Blog

Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle 300 BLK

  • January 2, 2025
  • By Jared Daub
Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle 300 BLK
Bridging the gap between the past and the future.

We got our hands on the Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle 300 BLK rifle early. We’ve been friends with some of the folks over at Henry for some time, so when they offered to send us one for testing and content creation, we said the only thing that made sense: Yes. We’ve been quiet about this rifle for a little while, but we are excited to start talking about it. The objective of this blog is to just lay out some of our first impressions with this rifle, as well as fill you all in on what we have to come with it. So without wasting any more time, let’s jump into this.

Disclosures:

We pride ourselves in being transparent. Henry sent this rifle to us to keep, for free. They also sent the sling and a picatinny rail for optic mounting. We have no contracts (except we agreed to stay quiet about the rifle until the launch day), and Henry has not paid us a penny to run or talk about this rifle. All ammunition is provided by our company as are the other accessories that Henry did not send.

A Modernized Lever Action Rifle

Henry H023 Lever Action Supreme Rifle shown with a 10 round magazine Henry H023 Lever Action Supreme Rifle shown with a 30 round magazine Henry H023 Lever Action Supreme Rifle shown with a 60 round drum magazine

I have always had a love of lever action rifles. In fact, when I was a child I wrote in to Henry to see if I could get free stickers and a catalog. They obliged, and I still have the stickers and catalogs in a box somewhere. The Henry Golden Boy’s were a dream of mine. They balanced class, beauty, and power in packages that were reminiscent of a different time. I fell in love with Henry Rifles as a child, today I own and use them regularly. The simplicity and the robust design of a lever action very comforting in the wilderness. I happily descend into the woods with any of my lever guns. There is something special to me about the legacy of a Henry Rifle.

It’s been said that a Civil War Colonel was quoted saying that a Henry Rifle Could be “loaded on Sunday and shoot all week long”. Imagine if that Colonel could see this new Lever Action Supreme Rifle. I’d imagine one of these rifles would have been looked at much like the MG42 was in WWII: Devastating, smooth, fast, and powerful.


“I have always had a love of lever action rifles. In fact, when I was a child I wrote in to Henry to see if I could get free stickers and a catalog. They obliged, and I still have the stickers and catalogs in a box somewhere.”


Tactical Lever Guns Have Been Around For Some Time

I’ve written on a few occasions of the concept of a tactical lever gun. The H023 Rifle takes this to another level. Sure, the Stock and fore grip are walnut. But don’t let that fool you. This rifle is designed to shoot smooth and fast. Further, you can swap magazines during a reload very quickly, just like more modern fighting rifles. So the question is: What is this rifle about? Is the H023 Supreme just another hunting gun? Or is it something much more important? That question is what I am so excited to start diving into. As of now, I don’t have a good answer for that. I’m wrestling with this. When I would run previous lever action rifles, I’d lean against them for defensive use. It almost ALWAYS came down to how fast I could refill the tank when the gun runs empty.

Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle 300 BLK
Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle 300 BLK

Even the side gate Henry Rifles Were fairly slow to get back into the fight. But this rifle? This changes everything. No more magazine tube, no more manually loading each shell. Standard AR15 mags, more modern small bore calibers, and more versatility.

What’s the plan, Stan?

Jared Daub with his Henry Supreme 300 BLK in full kit The Henry Supreme 300 BLK is a great handling little rifle. Jared Daub with his Henry Supreme 300 BLK in full kit. TREX Arms Chest Rig, Team Wendy helmet, and Photonis PD PRO Binos

So here is my plan: First, I am going to film a TREX Arms 50 round carbine drill with this rifle. Two years ago I filmed that same drill but with my X Model 45-70. I’ll link the video below for you to check out. I’m going to replicate this. In that X model 45-70 video, the worst downside of a lever gun was reload speed. Oh, and the recoil of that 45-70 was kind of nuts. I was hurting by the end of the day. But how will this play out with a 300 BLK lever gun? How fast will I be able to run it suppressed with subsonic ammunition? Time will tell. But that is the first video I plan to film with the crew. I want to see just how close this lever action rifle can stack up against a more modern AR15.

Do I think it will perform on the same level? Honestly, no. I’m not looking to outpace an AR15, I’m simply curious how it stacks up. Further, 300 BLK is a potent little caliber both supersonic and subsonic. This just takes the possibilities to a new level. That’s another thing to note: The H023 is available in .223 as well. Although personally, I think the 300 is the move. I am certainly biased though..

The Second Video:

For the second video of the H023 Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle, I’ll be doing a good old fashioned Keystone Carry Review. Here is an old video I did on the Henry X Model 45-70 in its stock form to give you an idea. I’m very excited to get both videos finished and posted, and I’m excited to learn more and more about this rifle.


It’s been said that a Civil War Colonel was quoted saying that a Henry Rifle Could be “loaded on Sunday and shoot all week long”.


First impressions before running it

Right out of the box this is a beautiful rifle. The action is smooth as silk, the trigger is really nice as well. I will be forthright: I have not shot it YET at the time of writing this blog. So I will not go any further into opinions, thoughts, or feedback. But those few first impressions really struck me. Frankly, after handling it the first time I simply got even more excited about hitting the range and shooting it.

This rifle also is very lightweight. I have not had a chance to get it on our scale yet, but I do plan to. It’s very easy to hold and handle. Again, making me very excited to shoot it.

Beautiful wood and blueing

The finish of the Henry H023 Supreme is amazing. No detail was spared. The Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle features a beautifully finished American Walnut Stock.

I think the beauty of this rifle is what strikes me the most. It looks amazing in my opinion. There is a balance of modern capability and timeless design. If you are into classic lever action rifles, you may view this one as blasphemy. For me, it’s a great look. I love the sleek design since there is no magazine tube, and the checkering and beautiful walnut stock just round out the package. My rifle has no imperfections, all the finishes look perfect. It’s really something to marvel at.

Other features of this rifle

The .223 version of this rifle features a 1/2″-28 thread pitch, which is common in 22 caliber weapons. For the 300 BLK, Henry opted for the 5/8″-24 thread pitch. Again, this is standard in the world of 30 caliber weapons. I also received a slick leather sling from Henry and one of their picatinny rail adapters. My Plan is to run a Vortex SPARC Solar red dot on this rifle. Additional features of this rifle are an internal hammer. Further, this rifle uses an AR15 bolt. The safety is an easily accessible switch behind the receiver and in front of the stock. It’s easy to work, but nice and firm when clicked on and off. Iron sights are standard, and the rear sight is adjustable.

Here you can see the AR15 Bolt of the Henry Supreme 300 BLK rifle. The safety is placed well and easy to access and use. The Top of the receiver is tapped for a picatinny rail for modern optics, if desired.

The front site is SUPER tall, which seems weird, but I’m sure it will be fine. I will confirm zero with the irons, but my plan is a red dot for now and eventually an LPVO.

Shown here is the threaded barrel protector and that ultra-tall front sight.
Shown here is the threaded barrel protector and that ultra-tall front sight.
More specifications that I find important

The 223 features a 1:8 twist rate, which is my preferred .223 / 5.56NATO twist. The 300 Blackout features a 1:7 twist. So I’ll be interested in testing out the accuracy between subsonic and supersonic ammunition for sure. The 223 features an 18″ barrel and the 300 BLK is 16.5″. As a 07 FFL / 02 SOT, the temptation to cut this barrel down to the shortest length possible is oh so tempting. But I will hold for now. The 300 BLK is advertised at 6.43 pounds and the 223 version is advertised at 6.65 pounds. According to Henry’s site, the trigger is fully adjustable.

I have not taken this gun apart yet, but I’ll dig deep into that at some point as well. Out of the box just dry firing the gun the trigger feels great. Henry does say in the catalog that dry firing this rifle is absolutely OK. Just always remember to VERIFY your gun is unloaded and NO ammunition is present while dry fire practicing. MSRP is set currently (at the time of writing) at $1299.00. Note: Pricing will always change and fluctuate, so see your local dealer for up-to-date pricing.

What do I expect from this rifle?

I expect it to run flawless and perform the way every other Henry I have run has performed. If it doesn’t, I’ll let you all know. I would be very disappointed if it has issues, but from what I am seeing so far in dry fire and basic handling, it feels solid. So that’s what I’m going to do: I will run this little 300 BLK hard. I’ll film exactly how it runs. Any issues will be reported back in our videos and our blogs. Hopefully it does everything I think it can do. In my mind I’m hoping that this is the perfect rifle to bridge the gap between bolt action hunting rifles and AR15’s. Something that gives the ability to fight back to some states that hate our human rights. A Rifle that bridges legacy and history with future and change.

Time will tell. For now, leave a comment and let me know any questions you have Below. Give me some feedback, let me know your thoughts and concerns. I’d love to hear what you all think so far just from what you have read. If you want to read Henry’s Blog on their site, click HERE.

Update on January 28, 2025:

Since writing this blog, I have officially been running this rifle for several weeks. During the full video on our YouTube, you will see some malfunctions. This was due to the gun being very dry after HUNDREDS of rounds suppressed, and the cold / wet weather. After cleaning and oiling it, it immediately ran flawlessly. So that was certainly an oiling issue that was quickly remedied. If you are running these rifles, I suggest you keep it well lubed. Suppressors shove dirt back into the action, so more maintenance will be needed. Just something to keep in mind.

Supersonic and subsonic ammunition

This rifle ran EVERYTHING I threw at it. 130 grain Speer, 150 grain SP, 208 Grain AMAX, and 220 grain subsonic all ran smooth as silk. This gun is a riot to shoot suppressed. Accuracy was not extensively tested, but even out at 150 landing perfect hits was a breeze. This rifle is performing exactly as I had expected, and I am very excited to continue running it on our channel and in our content. Please see the video at the top of the page to watch me run it on a snowy range day.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *