Henry Long Ranger

The Long Ranger is what happens when Henry stops being constrained by the tubular-magazine round-nose-bullet rule. The 4-round detachable box magazine accepts pointed bullets, which means .308 Win, .243 Win, and 6.5 Creedmoor with their full ballistic coefficients are on the table, not just .30-30 and .35 Rem. The geared lever action drives a rotary bolt head into the chamber, the same locking principle as a modern bolt action, so chamber pressures of 60,000 PSI rounds are handled without drama.

The rifle is a tradition-meets-modern compromise. American walnut and blued steel keep the visual heritage. The drilled-and-tapped receiver takes standard Weaver bases for any modern hunting scope. The 20-inch barrel on the .308 keeps the rifle handy at about 7 pounds. The trade is action speed, the geared lever is slower than a Marlin 336, and the price, $1,280 puts it in Tikka and Bergara territory. The pick here is for the hunter who wants a lever-action handling profile with modern cartridge performance.