Henry Big Boy Revolver
- Graham Baates
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
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I'm not known for being a revolver guy, nor am I known for doing much with .38 Special or .357 Magnum. That's for good reason, I simply haven't. Eight years ago I reviewed a .357 Magnum revolver. That was the last time I shot one. In those eight years I've learned a lot and was now curious about both revolvers and the calibers. It's been my experience that most of what we hear on the range or at the gun shop is lore, echoed becauase someone else said it. The Henry Big Boy gave me an excuse to learn more about the calibers and a different platform of firearm.
What is it? The Henry Big Boy is a 6-shot .38 Special/.357 Magnum revolver made to serve as a "companion" to the Henry lever action rifles. The "companion" concept is to have a revolver and rifle in the same caliber. This was popular in the 19th century as an economical and practical choice. As you can see the Big Boy's styling is neither "modern", nor "old west". I don't know enough about revolvers to cite where the design inspiration comes from, but it reminds me somewhat of the classic revolver shapes popular in the 1940-1970s. Being a Henry it of course has the nice added touches of brass and American walnut.
Who's it For? First and foremost this is for fans of American-made Henry rifles. Beyond that the "companion" idea makes sense, and while not an "old west" 1873, the Henry Big Boy's design and features are a lot more practical than an old Single Action Army. This includes the ability to shoot single-action or double-action, a firearm that is safe with all six chambers loaded, clearer sights, and a swing-out cylinder that is much quicker and easier to load and unload. Mine has the "gunfighter" grip, but a "bird's head" grip option is also available with a rounded heel for easier concealment.
.38 Special and .357 Magnum? Although .357 Magnum is nearly four decades younger a cartridge than .38 Special (1935 and 1898 respectively), Typically a gun chambered for the longer .357 Magnum can also fire .38 Special, but for safety reasons not the other way around as .357 Magnum has a longer case. I had always thought .38 Special was simply a less-expensive softer round for training purposes and not known the two cartridges were so dramatically different. I'll have another article exploring this as I have bought, shot, and chronographed 13 different loads of .38 Special, .38 Special+p, and .357 Magnum through both the Henry Big Boy Revolver and the Henry Big Boy Carbine to get a better understanding of the differences between the two.
Take a Look at the Henry Big Boy revolver in the tabletop video below. Rumble Link.
Specifications:
Barrel Length: 4"
Barrel Type: Round Blued Steel
Rate of Twist: 1:16
Overall Length: 9.5"
Weight: 35 oz.
Receiver Finish: Polished Blued Steel
Rear Sight: Fixed Notch
Front Sight: Interchangable Blade
Scopeability: N/A
Stock Material: American Walnut
Safety: Transfer Bar
Best Uses: Target/Collector
Embellishments/Extras: Interchangeable High/Medium/Low Front Sights
MSRP: $928
Prices around the web as of 20NOV25
Click links for current pricing and availability
Being new to both the platform and the calibers I was excited to hit the range and give it a try with an interesting What's For Dinner Test as I had no real idea what to expect. As always the GBGuns Range Protocol was followed, but with some twists both because it's a revolver and so I could learn more:
Cold Shots: Truly my first shots through the gun. I tried two different loads for this warmup.
What's For Dinnerâ„¢: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
50gr .38spl Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense $40.33 / 20 from Global Ordnance
50gr .357mag Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense $41.55 / 20 from Global Ordnance
110gr .38spl Federal Hydra-Shok $35.99 / 20 direct from Federal
110gr .38spl+p Hornady Critical Defense $30.34 / 25 from Global Ordnance
125gr .357mag Winchester Defender $34.12 / 20 from Global Ordnance
125gr .357mag Hornady Critical Defense $31.56 / 25 from Global Ordnance
125gr .357mag Magtech FMJ $32.28 / 50 at from Global Ordnance
130gr .38spl+p Winchester Defender $29.47 / 20 at Global Ordnance
158gr .357mag Federal Hydra-Shok $39.99 / 20 direct from Federal
170gr .357mag Fderal Hammer Down $27.92 / 20 from Global Ordnance
Range Ammo was 158gr Armscor .38spl and 130gr .38spl Federal American Eagle $38.99 / 50 direct from Federal
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12-ish yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
Watch the process with the Henry Big Boy revolver in the Shooting Impressions video below. Rumble Link
On the Range I was happy to remember that .38 Special is such a soft shooter, and .357 Magnum might pack a whallop, but is very managable in the Henry Big Boy revolver. While handling the gun before the range I feared the fine sights would be difficult for me to see, but on the overcast day I shot was no problem at all.
I did feel the back of the trigger guard slam my knuckle a couple of times, but I blame that on myself. A combination of hand size and likely poor form made that happen sometimes but not others. The double action proved just as smooth as it did in dry handling, but thumbing the hammer was so much fun I rarely shot in double action.
Overall I really enjoy the Henry Big Boy, and it made chronographing the 13 different loads of various .38 Special, .38 Special+p, and .357 Magnum fun. The results of those tests, comparing both calibers and platforms will be in another article and have their own video series. I may not have had a need for the Henry Big Boy, but I sure am happy to have one. It's a fun handgun that offers something different from the ubiquitous polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm we're all so accustomed to. In the follow-on article you'll see just how weak, and how strong some of the commercial loads for this gun are.