shoot; thinking of getting a .357 mag or 44 Colt which is what brought me to ur video. Great explanation about this rifle & caliber choice!!

Can we get a follow up, i just started the same journey with a .45lc for a lot of the same reasons. Im very interested in your findings. Thanks for the video!

Been looking for a Henry. Wasn't sure what caliber. You having me thinking about the .45 colt again.

My first hog hunting rifle was the Uberti brass reciever in 45 Colt. 250 gr loads certainly get their point across. The only downside of the Uberti was it not being able to go as hot as the 45 Colt can reach achieve. The lack of recoil from the rifle made my Dad's other half fall in love with it.

Great content…. Would love to see a follow-up video….very interested in the results….

Heyyyyy Triple M , have you done anything else with this Henry X 45 Colt ? I bought an X in Colt and it just shoots good with anything. Hot or mild its accurate and a ball to choot. 26 H110 behind 265 Cast Performance hardcast boolit it went end to end on a big white tail doehead. Its probably still flying around the woods killing stuff ! Then with 250gr Berry boolits and Titegroup its accurate and nuthin but fun to shoot water bottles with. Let's see what you've done to er. Thanks

I think your philosophy will be accurate. After looking at the differences between 44 and 45lc, 45lc is on another level if it's loaded properly. Most standard 44 will out shoot most standard factory 45lc. But 45lc has much more versatility and can hit harder and throw faster than 44. For hand loading, 45lc trumps the other levergun calibers every day of the week. And when you get those hot 45lc loads crack over long ranges you know you've sent something heavy down range.

Okay!!! I just ordered a Henry big boy .44mag The reason I choose .44 mag is because I have the Taurus 2 inch barrel .44 mag that means I have plenty of ammo already…

Hello I have had a Rossi in this caliber for a while now just got the Henry I like theHenry a lot. have you tried some hot 300 Greiners yet? They short chambered to Henry for 45 I don’t care for that I might have to get a reamed out and the elevator comes up to slow for longer 300 Griner bullet don’t care for that I have a mold ordered to see if I can get around that I hope so otherwise I’ll have to modify the lever which I’d rather not do. John Linebaugh has some loads that sneak up on a 4570 I have run them without extraction problems at all so far they are a bit bucky though

@ModernMountainMan and others on the site: I have been talked in to going deer hunting this year and while I have several rifles already, I am looking at the X to take out. Any reason to buy a new gun and I have been a fan of Henry and lever actions since my first John Wayne western. I stopped hunting in the mid 80s, just as I entered the Army and I am currently at odds with which caliber is best for deer. You can take a deer with literally any sized ammo but I am looking at the 45-70 rather than the 45 colt, or 3030. I am 6'6" tall and about 280 lbs I lean toward the 45-70. The 3030 and the 45 colt Henry X are a little cheaper as well. I probably won't burn through more than a couple boxes a year so maybe I am just over thinking this. My nephew said his only complaint with deer hunting with a 45-70 was that if you hit the deer from the wrong angle, the bullet will destroy a lot of the meat and he suggested going with a more common/standard 3030. The 3030 ammo is cheaper than the 45-70, kicks less, and will still take down most deer or elk. I do like the 45-70 rifle and ammo. Maybe a compromise would be the 45 colt.

New to all this, and I understand the advantages of supressability, but wondering if, for self defense, doesn't a Henry side loader with 10 round capacity make more sense?

Ive been contemplating my first leveraction for blueberry hunting. Don't know why i wanted 45lc, but was originally set on it. ammo is a bit pricier than 357 and ive heard countless bias between the two cartridges. And those trying to measure manhood by adding a comment of .44 My main defence is black bear, im certain sub 50yds both will do fine. I have yet to hear non bias pros cons of 357/45lc Would like to hear how 45lc works out as beeing versitile. Got my eyes on a Henry as well with larger hand lever for winter.

More than likely, the tube loading/unloading option will not be possible with most type suppressors and blast cans installed. I have a blast can for shooting black powder 45 Colt in my Henry X, just to shove that smoke further forward and away quickly, and the tube sliding out is blocked by the can. You'll need some type of small diameter quick release mount on the suppressors or can. It is nice to reload for both my Henry X and 1873 Colt SAA revolver in BP though.

I just picked up a new model C in 45 LCD and a limited to factory ammo. What are my limitations in ammo size and weight. Thanks for the help

Sweet rifle!

The Henry big boy are great lever action rifles right now I live in Clarksville Tennessee and they selling them in Royal king better get them before it’s too late you have two options .45 colt or .44 magnum

yes. next question.

Lights are also useful for hogs or finding out what is in your chicken coop. And the .45 Colt is a proven combat round, both from hand gun and rifle.

We need updates!

I wish it would run .410 as well it would then be the most versatile Henry for sure. Idk why they haven’t done this yet they have a .410 leaver and it is chamber same as 45 colt

Great post. One thing I watched was the way that you unloaded the rifle. You don't have to run the action through. Just pull the tube and dump out the rounds. Just saying 😌

04:25 you don't even need to handload. buffalo bore, garrett, grizzly, corbon, underwood, double-tap, HSM, all make .45 colt that will eat the .44 mag for lunch. * in the appropriate firearms. lever action rifles, ruger redhawk, super redhawk, old style blackhawk etc

Depending on the pressure it will take will determine how versatile it is. If you can nearly duplicate 454 casull loads then it has real potential

I just got my x model big boy in .44 mag/.44special two weeks ago. I ordered new furniture for it, don’t really like the plastic, and I wanted the tactical sexy look with walnut stock and hand guard!! and boooyyy I shot it today, about 230-250 rounds, and man it’s so much fun!!! super accurate!!! I highly recommend to get you a trigger sear from ranger point precision for yours sir!

Thx for the Video. Didn't I just see u putting 8 ammo inside the tube, & then you put one in the chamber after racking it? That's 8+1

I just bought this gun and it was the cheapest out there among the Henry X lever action rifles.

What kind of accuracy are you getting? My groups can't seem to stay under 2" without a flyer or two in seven shots. At 50yds! With a scope! The same problem I had with my Henry in 327 Fed Mag. My 45-70 carbine shoots lights out. I'm wondering if it's a pistol caliber thing...

Maybe but i still want one in 44 mag

Great video and great points made. I’ve been considering an X model for a while but have been leaning either towards the .357 or the .44. Reason being, the 357/38 would be best/easiest for suppression, and a hot 357 load would handle any animal I need it to handle down here in South Carolina & North Carolina. But .44 is even hotter and more powerful that .357, so possibly thinking of going that way just for the firepower. The .357 will probably win out due to how easy it would be to suppress with .38’s. I never really considered the 45 colt until this video honestly. I always just thought of the 45 colt as a cowboy action round and not as good/modern/powerful as the 44 mag or 357 mag. Your video is giving me something to think about though. I have a 30 cal suppressor though, so of the 3, I could only suppress a 357/38 model. P.S. I’d use that half cock feature when loaded with one in the chamber 😅

any update on shooting it suppressed?

Try the Winchester .356 please

I have about 12 years of hunting & shooting experience with the 454 casull in a Rossi R92 . Basically same same just more . I found the 454 full power loads unnecessary & a bit much on screws & mag tube pins on the little carbine. Using trailboss I got hard cast 250gr rnfp right on 1100 fps , that load trucks on through anything for complete pass throughs . Game bleeds out fast with a big blood loss . Same load has basically zero recoil . I now have a 3 cavity mold of 2 x 270 gr rnfp & 3rd is same bullet just hollow pointed @ 255 gr . I have cast them much softer & intend on loading them to 1100 fps also . My full power loads are a 318 gr Lee 454 wheel weight alloy @ 1910 fps using h110 . My next batch I’ll load back to about 1700 fps & soften the alloy . My mate is getting 1390 fps with the same Lee 454 straight wheel weight alloy boolit , stiff but not maximum loads from his Rossi 45 colt . I think a 300 ish grain rnfp at 1500 ish fps is all anyone would ever need IMO from a 45 colt . Also the Lee 300gr 452 musket mini ball rnfp hollow base is useful. I use that in a Rossi circuit judge carbine @ 1000 fps . That could be loaded backwards also for a huge hollow point, but most likely won’t feed from a tube . Cheers mate , I subbed too . .

Does the gun handle +P ammo such as the underwood ammo?

Just got one of these. It's prompted me to learn reloading.

Just bought one myself.

The 44 caliber bullet has a little better ballistic coefficient than the 45 caliber bullet, so if hand loading is the topic, you can hand load a 44 mag to outperform the 45LC up to a certain bullet size, when the 45's size just takes over in power, but not in range.

Try 8.5 of unique with a 250 xtp bullet for a subsonic load in 45 colt.

Which is better 45 colt or 44 mag ? Lever gun

I looked at the .45LC, but ended up with the .44 mag. At the end of the day, best to have them all, yes?

Anyone know if this gun is rated for “Ruger only” 45 colt +p loads?

One thing to note when you discussed "supersonic energy" while talking about caliber choices. Supersonic with pistol rounds is NOT the same as supersonic with rifle rounds. The amount of damage a supersonic rifle round does is very substantial, but when you switch to supersonic pistol rounds that extra damage is simply not as pronounced. FBI statistics of stopping power of .45 rounds compared to 9mm, for example, shows the actual result of shooting an actual human being with both rounds. I'll save you the time looking it up, if you even have access, the .45 round is hands down a better "man stopper" for a one shot stop. The modern .45 Colt round, especially if you go with Buffalo Bore (or similar high end ammo company) can produce .45 Colt rounds that exceed .44 Magnum performance. So in essence you can push the .45 Colt to near supersonic speeds, hold more in your tube than the .44 Mag, and hit harder than any other lever action, short of 45-70. I'm updating my Henry with Ranger Precision handguard and buttstock, which reduces weight and adds more mounting locations (and simply makes it look sweet). My primary use is for traveling/camping since these are legal pretty much everywhere. Mounting a red dot and light on it because it'll be for self-defense. Secondary use is ... they are simply a ton of fun to shoot!

I'm a .45 Colt guy but .45 Colt ammo is very hard to find. .38 and .357 are easy to find. I hand load .45 Colt.

395 grain subs running 1100 FPS is awesome

You are heading down same path as me Mountain Man, have my 45LC, have cowboy loads, have Hornady Leverevolution and FTX loads - and a supressor on the way - but like you I am curious as to how quiet the gun will be with those rounds I have. Haven't been successful in finding muzzle velocity for those rounds in the 16" Henry Big Boy X Model 45LC, but if I'm not mistaken you have to stay under 1150 FPS to be subsonic - looking to see what loads you find that will do that. While it would be ideal if I could get the whisper quiet I've seen in the .38 Sp Henry's with a supressor, I'll be happy just not waking up the neighbors if I shoot a hog at 2am...looking forward to seeing your video once you get your suppressor...

Load .451 round balls and black powder

Spicy loads??? 365 gr HC over 20grs of W296, 300gr hard cast over 22gr of W296...I'm not saying to use this, but it's what I use in a Ruger Vaquero.

What up .45 big boy fam!

Need an 1851 army revolver

45 colt is an animal like no other. It was designed to take a charging horse from underneath a man in battle and has done so through out history. I run a model x and a Ruger Blackhawk 45 colt I run 325+p cool thing about the Henry you get about 300 fps more than the handgun loads

you got lucky if you dry fired it a lot, i dry fired mine after the first range visit and the firing pin broke >:|

Err...44Mag, 44 Spl??? I reload also, but for folks that don't, good luck finding 44Mag energy in 45 colt in stores. Getting over 2K fps with 180 grn soft points.

Feel called out with that communist state comment near the end, lol. You're dead on tho, sir. WA banned AR's, so I've been eyeballing this exact rifle for months now. Gonna make the leap thanks to your informative video.

250gr lswc drops a deer like nuttin out to 50 yards,that's sll the farther I've had to shoot so far

I went with 357 38 I don't care about sub sonic

357 MAGNUM IS

No... It isn't.

Are we talking long colt?

Hey brother 🙏 have hard from you in awhile? Awsome rifle. Check with reloading Master cwlongshot. Or join on Friday on GA shooting connection live chat lot reloading guys in their easy answers that question. As new reloader got some Lil gun here try 300blk. Also work some 243 win stayball. Have toss many videos up on my channel yet thoe work progress. Do lot other videos from hunting and cook different things to auto show to mail call from some reloading friends.

No.