Henry X Model

X Model vs. Standard Henry Lever Actions: What Changes

The Henry X Model uses the same action as the corresponding standard Henry lever-action—the same reliability, same loading system, same mechanical design. What changes is everything around the action: the synthetic stock replaces American walnut, the Picatinny rail replaces the standard sight system, the matte black finish replaces blued or case-hardened, and the threaded barrel replaces the standard muzzle crown. For buyers who want Henry’s proven lever-action reliability in a rifle they can take into the rain without worrying about the stock or mount a scope on without drilling and tapping, the X Model is the answer.

Caliber Options: Matching the X Model to Your Use Case

The .45-70 Government X Model is the big-bore option—appropriate for large game hunting and the maximum stopping power available in a lever-action platform. The .357 Magnum X Model accepts both .357 Magnum and .38 Special, providing a rifle that shares ammunition with many revolvers and offers low recoil for practice. The .44 Magnum X Model similarly accepts .44 Special for reduced-power use. The .45 Colt X Model is popular among single-action revolver enthusiasts who want a rifle-caliber companion. For buyers who own a revolver in one of the pistol calibers, a matching-caliber X Model creates a practical two-gun system with shared ammunition.

Threaded Barrel and Suppressor Use

Lever-action rifles are among the best suppressor hosts available because the action type produces no gas blowback into the shooter’s face during suppressed fire and no ejected cases during the firing cycle—the lever cycling provides the only mechanical sound. The X Model’s threaded barrel accepts standard suppressors in the appropriate thread pitch for each caliber. Running a lever-action suppressed produces some of the most hearing-friendly centerfire rifle experience available, particularly in the pistol calibers where subsonic ammunition is widely available.

Picatinny Rail and Optics

The X Model’s integrated Picatinny top rail runs the length of the receiver and accepts any standard scope ring system in 1” or 30mm diameter. Unlike the top-eject design of some traditional lever guns that prevents conventional scope mounting, the Henry side-load action allows a scope in the standard center-bore position without offset mounting. For the .45-70 X Model specifically, a 1x–4x variable scope is appropriate for the cartridge’s practical range envelope of 150–200 yards. For pistol-caliber X Models, a red dot or low-power fixed scope is typically sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions: Henry X Model

What is the Henry X Model?
The Henry X Model is Henry’s tactical-aesthetic lever-action rifle, featuring a black synthetic stock, threaded barrel for suppressor or muzzle device attachment, a Picatinny rail for optics, and a side-loading gate (in addition to the traditional Henry tube loading) that allows faster individual round loading. It is available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, and .45-70 Government.

Does the Henry X Model have a side-loading gate?
Yes — the X Model includes both Henry’s traditional tube-loading system and a side loading gate, which is significant because standard Henry lever-actions load exclusively from the tube. The side gate allows loading individual rounds without removing the tube, making field reloading faster and more practical during hunting use.

Is the Henry X Model suppressor-ready?
Yes. The X Model ships with a threaded barrel (5/8x24 on most centerfire configurations) for direct thread suppressor attachment. This makes it one of the few factory lever-action rifles suppressor-ready out of the box, and a popular host for 9-inch or longer centerfire suppressors in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum.

See Also: Henry Firearms • Lever-Action Rifles • Henry Big Boy • Suppressors & NFA