Henry Rifle Forums

OK, I have screwed up royally. I know that the .44 Mag Big Boy rifle should be loaded only with the lever in the closed position. Yesterday, at the range, I loaded 3 rounds into my .44 Mag Big Boy with the lever in the cocking position which opens the action. When I tried to chamber the first round, the lever would not move, it was struck in the open position. How do I free-up this jam? Any advice for this tenderfoot will be incredibly valued and appreciated.

I helped a BBB .45LC owner at the range last week with the same issue. It was a new gun to him and the range always wants guns with the breech open so that the range safety officers can see an unloaded gun. We found a good clean 1/4" wooden dowel from a fellow shooter and using a mallet, tapped the round back into the loading tube. No harm, no foul. He was able to shoot the rest of the day with the rest of us. He did like my skinner sights on my BBB .45LC and will probably order one.

You probably have a round stuck under the carrier. Keep the rifle pointed in a safe direction. Take out the loading tube. Unload any other rounds in the tube by dumping them out. Put the lever in the full open position and point the barrel down to the ground and see if the stuck round will slide out - if not, shake the rifle and slap the side of the receiver with your hand/fist to see if you can shake it loose and out. If that doesn't work the rifle will have to be disassembled with the live round in it - may be time for a gunsmith if you don't feel comfortable working around that live round...

Anything you are not comfortable doing yourself: don't do it.
A gunsmith will fix you up quick and safe.

What Tad said been there done that and thats how I got mine to work. It should come out and if not pop the side of the receiver with the heel of your hand. Al

What about removing the screw that holds the lever on and just pull the lever out.

Thank you to everyone who replied to the jam on my .44 Mag BBB. I tried your suggestions, but could not free the round that was partially in the magazine tube with the round's rim lodged beneath the carrier. So, this morning I drove 55 miles to a gunsmith in Belchertown, Ma, and he fixed everything within 40 minutes for $40.00 which I thought was very reasonable. I have been shooting a Savage model 99 lever action rifle for 60 years. As you know, the Model 99's have an internal rotary magazine, and the only way to load it is to work the lever to slide the bolt back and expose the magazine. Until recently, I have not owned a Henry, Marlin, Winchester or any other lever action with a tube magazine. I now have 2 Henry's and a Marlin. I am wondering way neither manufacturer does not have bold caution in their owners' manual about not loading the magazine tube with the lever open. I suppose it is simply common knowledge among lever action shooters not to do that.

Glad you got fixed up. Happy shooting!

Thanks RanchRoper -- Was going to take it to the range after I got back from the Belchertown gunsmith. But, by 1:30 PM temperature here in east central Mass. was up to 92 degrees ---- too hot for me --- even though in much younger days I could caddy double golf bags for 36 holes in this type of heat. These days, I ride a golf cart, and 18 holes is my limit.