Here, my friends, is the foundation of my Tactical Lever Gat build - A Henry Model X in .357 Mag.
I chose this Henry for a couple of reasons:
The theme is a 3-gun lever action (you can see the design sketch here), so I wanted a lever gun that had some similar features to the ARs that are used in 3-gun. Things like short barrel, light weight, high ammo capacity, lots of optic mounting options, threaded barrel etc.
.357 Ammo is the lightest and smallest of the typical lever action calibers. This means less total weight when the rifle is loaded and highest potential capacity in the tube magazine. And, since the theme of this is a shooting sport I'm not solving for stopping power, T-Rex Hunting, etc. it just need to be light and accurate.
I've never worked on a Henry. I've done some projects on Marlin lever actions before, but not a Henry, so this is my chance!
A big shoutout to Henry for pitching in giving me a steep discount on this Big Boy Model X. I'm a regular guy working on and sharing these projects for fun and to inspire others to think outside the box with their gun projects. Each project regularly costs >$2,000, so I really appreciate it when the manufacturers like Henry sponsor parts of the builds or offer big discounts to help reduce my costs. Thank you Henry USA!
Below are some glamour shots as well as all the specs. First, a stock photo so you get a view of the whole gun before all my weird angle shots.
The above and below shots highlight a couple parts of the Model X that are critical to this build. The first (above) is the threaded barrel and mag tube mount. Both of these places are usable mounting points for the carbon fiber handguard I'm going to build. The second (below) are the holes on top of the receiver that are meant for a scope mount or rail. These holes will be used to secure both the picatinny rail and scope mount as well as the rear of the handguard.
Below is a shot of the rifle with all the stuff I am not going to use removed. I am leaving most of the stock items behind in my quest to make a good looking, extra light, high(er) capacity, 3-gun-ready, tactical lever action.
