Henry Long Ranger
The Henry Long Ranger is the rifle that answers the question serious lever-action fans have asked for decades: what if a lever gun was chambered for modern centerfire rifle cartridges and built for accuracy at distance? Available in .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and 6.5 Creedmoor, the Long Ranger uses a side-ejecting action that allows easy scope mounting, a detachable box magazine for faster reloads, and a free-floated barrel for the accuracy potential those cartridges are capable of. It is the bridge between the classic lever-action experience and modern precision rifle performance.
Read our full Henry Long Ranger Buying Guide ↓
Long Ranger vs. Standard Henry Lever Actions: What’s Different
Standard Henry lever actions use tubular magazines loaded from the muzzle and are primarily chambered for pistol-caliber and traditional rifle cartridges like .30-30 and .45-70. The Long Ranger departs from this in three key ways: it uses a detachable box magazine that accepts pointed spitzer bullets, it ejects from the side rather than the top allowing low-profile scope mounting without a scout or offset setup, and it is chambered for modern rifle cartridges with higher pressure and flatter trajectories. The result is a fundamentally different rifle that shares the lever-action manual of arms but is purpose-built for accuracy at 200–400 yards.
Caliber Selection: Which Long Ranger for Your Purpose
The .223 Remington Long Ranger is the varmint and predator hunting configuration—lightweight, low recoil, and accurate. The .243 Winchester bridges varmint and deer hunting with a cartridge appropriate for both. The .308 Winchester is the most versatile deer and big game option with the widest ammunition availability and the most proven hunting track record. The 6.5 Creedmoor offers the best long-range ballistics of the four—higher BC bullets, less wind drift, and competitive accuracy with purpose-built bolt-action rifles at 300–500 yards. For deer hunters who shoot to 300 yards, .308 is the practical choice; for longer shots or hunters who want the best ballistics, 6.5 Creedmoor is compelling.
Side Ejection and Scope Mounting
Traditional Henry and most other lever-action designs eject spent cases from the top of the receiver, which prevents mounting a standard scope directly above the bore. The Long Ranger ejects from the side, allowing a conventional scope to be mounted in a standard, low-profile position directly over the bore. The receiver is drilled and tapped for standard scope bases, and Henry includes scope mounts on some configurations. For hunters who want to run a quality variable-power scope at magnifications appropriate for 200–400 yard shooting, the side-ejection design is what makes the Long Ranger viable as a precision hunting rifle in a way that top-ejecting lever guns simply are not.
Long Ranger Express: The Upgraded Variant
The Henry Long Ranger Express is the premium configuration of the Long Ranger family, featuring an upgraded American walnut stock with a checkered grip and forearm, an improved barrel profile, and refined fit and finish throughout. The Express carries the same action and accuracy potential as the standard Long Ranger but with a higher-quality exterior presentation appropriate for a dedicated hunting rifle. For buyers who want a Long Ranger as a lifetime hunting rifle, the Express is worth the price premium. For buyers who prioritize function over presentation, the standard Long Ranger delivers the same accuracy at lower cost.
Related Pages
Browse the full Henry firearms lineup, see the magazine-fed precision variant on the Henry SPD Predator page, or explore all lever-action rifles.