Every now and then, a gun shows up that makes you stop, set your coffee down, and say, “Wait a minute, they did what now?” That’s exactly what I did when I first heard about the Henry Lever Action Supreme. Because Henryโthe company we all know for good old-fashioned walnut-and-blued-steel cowboy gunsโwent and built a lever action rifle that feeds from AR-15 magazines. And somehow, they made it work.
Yeah. You read that right. An AR mag-fed lever action with sub-MOA accuracy and a user-adjustable trigger. If youโre a gun nut with one foot in the past and one in the future, this might just be the holy grail.
The Best of Both Worlds
Letโs start with what this rifle is, and more importantly, what it isnโt. This isnโt some tactical Lego-looking contraption wearing a cowboy hat. No, the Henry Lever Action Supreme looks every bit like something youโd want to carry into the deer woods. Beautiful checkered walnut stock. Matte finish. Smooth lever that feels like butter melting over hot cornbread. But then you pop in a 30-round Magpul PMAG and suddenly the future arrives.
Underneath that classic exterior is some seriously smart engineering. Thereโs no exposed hammer. Instead, you get a humpback-style receiver that looks vaguely like a Browning BAR. It’s got slab sides, internal hammer mechanics, and a tang safety that falls right under your thumb. A lever block safety rounds it out, preventing discharge when the lever isnโt fully closed. Slick and safe.
Inside the Beast
Inside, the Henry Supreme is essentially running a modified AR-15 bolt headโminus the gas rings. It even shares the same cotter pin, firing pin, bolt cam pin, extractor, and ejector setup. AR fans will feel right at home. Disassembly? Drift out two pins and pull it apart like youโre field-stripping a sandwich.
Seriously, the bolt assembly looks like it just wandered out of an AR and decided to go live in a lever gun. You can maintain it easily without any weird proprietary parts or voodoo rituals. If youโve ever built your own AR-15, youโll be in familiar territory.
Specs You Can Brag About
- Action: Lever w/ rotating AR-style bolt head
- Caliber: .223 Rem/5.56 NATO or 300 BLK
- Barrel: 18โ (5.56), 16.5โ (300 BLK), threaded 1/2×28
- Magazine: AR15-compatible, ships with 10-round PMAG
- Stock: Checkered walnut with recoil pad
- Sights: Adjustable iron sights, drilled/tapped for optics
- Weight: 6.4 lbs
- Trigger: Adjustable 3-6 lbs (mine broke at 3.3 lbs)
- MSRP: $1,299 (street prices lower)
Sub-MOA from a Lever Gun? Yeah, Really.
You donโt normally hear “sub-MOA” and “lever action” in the same breath. But the Supreme isnโt normal. Its barrel is free-floated, and the forend is bolted to an aluminum stud rather than being clamped down with barrel bands. Translation: it can actually breathe.
I ran a buffet of loads through it. Everything from 55-grain FMJs to 77-grain Nosler Match. Hereโs where it gets interesting:
- 69-grain Fiocchi HPBT: 0.57″ best group at 100 yards
- 70-grain Nosler RDF: 0.35″ best, 0.56″ avg
- 77-grain Nosler HPBT: consistent 0.5″ groups
Yes, this thing is accurate. Like, bolt-gun-embarrassing accurate. Trigger Talk
The trigger is a revelation. Out of the box, mine measured 3.3 pounds. Itโs clean, crisp, and totally user-adjustable via a small hex wrench. No disassembly required. Use the same wrench for the adjustable rear sight.
Most lever guns have triggers that feel like youโre stepping on a pinecone. This one? Itโs more like a tuned AR match trigger. Thank you, Henry.
AR Mags: They Just Work
It ships with a 10-round PMAG (with limiter), but I fed it with everything I had:
- 10/30-round Gen2 and Gen3 PMAGs
- Hexmag 30-rounders
- Lancer hybrids
- DuraMag steel mags
All ran great. Some aluminum mags fit tight, but nothing too concerning. Mag changes require a slight strip-out rather than a drop-free, but itโs fast. The ambidextrous paddle release is easy to reach and intuitive.
Optics Ready. Or Not. Your Call.
Henry drilled and tapped the receiver, and I slapped on a Bushnell R5 1-6x24mm LPVO using Talley medium-height rings. Fit like a dream, cheek weld was solid, and the reticle was perfect for quick transitions or stretching out to 100 yards.
If you’re old school, the iron sights are no slouch either. Trapezoidal notch in the rear, triangular steel post up front. There’s even a horizontal line halfway down the post to help with elevation holds. Clever. Very clever.
Final Thoughts: Why You Might Actually Need This
At $1,299, itโs not cheap. But think about what you’re getting:
- A lever action with sub-MOA accuracy
- AR15 magazine compatibility
- A real trigger, not a legal obligation
- Suppressor-ready threading
- Gorgeous walnut stock
- A fun, reliable, totally unique rifle that turns heads at the range
For home defense, itโs nimble and fast. For hunting, it carries like a dream. For range time? Youโll burn through ammo just to feel that lever cycle.
And yeah, the tacti-cowboy in me wants to see a skeletonized aftermarket stock and some M-LOK on this bad boy.
Bottom line: the Henry Lever Action Supreme doesnโt just bridge the gap between tradition and innovationโit duct-tapes them together, throws in some walnut, and gives you a rifle that does it all.
So if youโre stuck choosing between grandpaโs cowboy rifle and your tricked-out AR… stop. Grab the Supreme. Have both.
Then go find an ammo can and a weekend. Youโre gonna need both.
