Well... as a dealer I have owned several of the Henrys and I have shot them (after customers purchased them -- I made it a point to shoot at least one of EVERY model that went out the door, not a lot of fun with the .460 Weatherby!). I have examined them and also dissassembled them and fixed/adjusted them. I have also examined, shot, and owned the earlier Erma version. So, I believe I have some validity for my claims, rather than just being an armchair pontificator... but since I haven't owned a Henry for years I will accept that label also!
Please don't take my preference of the 9422 over the Henry as personal criticism because it wasn't meant that way. Instead, understand that I love quality firearms and I want quality manufacturers to succeed, and I also want individuals to understand that quality doesn't cost, it pays. I've sold Henrys... some customers liked them and some customers came back and got a different rifle. I've never had a BL-22, 39, or 9422 come back in trade (I'm sure they do, but I've never had it happen) and all of my customers who bought these rifles have been extremely happy with them.
The Henrys certainly work, and most people who buy them understand what they're getting and the tradeoff involved and therefore must feel that the rifle is where they want it to be on the cost/quality scale. That doesn't make them, or the Henry, good or bad, right or wrong.
In the gun world, there are Hyundais, Hondas, and Mercedes. All three will get you where you want to go when they're new. As you spend more money, you get more features, more quality, and more longevity. If you're only going to drive to church on Sundays and keep it in a garage, you will get great service from a Hyundai. If you are going to commute 60 miles to work every day you will get great service from a Honda. If you plan to keep the car for a decade or more and will put 20,000 miles a year on it, then get the Mercedes.
Similarly, if you plan to go out and shoot a box of ammo a month through your .22, then just about any gun will work and hold up. If you plan to shoot a brick a month and keep the gun for a while then you want a gun with better innards. If you plan to shoot a brick a week, then you want a quality gun made from modern heat-treated steel and it will last for decades at this level.
Comparing the Henry to the 10/22 isn't fair... to the Henry. The Ruger is, in my opinion, a far better gun at a lower price, because levers are more complicated to build than blowback semiautos. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and the 9422 doesn't cost more because USRAC is greedy... it costs more because it costs more to manufacture (probably not as much more as the price spread indicates, but I bet the manufacturer margins are higher on the Henry than on the 9422 -- and there's nothing wrong with that).
Re the Stevens, the actions that are popular are not the Favorite/Crackshot, but instead the 44 1/2 action... made from much better material and a far stronger design. The newer 'repro' Favorites made by Savage and others (Varner) since the 1970s are made from modern steel rather than cast iron and do hold up to usage and shooting, unlike the earlier models which are basically relegated to wall hanger status. I think a better comparison might be between the Stevens 44 and the original Winchester Low Wall. The two rifles were similar in cost but the Winchester was a better design and made with better materials... and today an original Low Wall will still be a strong tight action unlike the original Stevens 44 (that's why they came out with the 44 1/2).
It's not about cost... I am not a dollar snob. One of my favorite models is the Winchester 67... certainly not a high-dollar deluxe .22. But they shoot well, hold up well, and are made cleverly and inexpensively rather than cheaply. Considering that you can usually pick one up in excellent condition for under $100 I think they're a real bargain. I have two of 'em at this time, have refinished the stocks using Tru-Oil and touched up the bluing using BC Cold Blue, and that's it... and they work and shoot as well as they did when the left New Haven fifty years and lots of bricks of ammo ago. I often grab one and a brick of ammo when I just want to go up into the woods and shoot, because there's something theraputic about loading/shooting/unloading the 67... and that long sight radius is easy on my eyes.
My point about the Henry is not to attack Henry owners. Instead it's that I personally would rather pay less and get more (10/22, Taurus pump, CZ 452 Military) or pay more and get more (9422, 39, BL-22). But guns are like girls, I guess, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If you are happy with your Henry, then more power to you. I wish you only the best... and sincerely hope that you and I both live long enough and get to shoot often enough to wear out all of our rifles.
