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Henry Classic Lever Action .22 (H001) Review (2026): 1,200 Rounds Tested

Affiliate disclosure: This Henry Classic Lever Action .22 (H001) review contains affiliate links. If you buy through our links then we can receive a small commission that helps keep the lights on. You don’t pay anything more.

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  • Treat every gun as loaded
  • Point the muzzle in a safe direction
  • Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
  • Know your target and what’s beyond
Secure storage is mandatory. This is not a substitute for professional training. Full disclaimer
Table of Contents

How we tested: Every pick here is ranked against our testing methodology. Minimum round counts, accuracy and reliability protocols, the failures that disqualify a gun.

Review: Henry Classic Lever Action .22 (H001), the Lever Gun Most People Should Buy First

Our Rating: 8.2/10

  • MSRP: $440 (H1 Classic Rifle .22 S/L/LR, model H001-22); $470 Large Loop and Carbine; $540 in .22 Magnum
  • Street Price: $339.99 for a new H1 Classic Rifle at Brownells on October 8, 2026 (Use our live pricing for the best up to date deal)
  • Caliber: .22 Short, .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle in the same tube; .22 Magnum is a separate model
  • Action: Lever action repeater with an exposed hammer and side ejection
  • Barrel Length: 18.5 in. round blued steel (16.5 in. on the Carbine and Youth)
  • Rifling/Twist Rate: 1:16
  • Capacity: Henry’s product page lists 14 Long Rifle, 16 Long or 21 Short for the rifle; its manual and most dealers say 15 Long Rifle
  • Receiver: Black, with a 3/8 in. groove for scope rings
  • Sights: Hooded blade front, fully adjustable semi-buckhorn rear
  • Safety: Quarter-cock hammer notch; no cross-bolt or tang safety
  • Overall Length: 36.5 in. (34.5 in. Carbine, 33.5 in. Youth)
  • Weight: 5.25 lb (5 lb Carbine, 4.50 lb Youth)
  • Stock: American walnut, straight grip, 14 in. length of pull (13 in. on the Youth)

Pros

  • Slick action from the first box
  • Feeds Short, Long and Long Rifle
  • American walnut and a lifetime warranty

Cons

  • Tube loading is slow
  • No sling studs or manual safety
  • Buckhorn sights coarse past 50 yards
Henry Classic Lever Action
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$339.99
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H1 Classic .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic .22 Long Rifle 18.5'''' Bbl 15rd Black/Walnut
H1 Classic .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic .22 Long Rifle 18.5'''' Bbl 15rd Black/Walnut
Brownells BEST
$339.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic 22 S/L/LR Lever-Action Rifle
Henry H1 Classic 22 S/L/LR Lever-Action Rifle
Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore
$349.99In StockBuy Now →
HENRY H1 CLASSIC
HENRY H1 CLASSIC
Guns.com
$445.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic H001-22 Rifle .22 S/L/LR 18.5" 15rd Lever Walnut Blued
Henry H1 Classic H001-22 Rifle .22 S/L/LR 18.5" 15rd Lever Walnut Blued
Classic Firearms
$334.06In StockBuy Now →
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Quick Take

The Henry Classic Lever Action .22 is the rifle that put Henry on the map. Most people still call it the H001. Henry now calls it the H1 Classic, and it’s the same idea it has been since 1997: a walnut-stocked lever gun that eats any .22 you drop in the tube.

I shot two of them for 1,200 rounds over four sessions: a full-size 18.5 in. rifle (H001-22) for 800 rounds and a Youth model (H001Y-22) for 400. I fed them seven loads and logged three stoppages: one dud cartridge and two Shorts I short-stroked. From a sandbag at 50 yards with a 4x scope, the rifle’s best load averaged 1.1 in. for five shots.

So is it still the one to buy? For most people, yes. The action really is that slick out of the box. What you give up is fast loading, a place to hang a sling, and any safety beyond the hammer. One warning before you shop: Henry, its own manual and the dealers can’t agree on how many rounds it holds or even what it’s called. I sort that out below.

Best For: First-rifle buyers, parents teaching a new shooter one shot at a time, squirrel hunters and anyone who wants a .22 that’s more fun than a semi-auto. Not for suppressor owners, people who want to burn a brick in an hour, or buyers chasing the lowest price on the rack.

Firearm Scorecard
Reliability 1,200 rounds, three stoppages, none the rifle’s fault. 9/10
Value About $100 under list at trusted sellers. 9/10
Accuracy 1.1 in. at 50 yards with its favorite load. 7/10
Features Scope groove, yes. Sling studs and threads, no. 6/10
Ergonomics Light, balanced and easy to point. 8/10
Fit & Finish Good walnut, even bluing, plain black receiver. 8/10
OVERALL SCORE 8.2/10

H001 or H1? What the Name and the Numbers Hide

Start with the name, because it changed. In 2017 Henry’s own announcement of the one-millionth rifle called it “the model H001.” In November 2025 a Henry press release still called it “the H001 Classic Lever Action .22.” By April 2026 the same rifle was “the H1.” Today Henry’s product page is titled H1 Classic Rifle & Carbine, and the model number has grown a suffix: H001-22 for the .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle version, H001-22M for the .22 Magnum.

Dealers are split. Brownells and Palmetto State Armory use the H1 Classic name, while Guns.com still has rows titled “HENRY CLASSIC LEVER” and “HENRY H001.” It’s one rifle with two names.

The capacity is messier. I found three different answers for the same 18.5 in. rifle, and two of them come from Henry.

Source18.5 in. rifle, .22 S/L/LR16.5 in. Carbine and YouthRifle in .22 Magnum
Henry product page, October 8, 202614 LR / 16 L / 21 S12 LR / 14 L / 18 S11
Henry H001 Series manual15 LR / 21 S12 LR / 16 S12 (9 for the Magnum carbine)
Brownells listings15rd13rd12rd
Palmetto State Armory listings21rd18rd12rd

Palmetto’s “21rd” is the .22 Short count, so a buyer who expects 21 Long Rifles is going to come up at least six short. Brownells’ “13rd” for the Carbine and Youth matches neither of Henry’s figures. And the H001 manual Henry still posts gives the round-barrel rifle one more Long Rifle than the product page does. I loaded 14 at a time, the number on Henry’s current page.

Barrel length gets the same treatment. Henry’s page says 18.5 in. and 16.5 in., the manual gives the carbine 16 1/8 in., and some dealer listings still read 18.25 in.

The price ladder is simpler. I went through every spec table on the ten Henry pages that carry the H1 name on a rifle or the smoothbore Garden Gun: 32 model numbers, listed from $440 to $780. Three patterns hold:

  • The .22 Magnum costs exactly $100 more. Every one of the 15 pairs I checked is $100 apart, from the Classic ($440 and $540) to the Tracker Carbine ($680 and $780). You also lose rounds: 14 Long Rifles become 11 Magnums in the rifle.
  • The big loop costs $30, and the Carbine doesn’t come without it. The Large Loop rifle (H001L-22) lists at $470 against $440. The Classic Carbine (H001R-22) is also $470, and Henry lists the large loop lever as standard on it.
  • The Youth costs the same as the full-size rifle. Both list at $440, and on October 8, 2026 both headlined at the same price on our cards.

One more thing from Henry’s own paperwork. The April 2026 press release says the new H1 X Model, “weighing just 5 pounds,” is “Henry’s lightest rimfire lever action.” The Youth model’s spec table says 4.50 lb, and the manual lists the Youth at 6 lb. Ours weighed 4 lb 9 oz on a postal scale, so the spec table has it right.

Design Intent: Why Henry Built It This Way

Anthony Imperato showed the prototype at the 1996 SHOT Show “on top of an 8-foot folding table.” The first rifles shipped in March 1997 from a factory in Brooklyn under the motto “Made in America and Priced Right.” Twenty years later Henry built the one-millionth, and said more than two million H001 series rifles had sold once you count the youth, carbine, octagon and magnum versions.

The brief hasn’t changed: a lever gun a working family can afford, with real walnut and a smooth action. The current page says first-time shooters “can hardly believe there are internal parts at work.” That’s ad copy, but it’s close to how the rifle feels.

The compromises are where Henry saved the money. The receiver is a plain black cover held on by four screws, with no engraving and no brass. There’s no checkering and no sling studs, and the safety is the hammer itself. The Henry Golden Boy is the same family with a brass-colored receiver and an octagon barrel, and it lists at $670 for that reason.

Where it’s built has moved twice. Production went from Brooklyn to Bayonne, New Jersey in 2008. In March 2025 Henry said it was moving all manufacturing to Wisconsin, and the product page now says the H1 Classic is “Built in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.” The manual on Henry’s site still prints the Bayonne address, so use the contact page if you need service.

Henry Classic Lever Action Variants

The Classic comes as a rifle, a Large Loop rifle, a Carbine and a Youth model, each in .22 S/L/LR or .22 Magnum. All figures below are from Henry’s spec tables.

H1 Classic Rifle (H001-22): 18.5 in. round barrel, 36.5 in. overall, 5.25 lb, 14 LR / 16 L / 21 S $440 list

H1 Classic Rifle Large Loop (H001L-22): the same rifle with a large loop lever $470 list

H1 Classic Carbine (H001R-22): 16.5 in. barrel, 34.5 in. overall, 5 lb, 12 LR / 14 L / 18 S, large loop standard $470 list

H1 Classic Youth (H001Y-22): 16.5 in. barrel, 33.5 in. overall, 4.50 lb, 13 in. pull, fiber optic sights $440 list

H1 Classic Rifle .22 Magnum (H001-22M): 18.5 in. barrel, 5.25 lb, 11 rounds $540 list

H1 Frontier Rifle (H001T-22): 20 in. octagon barrel, 38 in. overall, 6.50 lb, 16 LR / 18 L / 23 S, brass bead $570 list

Henry Classic Youth, H001Y (from $339.99)

The Youth isn’t a toy version. Henry’s Youth page lists a 13 in. length of pull, an inch shorter than the rifle, with a 16.5 in. barrel and 33.5 in. overall. It’s three quarters of a pound lighter, and it swaps the buckhorn and hooded blade for fiber optic sights front and rear. They’re the better sights, and I wish the full-size rifle had them.

Our 400 rounds through the Youth went without a stoppage. The short stock fit a ten-year-old and a small-framed adult; at six feet I found it cramped. On October 8, 2026 the card below started at $339.99 at Brownells, the same as the full-size rifle.

Henry H1 Classic Youth (H001Y)
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$339.99
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H1 Classic Youth Model .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic Youth Model .22lr 16.5''''bbl 13rd Black/Walnut
H1 Classic Youth Model .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic Youth Model .22lr 16.5''''bbl 13rd Black/Walnut
Brownells BEST
$339.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic Youth .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 18rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001Y-22
Henry H1 Classic Youth .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 18rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001Y-22
Palmetto State Armory
$352.99In StockBuy Now →
HENRY H001Y22     CLASSIC YOUTH MODEL .22 S/L/LR
HENRY H001Y22 CLASSIC YOUTH MODEL .22 S/L/LR
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Henry H1 Classic Youth H001Y-22 Rifle .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 13Rd Lever Youth Grooved
Henry H1 Classic Youth H001Y-22 Rifle .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 13Rd Lever Youth Grooved
Classic Firearms
$338.88In StockBuy Now →
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Henry Classic Carbine, H001R (from $359.99)

Two inches off the barrel, a quarter pound off the weight and a large loop lever as standard. Henry lists it at 34.5 in. and 5 lb, with a tube that holds 12 Long Rifles. The manual says the big loop “is perfect for individuals with larger hands or when wearing gloves in cold weather.” The card started at $359.99, $20 over the rifle, for a shorter sight radius and two fewer rounds.

Henry H1 Classic Carbine (H001R)
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$359.99
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H1 Classic Large Loop .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Carbine - H1 Classic Large Loop .22 Lr 16.5'''' Bbl Thrd 13rd Blk/Walnut
H1 Classic Large Loop .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Carbine - H1 Classic Large Loop .22 Lr 16.5'''' Bbl Thrd 13rd Blk/Walnut
Brownells BEST
$359.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic Carbine .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 18rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001R-22
Henry H1 Classic Carbine .22 S/L/LR 16.5" 18rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001R-22
Palmetto State Armory
$368.99In StockBuy Now →
HENRY CLASSIC CARBINE
HENRY CLASSIC CARBINE
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HENRY H001R22     CLASSIC CARBINE .22 S/L/LR
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$335.68In StockBuy Now →
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Henry Classic in .22 Magnum, H001-22M (from $419.99)

Same rifle, different cartridge. The Magnum lists at $540, holds 11 rounds and can’t fire .22 Long Rifle. The manual warns in capital letters that the two cartridges don’t interchange in either direction. On our card it started at $419.99, so the street gap to the .22 is $80, a little under the $100 at list. Our .22 LR vs .22 WMR comparison has the ballistics, and the best .22 WMR rifles list ranks this one against the bolt guns.

Henry H1 Classic .22 Magnum (H001-22M)
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H1 Classic .22 Wmr Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic .22 Wmr 18.5'''' Bbl 12rd Black/Walnut
H1 Classic .22 Wmr Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Classic .22 Wmr 18.5'''' Bbl 12rd Black/Walnut
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Henry H1 Classic 22 WMR Lever-Action Rifle
Henry H1 Classic 22 WMR Lever-Action Rifle
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$419.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic .22 WMR 18.5" 12rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001-22M
Henry H1 Classic .22 WMR 18.5" 12rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001-22M
Palmetto State Armory
$432.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Classic Lever Action Rifle 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) 18.5" Blued Barrel Blued Frame Walnut Straight Grip Stock
Henry H1 Classic Lever Action Rifle 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) 18.5" Blued Barrel Blued Frame Walnut Straight Grip Stock
Midway USA
$499.00In StockBuy Now →
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Henry Frontier, H001T (from $439.99)

The Frontier is the Classic with a 20 in. octagon barrel, a brass bead front sight and a diamond-insert buckhorn. It weighs 6.50 lb, a pound and a quarter more than the round-barrel rifle, and the longer tube holds 16 Long Rifles. It’s also the only H1 that comes in .17 HMR with iron sights, at $670 list. The .22 started at $439.99 on our card, $100 over the Classic. The peep-sighted version is in our best small game rifles roundup as the H1 Tracker.

Henry H1 Frontier .22 (H001T)
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$439.99
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H1 Frontier .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Frontier .22 Long Rifle 20'''' Bbl 16rd Black/Walnut
H1 Frontier .22 Long Rifle Lever Action Rifle - H1 Frontier .22 Long Rifle 20'''' Bbl 16rd Black/Walnut
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$439.99In StockBuy Now →
HENRY H001T22 FRONTIER
HENRY H001T22 FRONTIER
Guns.com
$445.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Frontier .22 S/L/LR 20" 23rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001T-22
Henry H1 Frontier .22 S/L/LR 20" 23rd Lever Action Rifle, Walnut - H001T-22
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$447.99In StockBuy Now →
Henry H1 Frontier 22 S/L/LR Lever-Action Rifle
Henry H1 Frontier 22 S/L/LR Lever-Action Rifle
Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore
$449.99In StockBuy Now →
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The 2026 additions are for specific jobs. The H1 Western ($515) adds a checkered pistol grip stock. The H1 Sporter ($635) and the 13 in. pull H1 Bandit ($590) drop the iron sights for a Picatinny rail and a 1/2×28 threaded barrel. The H1 X Model ($590) is the black synthetic one, also threaded. And the cut-down handgun on this action has its own page: our Henry Mare’s Leg review.

Left side of a Henry H001 Classic lever action .22 rifle lying on a red and black plaid wool blanket beside a green steel thermos

Competitor Comparison

Only a handful of new lever-action .22s are on sale, and two of them undercut the Henry. Our best .22 LR rifles list covers the bolt guns and semi-autos if you aren’t set on a lever.

Rossi Rio Bravo (from $301.99)

The price fighter. Rossi lists the wood-stocked Rio Bravo (RL22181WD) at $432.99 with an 18 in. barrel, 15 rounds, 35.9 in. overall and 82.70 oz, which works out to 5.17 lb. Rossi says it’s “based on the company’s popular line of R92 lever-action firearms.” It also has a cross-bolt safety, which the Henry doesn’t, and an aluminum alloy frame. On October 8, 2026 our card started at $301.99 at Guns.com, $38 under the Henry.

It’s Long Rifle only, where the Henry also runs Short and Long, and Rossi’s spec sheet says “Wood” where Henry’s says American walnut. If the $38 matters, buy the Rossi.

Rossi Rio Bravo .22 LR
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ROSSI RIO BRAVO
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Rossi RL22181WD Rio Bravo  22 LR 15+1 18 German Beechwood. Polished Black Right Hand
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Battlehawk Armory
$317.69In StockBuy Now →
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Chiappa LA322 Takedown (from $332.99)

The one that comes apart. Dealers list the LA322 as a takedown with an 18.5 in. barrel and 15+1 rounds, and the card started at $332.99 at Guns.com, $7 under the Henry. If a rifle that splits in two for a pack or a boat is the point, this is the cheap way in. Henry’s own packable .22 is a semi-auto, covered in our Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 review.

Chiappa LA322 Takedown
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CHIAPPA FIREARMS LA322 TAKEDOWN
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Chiappa LA322 Takedown 22 LR Lever-Action Rifle with Matte Black Barrel and Wood Stock
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Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore
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Chiappa Firearms 920383 LA322 Standard Takedown 22 LR 15+1 18.50" Blued Walnut Fixed English Style Stock Right Hand
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Chiappa Firearms 920414 LA322 Carbine Takedown 22 LR 15+1 18.50 Wood Blued Right Hand
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Browning BL-22 Grade I (from $738.99)

The expensive one. The BL-22 has a steel receiver, a short 33 degree lever throw and a finish from a higher price class. It also costs more than twice as much: $738.99 on our card against $339.99. Our Browning BL-22 review has the full story. The Browning feels like a finer object. It doesn’t shoot twice as well.

Browning BL-22 Grade I
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BROWNING BL-22 GRADE I
BROWNING BL-22 GRADE I
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Browning BL-22 Grade I 22LR Lever-Action Rifle
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Browning 024100103 BL-22 Grade I 22 LR 15+1 20 Gloss Black Walnut Polished Blued Right Hand
Browning 024100103 BL-22 Grade I 22 LR 15+1 20 Gloss Black Walnut Polished Blued Right Hand
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Henry Golden Boy (from $513.99)

Henry’s own step up. The Golden Boy (H004) lists at $670 with a Brasslite receiver, a brass buttplate, a 20 in. octagon barrel and 6.75 lb of weight. It holds 16 Long Rifles, and its receiver is drilled and tapped where the Classic’s is grooved. The card started at $513.99, $174 over the Classic. You’re paying for looks and a heavier barrel.

Henry Golden Boy
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$513.99
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Golden Boy 22 S/L/Lr Lever Action Rifle - Golden Boy 22 Lr 20'''' Bbl 16 Round Wood
Golden Boy 22 S/L/Lr Lever Action Rifle - Golden Boy 22 Lr 20'''' Bbl 16 Round Wood
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Henry Golden Boy Lever Action Rifle 22 Long Rifle 20" Blued Barrel Brass Frame Walnut Straight Grip Stock
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Henry H004 Golden Boy Lever Action 22 Short,Long,LR 16 LR/21 Short 20" Brasslite American Walnut Right Hand
Henry H004 Golden Boy Lever Action 22 Short,Long,LR 16 LR/21 Short 20" Brasslite American Walnut Right Hand
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HENRY Goldenboy Lever Action 22LR 20" 16rd Rifle - Walnut / Blued
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Ruger 10/22 Carbine (from $299.99)

Not a lever gun, but it’s what most people cross-shop. Ruger lists its standard 10/22 (model 32009) at $359 with an 18.5 in. barrel, 4.9 lb and a 10-round rotary magazine. The card started at $299.99 at Sportsman’s Warehouse, and our Ruger 10/22 review goes deep. Pick the Ruger for volume. Pick the Henry if you want to slow down, or you’re teaching someone who should.

Ruger 10/22 Carbine
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Ruger 10/22 Carbine 22 Long Rifle Satin Black Semi Automatic Rifle - 18.5in
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Ruger 10/22 Carbine Semi Automatic Rifle 22 Long Rifle 18.5" Blued Threaded Barrel Black Frame Black Field Stock
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Ruger 10/22 Carbine Semi-Automatic .22 LR Rifle, 18.5" Barrel, 1:16 Twist, 10+1 Capacity, Black Polymer Stock, Cross Bolt Safety - 31210
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Ruger 10/22 Carbine 22LR 18.5" 10rd BX-Trigger MLOK Black 32033
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Verdict: The Rossi and the Chiappa are cheaper, by $38 and $7. The Browning and the Golden Boy are prettier. The Henry Classic sits in the middle with walnut, three cartridge lengths and a lifetime warranty. If you want an all-steel classic instead, that’s a used-market job, and our Marlin 39A buyer’s guide covers it.


Testing Protocol

Two rifles, 1,200 rounds, four sessions between September 19 and October 4, 2026 at an outdoor range. Temperatures ran from 54°F on the first morning to 83°F on the warmest afternoon. I shot groups from a sandbag at 25 yards with the iron sights and at 50 yards with a 4x rimfire scope in 3/8 in. dovetail rings. Everything else was offhand at steel plates and tin cans.

Ammunition Log

  • H001-22 rifle, 800 rounds: CCI Target Mini-Mag 40 gr (250), Federal Champion Training 40 gr (200), CCI Standard Velocity 40 gr (150), CCI .22 Short 29 gr (100), CCI .22 Long 29 gr (50), CCI Stinger 32 gr (50)
  • H001Y-22 Youth, 400 rounds: Federal Champion Training 40 gr (200), CCI Target Mini-Mag 40 gr (100), CCI Standard Velocity 40 gr (50), CCI Quiet-22 40 gr (50)

Phase 1: Break-In

The manual says to clean the rifle before the first shot, because it ships with preservative in the bore. I ran a pull-through and two patches through each barrel and put a drop of oil on each bolt. Then I shot 100 rounds of Federal Champion through each rifle without stopping to clean. Neither action needed breaking in. The rifle’s trigger broke at 3 lb 14 oz, the average of ten pulls on a gauge. The Youth’s averaged 4 lb 3 oz.

Phase 2: Reliability

The rifle fired 800 rounds with three stoppages. The first was a Federal round that didn’t go off at round 212. The firing pin mark on the rim was as deep as the marks on the fired cases around it, so I’m calling that the cartridge. The other two were CCI Shorts, both in the first tube of Shorts, both when I worked the lever slowly. The short cartridge tipped on the carrier and stopped against the chamber mouth. I opened the lever, rolled the rifle port-down the way the manual says to, and the round fell out. Once I ran the lever like I meant it, the rest of the 100 Shorts fed.

The Youth fired all 400 rounds. That includes 50 of CCI’s Quiet-22, a 40 grain Long Rifle load at 710 fps. In a lever gun the cartridge doesn’t have to cycle anything. I cleaned both after the second session, at roughly 600 rounds combined, and again at the end.

Phase 3: Accuracy

With iron sights at 25 yards the rifle averaged 0.8 in. for five shots with CCI Standard Velocity. The best group measured 0.6 in. Target Mini-Mag averaged 0.9 in. and Federal Champion 1.0 in. The short stuff opened up: 1.3 in. for Shorts, 1.4 in. for Longs and 1.5 in. for Stingers. Shorts also printed about an inch lower than Mini-Mags at that distance.

At 50 yards with the scope, Standard Velocity averaged 1.1 in. with a best of 0.9 in. Mini-Mag ran 1.4 in., Federal 1.7 in. and Stinger 2.2 in. That’s squirrel-head accuracy with the right load and a rest. The Youth’s fiber optic sights gave me 0.9 in. with Standard Velocity and 1.0 in. with Mini-Mag at 25 yards.

Tracking & Observations

After 800 rounds the rifle’s bore cleaned up in four patches, and I found no peening on the chamber edge. One of the four receiver cover screws had backed out about a quarter turn by the time I checked at round 500, so I snugged it and checked again at the end. It had stayed put.

The out-of-the-box zero was 1.5 in. left at 25 yards. The rear sight drifts in its dovetail, so I tapped it right with a brass punch and it has stayed there since. Elevation is a stepped elevator under the sight, and Mini-Mags wanted one step up to go from 25 to 50 yards.

What This Means for You

  • Upgrade Impact: It needs nothing to work. A scope or a peep sight helps past 50 yards.
  • Reliability: Run the lever briskly, especially with Shorts, and it feeds everything.
  • Ammo Preference: Standard-velocity 40 grain loads grouped best in both rifles.
  • Maintenance: Clean it from the breech with a pull-through, and check the cover screws now and then.
  • Accuracy Expectation: About an inch at 25 yards with irons, a little over an inch at 50 with a scope.
Close-up of a Henry H001L Large Loop receiver showing the black grooved receiver cover, the semi-buckhorn rear sight and the .22 S/L/LR barrel stamp, Henry photo

Performance Testing Results

Reliability (9/10)

Three stoppages in 1,200 rounds, and I can’t pin any of them on the rifle. One was a dead cartridge and two were mine. A manual action doesn’t care how much powder is in the case, which is why this action ran 710 fps Quiet-22 in one rifle and 1,640 fps Stingers in the other. I held back a point because Shorts ask for a firm hand on the lever.

Accuracy (7/10)

It’s accurate enough for the job and no more. An inch at 50 yards with Standard Velocity is fine for squirrels and cans. The limit is the sights: the buckhorn’s notch is wide, and the hooded blade covers a lot of target at 50 yards. With the scope the groups shrank by about a third.

Ergonomics & Recoil (8/10)

At 5.25 lb with the weight between your hands, the rifle points well, and recoil doesn’t exist. The straight stock has a low comb that lines your eye up with the iron sights, and that same comb is too low for a scope, so you end up with your chin on the wood. The standard loop is tight in winter gloves. That’s what the Large Loop is for.

Fit, Finish, and Quality Control (8/10)

The walnut on both rifles was straight-grained, evenly stained and fitted to the metal without gaps. The barrel bluing was even. The receiver cover is the plain part: a flat black finish that looks fine and marks up faster than the blued steel next to it. The one screw that walked is the only thing I’d flag.

Value (9/10)

Henry asks $440 and trusted sellers ask about $100 less. At $339.99 it’s $38 more than a Rossi Rio Bravo and less than half the price of a Browning BL-22. It isn’t a ten because two lever .22s do cost less.

Features (6/10)

A grooved receiver, adjustable sights and three cartridge lengths. There are no sling studs, no threads on the muzzle, no rail and no manual safety. Henry sells threads and rails on other H1 models, and you pay $150 to $195 more at list to get them.

Technical Deep Dive

Action and Safety

Swing the lever down and the bolt slides back, the spent case flips out the right side and the carrier lifts the next round. Close it and the hammer stays at full cock. The only safety is the quarter-cock notch. From the fired position you pull the hammer back “about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch,” in the manual’s words, until it clicks, and in that notch the trigger won’t drop it.

Getting there from full cock means holding the hammer with your thumb, pressing the trigger just enough to release it, taking your finger off and lowering the hammer to the notch. The manual tells you to practice that on an empty rifle, and a new shooter should do it with an adult watching.

Tube Magazine and Loading

The magazine is a tube under the barrel with an inner tube that twists and pulls out from the muzzle end. Pull it until the follower clears the loading port, drop the cartridges in rim first and let them slide toward the action, then push the inner tube home and twist it to lock. The follower is orange on the .22 and black on the Magnum and .17 HMR.

The manual’s warnings matter here. Don’t load with the muzzle pointed straight up, because the bullets can be pushed back into their cases. Don’t let the follower slam down on a full tube. The manual also says not to dry fire, because a rimfire firing pin can peen the edge of the chamber, and not to use CB or BB caps.

Barrel, Sights and Scope Mounting

The barrel is round blued steel with a 1:16 twist, the standard rate for .22 Long Rifle. The rear sight is a semi-buckhorn with a stepped elevator, and the front is a blade under a hood. The top of the receiver cover has a 3/8 in. groove, and Henry’s table says to use ring mounts made for that groove. A 4x with a 32 mm objective cleared the rear sight in low rings on ours. Our guide to sighting in a rifle scope covers zeroing.

ComponentSpecificationWhy It Matters
Barrel18.5 in. round blued steel, 1:16 twistLight and quick to point; full velocity from standard loads
MagazineTube with removable inner tubeMixes Short, Long and Long Rifle; slow to refill
ReceiverBlack cover, 3/8 in. grooveTakes rimfire rings with no base; finish marks easily
SightsHooded blade and adjustable semi-buckhornFine to 50 yards; coarse beyond
SafetyQuarter-cock hammer notchNothing to forget, but it must be learned
StockAmerican walnut, 14 in. pullFits adults; the Youth cuts an inch off

Short, Long or Long Rifle: What to Feed It

This rifle doesn’t care about cartridge length. Here’s what I ran, with each maker’s published muzzle velocity.

LoadBulletMaker’s velocityHow it ran
CCI Standard Velocity (.22 LR)40 gr lead round nose1,070 fpsBest groups in both rifles
CCI Target Mini-Mag (.22 LR)40 gr copper-plated round nose1,235 fpsClose second; my pick for hunting
Federal Champion Training (.22 LR)40 gr lead round nose1,200 fpsOne dud in 400; fine for cans
CCI Stinger (.22 LR)32 gr copper-plated hollow point1,640 fpsFed fine; widest groups
CCI Quiet-22 (.22 LR)40 gr lead round nose710 fpsFed and fired; very little noise
CCI .22 Long29 gr copper-plated round nose1,215 fpsFed fine; no reason to buy it over LR
CCI .22 Short29 gr copper-plated round nose1,080 fpsNeeds a brisk lever stroke

Velocities are from CCI’s and Federal’s product pages. For a first box, buy standard-velocity 40 grain Long Rifle. It’s quiet, it’s cheap and it’s what this rifle shot best. Shorts are fun and they stretch the tube to 21 rounds, but they print lower and they need a firmer hand on the lever. Our best .22 LR ammo guide covers the wider choice.

Buying Tips: New, Used and Which Model

Buy new unless the used one is a real bargain. On October 8, 2026, used H001 rifles at Guns.com started at $309.99, $30 under a new one at Brownells. For $30 you take on someone else’s wear and their cleaning habits. I’d buy new.

Shop the same rifle at more than one store. The new H1 Classic Rifle was $339.99 at Brownells, $369.99 at Sportsman’s Warehouse and $401.99 at Palmetto State Armory on the same day, a $62 spread on one model number. Check each listing for the barrel length, because several dealers title every version “H1 Classic.”

Skip the 25th Anniversary edition unless you collect. It’s a commemorative Classic that dealers had at $880 to $931, well over double the plain rifle. And if this is a first rifle for a child, buy the Youth for the 13 in. stock. Our youth hunting guide has more on fitting a rifle to a kid.

Parts, Accessories and Upgrades

It doesn’t need much. These are the four things I’d add, in order.

Upgrade CategoryRecommended ComponentWhy It MattersCost Estimate
Optic4x rimfire scope in 3/8 in. dovetail ringsCuts group size by about a third at 50 yards$60 – $150
SlingLace-on or barrel-band sling that needs no studsThe Classic has no swivel studs$30 – $70
Cheek restLace-on leather comb riserLifts your eye to scope height$25 – $60
Cleaning.22 pull-through bore cleanerCleans from the breech, as the manual asks$10 – $20

Our scope rings and mounts guide and best gun cleaning kits list cover the first and last rows.

Common Problems & Solutions

  • Shorts stop on the way into the chamber: Work the lever all the way down and back in one quick stroke. If a round tips, open the lever and roll the rifle so the ejection port faces the ground. Don’t force the lever shut.
  • The inner magazine tube pops forward: It wasn’t locked. Push it fully home and twist until it locks. It’s under spring pressure when the tube is full.
  • Receiver cover screws work loose: One of ours did by round 500. Check all four with a properly fitting screwdriver every few hundred rounds and snug them, no more.
  • Shots land left or right out of the box: The rear sight drifts in its dovetail. Tap it in the direction you want the group to move, using a brass punch or a plastic mallet. Ours needed about a sixteenth of an inch.

Who Should NOT Buy This Gun

  • Buyers who want the lowest price: The Rossi Rio Bravo started at $301.99 on our card, $38 under the Henry, and it has a cross-bolt safety.
  • High-volume plinkers: Refilling a tube 14 rounds at a time gets old by the third box. A Ruger 10/22 Carbine with spare magazines started at $299.99.
  • Suppressor owners: The Classic’s barrel isn’t threaded. Henry’s H1 X Model, H1 Sporter and H1 Bandit all come threaded 1/2×28.
  • Buyers who want an heirloom on the wall: The Henry Golden Boy from $513.99 or the Browning BL-22 Grade I from $738.99 has the brass or the polish the Classic lacks.
  • Hunters who need reach past 75 yards: Buy the .22 Magnum version of this rifle, or a Henry Frontier in .17 HMR. Our best .17 HMR rifles list has more.

Final Verdict

The Henry Classic Lever Action .22 has been the default answer for almost thirty years, and after 1,200 rounds I don’t see a reason to change it. The action is as smooth as people say. It fed seven loads across three cartridge lengths with three stoppages, none of them its fault. The walnut is real, and the street price is about $100 under what Henry prints.

It isn’t the cheapest lever .22 or the most accurate .22. Loading is slow, the sights are coarse, and you’ll have to solve the sling problem yourself.

For a first rifle or a teaching rifle, buy the plain one. Buy the Youth for a kid, the Large Loop if you shoot in gloves, and the Magnum only if you know why you need it. For the rest of the field, see our best lever action rifles.

Final Score: 8.2/10. The lever-action .22 everything else is measured against, at a price that still makes sense.

FAQ: Henry Classic Lever Action .22 (H001)

Is the Henry H001 the same rifle as the Henry H1 Classic?

Yes. Henry renamed the H001 Classic Lever Action .22 the H1 Classic Rifle. The model number is now H001-22 for .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle and H001-22M for .22 Magnum. Dealers use both names for the same rifle.

How many rounds does the Henry Classic Lever Action .22 hold?

Henry's product page lists 14 Long Rifle, 16 Long or 21 Short for the 18.5 in. rifle and 12, 14 or 18 for the Carbine and Youth. Henry's H001 manual says 15 Long Rifle or 21 Short for the round-barrel rifle, and some dealers print the 21 round Short figure as the capacity.

Can the Henry H001 shoot .22 Short and .22 Long?

Yes. The .22 S/L/LR models feed all three from the same tube. In our test 100 CCI Shorts and 50 CCI Longs went through the rifle, with two stoppages on Shorts when the lever was worked slowly. The .22 Magnum model is a separate rifle and takes only .22 WMR.

Does the Henry Classic Lever Action have a safety?

It has a quarter-cock hammer notch and no cross-bolt or tang safety. Pull the hammer back about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch until it clicks and the trigger will not drop it. Henry's manual tells owners to practice lowering the hammer on an unloaded rifle.

Can you put a scope on a Henry H001?

Yes. The receiver cover has a 3/8 in. groove that takes rimfire dovetail rings with no base. A 4x scope with a 32 mm objective cleared the rear sight in low rings on our rifle. The straight stock has a low comb, so a lace-on cheek riser helps.

How much does a Henry Classic Lever Action .22 cost?

Henry lists the H1 Classic Rifle at $440, the Large Loop and Carbine at $470 and the .22 Magnum at $540. On October 8, 2026, our card started at $339.99 for a new rifle at Brownells.

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