While they are fond of the brass tradition begun by B.T. Henry's 1860 rifle, they do understand that today's hunter may prefer something a shade lighter on the mountain, and the Big Boy Steel Side Gate carries on the same brush gun appeal of the brass-framed Big Boys in its overall configuration, but with upgraded features for the modern hunter, while weighing in 1.68lbs. less than its cousin. These Side Gate models come in .357 Mag/.38 Special, .44 Mag/.44 Special, and .45 Colt, with either a standard 20" round barrel and regular lever, or a compact 16.5" round barrel and a large-loop lever for gloved cold-weather use and extra style points. Both models feature fine checkering on the genuine American walnut fore-end and straight-wrist stock, range-adjustable semi-buckhorn rear and brass bead front sights, an automatic in-hammer transfer bar safety, and their best-of-both-worlds side loading gate and removable tube magazine configuration. Rifles hold ten rounds in the tube, and carbines hold seven.

The first smokeless cartridge ever introduced in America in 1894, the .30-30 put more venison on the table and more antlers on the walls than any other caliber. Designed from the get-go for the lever action, it's been the definitive medium game hunting cartridge ever since. The blued steel Henry Lever Action .30-30 Side Gate is built from the ground up to wring top performance from this respectable cartridge. Handy at just seven pounds, this well-crafted firearm offers excellent accuracy, striking power sufficient to anchor the biggest deer, and moderate recoil thanks to the modest chamber pressure and the rubber recoil pad. A 20-inch round barrel provides enough open sight radius for effective close to medium range engagements. A drilled and tapped receiver offers the option of easy scoping for reaching out further. Side ejection keeps fired casing off the scope and out of your line of sight, with spent brass going towards the front to make it safe for left-handed hunters too. The five-shot tube magazine can be loaded from the front or topped off through the side gate. While deer seldom require 5 Plus 1 capacity, hogs or coyotes might. Smooth and rapid cycling of the crisp, perfectly machined action gives fast follow-up shots while keeping the sight picture. Great balance and compact 39-inch overall length let this rifle shine in dense brush and hill country, with plenty of accuracy and punch for open country hunting too. In a pinch, it's a competent defensive option with a classic, benign image.