Marlin 1895 SBL vs Henry X Model .45-70: Which Big Bore?

The same cartridge, two philosophies

The .45-70 Government started life in 1873 as a black-powder Army cartridge: a .45-caliber, 405-grain lead bullet over 70 grains of powder, fired from a single-shot Springfield trapdoor. A century and a half later, it has become the darling of the "do-everything big bore" crowd, and two rifles sit at the center of that conversation.

Marlin's 1895 SBL was the first rifle Ruger built after buying Marlin, and it reached reviewers in late 2021 with polished stainless metal, a gray laminate stock and an XS sight rail. Henry's X Model in .45-70, introduced in 2020, went the opposite direction: matte-blued steel, black synthetic furniture, fiber-optic sights, and M-LOK and Picatinny on the forend.

Both are threaded. Both are about 19 to 20 inches of barrel. Both will make you blink on the bench. The choice comes down to five things: capacity, sights, loading, safety, and finish.

Spec sheet face-off

Capacity: six vs four-plus-one

On paper this is the Marlin's clearest win. Six rounds in the tube versus Henry's four in the tube plus one in the chamber means the SBL carries one to two more cartridges, depending on how you count and how you carry.

Does it matter? For deer or elk, almost never. For guides and backcountry folks who think about a big-bore lever as a bear-country rifle, the extra rounds are the reason some choose the Marlin. The site's bear country guide covers that use with the appropriate caution: no rifle or load can promise an outcome.

Sights: the SBL's secret weapon

The SBL's sight package is the best factory iron-sight setup on any current .45-70 lever. The XS rail runs along the top of the receiver and barrel, carrying an adjustable ghost-ring aperture in back and a fiber-optic front with a tritium ring for low light. Because the rail is long, you can also mount a scout-style optic or a conventional scope on it without extra hardware.

The Henry X's fiber-optic open sights are bright and quick, with a fully adjustable rear. They are a good woods-and-brush setup. But an aperture sight is, for most shooters, more precise than an open notch, and the SBL comes with one.

If you plan on a red dot or a low-power scope, compare mounting options for both rifles carefully before buying; the site's optics guide walks through the choices.

Loading and unloading

The Henry wins this one, clearly.

The X Model gives you two ways in: a side loading gate on the receiver and a removable inner magazine tube with a cartridge-shaped port. More important, it gives you an easy way out. Henry's X Model manual describes unloading as: hammer down, rifle pointed up, withdraw the inner tube, tip the cartridges into a container, replace the tube, and cycle the lever several times to confirm an empty chamber. Nothing needs to pass through the action.

The Marlin loads only through the right-side gate, nose first, which is fast. To unload, Marlin's manual has you cycle rounds out through the action one at a time with the safety engaged, then visually check chamber, port and magazine. It is the traditional method, and it works, but it chambers every cartridge on the way out. With .45-70, that is a lot of energy you are handling one round at a time.

Safeties

Marlin uses a crossbolt hammer-block safety and a half-cock hammer position. The safety moves only at half or full cock. Some shooters like a positive "safe" they can feel with a thumb; some purists hate crossbolts on lever guns.

Henry's X Model has no half-cock and no crossbolt. It uses a transfer bar: the rifle will not fire unless the hammer is fully cocked and the trigger is pulled. You carry with the hammer down and cock it to shoot. Fewer controls, but you need to be confident lowering a hammer with your thumb.

Neither replaces muzzle discipline. Practice decocking with an unloaded rifle until it is boring.

Finish and weather

Polished stainless with a laminate stock is about as weather-proof as a traditional-looking lever gets. That is the SBL's whole point: a rifle you can carry in rain, salt air or snow and wipe down at the end of the day. Shooting Times did note the polished finish can be shiny in the field; some owners would prefer a matte stainless.

The Henry X Model's matte blue on carbon steel is non-reflective but needs more attention in wet conditions. Its synthetic stock, however, does not care about weather at all.

Ammunition: the most important section in this article

The .45-70 is a cartridge with a pressure problem built into its history. Original trapdoor rifles were rated for loads around 19,000 psi, while modern strong actions are capable of much more. That is why .45-70 ammunition shelves contain everything from mild "cowboy" lead loads to heavy +P hunting rounds.

Here is the rule, per the makers: Marlin's current 1895 manual says use only new, factory-loaded ammunition of the caliber marked on the barrel, and specifically do not use +P ammunition, reloads, remanufactured or aluminum-cased rounds. Henry's manuals likewise warn against reloads and non-standard ammunition that has not been pressure tested.

For both tube-fed rifles, bullets should be flat-nose or round-nose, or flexible-tip designs such as Hornady's LEVERevolution 325-grain FTX. Marlin's manual explicitly lists LEVERevolution's flexible-tip design as acceptable within maximum lengths. You will find LEVERevolution, Remington's 405-grain Core-Lokt, Federal's 300-grain loads and others in the .45-70 Government ammo section.

For loads, recoil and real-world use, read the site's deep dive on modern .45-70 loads.

Where to find them, and good alternatives

Both rifles sell steadily and Marlin lists the SBL as limited availability, so check current stock with local dealers. If you want to compare other modern .45-70 levers, the lever-action rifle category is a good place to start.

Which one?

Pick the Marlin 1895 SBL if you want the most capacity, the best factory aperture sights with a long rail for optics, stainless and laminate that shrug off weather, and the traditional gate-only loading and crossbolt safety.

Pick the Henry X Model if you value easy, safe unloading through the removable tube, prefer a transfer-bar system with no manual safety, want M-LOK for a light or sling mount, or prefer a synthetic stock.

Pick neither if you mainly want to shoot mild loads at the range and enjoy history; a traditional walnut .45-70 will be more pleasant and often costs less.

Store either one unloaded and locked, with ammunition stored separately, as both manuals direct.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.