Henry Single Shot Steel .45-70 Government
Model: H015-4570
Henry Single Shot Steel .45-70 Government
Model: H015-4570
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
While every other .45-70 in the catalog feeds rounds from a tube magazine via lever throw, the Henry Single Shot Steel loads one cartridge at a time through a break-open action. Press the lever behind the trigger guard, the barrel drops, you drop a round in, close it, and cock the hammer. There is no magazine, no follow-up shot waiting, no action cycling. The 22" blued barrel with 1:20 twist sits on an American walnut stock for a total package of 6.83 lbs and 37.5" overall.
The mechanism's simplicity is the entire point. A rebounding hammer physically can't touch the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled, and an interlock prevents the barrel from opening with the hammer cocked. That is the whole safety story. Compared to the Henry Side Gate lever-action with its 4-round tube magazine and toggle-link action, the Single Shot Steel has roughly half the parts count and trades repeat-shot capability for a deliberate, one-shot-at-a-time tempo.
This is the rifle for a hunter who wants to teach a kid the discipline of making the first shot count, or for an experienced shooter who already owns a lever gun and wants a minimum-mechanism backup or hunting truck rifle. The factory drills and taps the receiver for a Weaver 82 base, so glass mounts cleanly without gunsmithing. At 6.83 lbs with full-power .45-70 loads, recoil is brisk, and owners commonly report the solid rubber pad is the difference between a pleasant sight-in and a bruised shoulder by the third group.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- Mechanism is roughly half the parts count of a lever gun — fewer things to go wrong in the field, fewer things to clean, less to teach a new shooter
- Receiver is drilled and tapped from the factory for a Weaver 82 base, so scoping is a parts-and-screwdriver job rather than a gunsmith trip
- Break-open action makes chamber state visible at a glance — useful in shared deer camps and when crossing fences
- Henry's standard lifetime warranty applies, and the company's customer service is widely cited by owners as responsive on the rare occasions it's needed
- One round, then a deliberate break-and-reload cycle — if a follow-up shot matters for your use case (bear country, hog sounders, dangerous game backup), this is the wrong rifle in the .45-70 catalog
- At 6.83 lbs with full-power 405gr .45-70 loads, recoil is heavier than a 7.5+ lb lever like the Marlin 1895 standard, despite the rubber pad — sight-in sessions are short by necessity
- Open sights are functional but basic; the front brass bead lacks a fiber-optic insert and the rear leaf is non-illuminated, so low-light hunting wants either reduced-light optics or a different rifle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is one round really enough for hunting big game?
For deer and hogs at the typical .45-70 range of under 150 yards, a well-placed first shot from a 300-405gr bullet usually ends the hunt. The question is not whether one shot is enough on a clean broadside — it's whether you're confident enough in your shot placement to commit to no follow-up. New hunters and stand hunters with stable rests are good candidates. Walked-up bear or sounder-pursuit hog hunting is not where this rifle belongs.
What scope and mounting setup does the Single Shot Steel take?
The receiver is drilled and tapped from the factory for a Weaver 82 base. From there a standard pair of Weaver- or Picatinny-compatible rings holds anything from a fixed 4x hunting scope up to a low-power variable like a 1-6x or 2-7x. A scout-style forward-mounted setup is not supported by the standard cut — the Weaver 82 sits over the receiver in a conventional position.
How bad is the recoil with full-power .45-70?
At 6.83 lbs with 405gr factory loads in the 1,300-1,600 fps range, free recoil energy runs in the 30+ ft-lb neighborhood — meaningfully sharper than a 7.5-8 lb Marlin 1895 firing the same ammo, because mass absorbs energy. The solid rubber pad helps, but most owners report sight-in sessions are practical at 5-10 rounds before the shoulder calls it. Reduced-recoil 300gr cowboy loads cut the impulse roughly in half if you want a longer range session.
