The Lever Action Reborn: Henry X Model .357 Magnum

The Henry Repeating Arms X Model .357 Magnum is not simply a continuation of lever actions in American history but a rebirth of the rifle that helped settlers and cowboys in the latter 1800s survive threats from man and beast alike.

Henry’s history reaches back to 1860, when Benjamin Tyler Henry patented the first repeating rifle. Henry came to be called Winchester in 1866, the year after the end of the Civil War, and while lever actions were made and relied upon, the Henry name sat dormant.

Anthony Imperato, the grandson of a “police equipment shop owner,” acquired the Henry name in 1996 and began shipping out Henry rifles in March 1997.

Imperato was mesmerized by the uniqueness of the lever action rifle, saying, “The lever action, by fact, is truly American ingenuity while most other actions — the double action revolver, semiauto pistol, bolt-action rifle — the birthplace of those actions were elsewhere.

“They came from Europe, as in England, Germany, Austria, etc.”

And Henry has excelled under Imperato, manufacturing and selling an untold number of lever action rifles presenting the iconic contrast wood with steel, keeping the uniquely American firearm in vogue.

The X Model .357 Magnum is both a continuation of that tradition and the next step in its evolution.

It has a black synthetic fore and rear stock, fiber-optic open sights, and a threaded barrel, which is suppressor-ready.

The X Model has a tubular magazine that holds seven rounds of .357 Magnum. It can be loaded from the far end of the rifle and then periodically topped off via the sidegate on the right side of the rifle’s receiver.

And the X Model is compact, with shorter barrel than many Henry lever actions.

The compact design, coupled with the lighter weight of synthetic stocks, means the X Model swings up fast to quickly come on target.

As with all Henry rifles, the X Model’s accuracy is spot on.

We use a Caldwell Max Grip Sling to carry our X Model .357 Magnum in the field and at the range.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.