Henry Rifles Quiet Revolution: The HUSH SPD Tactical Lever Action Rifles

Change is an inevitable part of our lives. 

We all start out at the same moment in time. We are born. Quickly we grow into toddlers. Our parents witness our first steps, our first words, our first falls, and our first wins. But through that entire process, we experience changes. Think about the fact that you have no choice in these changes. They happen because they were meant to happen. Sure, you could try to fight it. You could throw a temper tantrum, stomp your feet, and refuse to take those first steps. But eventually you do. You realize that those steps are critical to get to where you know you need to go. Nature forces your next hand, and you begin your journey that led you to this moment, to this blog, crazy as that might sound. 

I have embraced change my entire life. My biggest lessons and, sometimes, the most pain has been through these changes. But in those moments, I have learned that we are forged in the fire. Our lives are shaped and proven when we are put to the test. When we accept the changes, we experience a new lens, new ideas, and massive growth. I believe Henry is feeling this same phenomenon in the SPD HUSH line of lever action rifles. Why would a company that was originated in the 1800's be making massive renovations to their legendary lever action rifles in 2025? Well, I'll dive deep into that here. But think of it this way: This was always going to happen, and I believe it certainly was meant to by. Why wouldn't THE leaders in lever action rifles release something that checks every single box right from the factory? 

Henry's Rich History of Lever Action Rifles

Benjamin Tyler Henry Patented the first functional, reliable, and repeatable lever action rifle in 1860. This one move created a technological leap forward and empowered one man to possess the firepower of a dozen marksmen armed with muskets. During its time in service during the civil war, one confederate officer is credited with the phrase “It’s a rifle that you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long.” Henry changed the landscape of shoulder fired weapons forever. Lever action weapons made their way from the rank to the ranchers. The Lever action rifle that henry created is credited with forging the frontier west. It gave those who headed westward the firepower to tackle game, and any other threat. It empowered the well-armed defender. It solidified the ability to expand. This was not simply another rifle. This was the start of the evolution of weaponry we see today. 

As soon as I put my hands on the Henry SPD 375 Magnum Rifle, I knew that I was holding the lever action rifle of tomorrow. 

Henry SPD 357 Magnum Specifications

At first glance you can immediately realize that this is not "just another lever action rifle". Henry's Special Products Division took their core DNA of manufacturing reliable, robust, and capable lever action rifles and expanded on what already worked. Right off the bat, it's obvious that this rifle has a carbon fiber barrel. This barrel is manufactured by BSF barrels for Henry, and the length is 16.5". It is threaded to accept common 5/8X24 muzzle accessories, including suppressors. This barrel configuration knocks off almost a pound when comparing this rifle to the Henry X Model 357. That effectively means you can run a suppressor with this rifle while staying under the weight of many other comparable 357/38SPL rifles. The balance in your hands is incredible. The stock is a laminate stock that keeps the weight toward the rear of the gun. On top of the receiver is a Forged Carbon Fiber pica tinny rail. The MLOK Rail is approximately 10" long and has ample MLOK sections for attachments, lights, and grips. The rate of twist is 1:20, which for some folks who run 300 Blackouts and other longer, more slender bullets, might find confusing. It's important to note: Barrel twist rates of classic pistol cartridges WILL be very different than cartridges like 300 blackout. We found great performance from 125 grain subsonic 38 special ammunition, grouping about 3" at 100 yards with 9 round groups. Henry Lever guns do not have an external safety, rather they have an internal transfer bar. The SPD 357 has an external hammer that is cocked back when working the action. The receiver features a side load gate, and the traditional removable magazine tube is also present for quickly removing ammunition. With our BDE muzzle device, it is low profile enough to remove the magazine tube after removing the suppressor. The SPD does NOT come with iron sights, it is purpose built to accept modern optics for training, defense, and hunting. The receiver finish is blued steel. Overall weight of this rifle is advertised at 6.4 pounds, length of pull is stated to be 14", and the overall length lands just over 34". This is a lightweight, fast handling, easy pointing rifle. MSRP of this rifle as of the date of writing this is $1999 USD. Street prices, of course, are often lower than that amount. 

Accessorizing t​he Henry SPD HUSH Rifle

My "build" for this rifle, if you can even call it that, was very simple. I wanted to keep this rifle fast, and it needed to be quiet. For that reason the only parts I added were as follows: 

• Parker Mountain Machine forward grip
• BDE 9mm suppressor and their muzzle brake (5/8X24 Pitch)
• Primary Arms Cyclops optic with ACSS reticle

These parts kept this rifle light, quiet, and fast. I do plan to use this rifle for hunting, so at some point I will swap this optic out for a lower power scope. 

The application of a modern Tactical lever action rifle. 

I know many folks might disagree with me, but I feel there is still a viable role for a well designed, well equipped lever action rifle. They are quick handling, reliable, and when coupled with the right cartridge, are extremely versatile. Most folks traditionally think of Lever Action Rifles as hunting tools. But we often forget that for many decades, they were THE premiere fighting rifles. Yes, rifle platforms have changed and evolved, but a modern lever action rifle still is just at home by the beside as it is in the field. Smaller cartridges, like the 357 magnum, pack more ammunition in the magazine tube and have great ballistics downrange. This is especially true when comparing it to other pistols that most folks gravitate towards for defense. Further, lever action rifles are more accepted and less regulated. I'm saying a quiet part out loud: You can bring lever action rifles MORE places than AR15's. Look, I'm not a politically correct person, and I feel guns should be sold over the counter without ANY paperwork. But in our current world, your travels MIGHT take you to places your AR-15 is frowned upon. Yes, I'm all for Americans doing whatever they need to do to protect innocent life. But sometimes you might need to compromise, and a lever action rifle might just be the perfect tool. 

Further, lever action rifles have field applications. When I'm hunting, I always carry a sidearm. This is MOSTLY because my primary hunting rifle has very limited capacity and slow reloads. When I hunt with a lever gun, I feel I already have a capable tool of defending my life, especially from human threats. Lever action rifles are also very quiet suppressed due to the design of the action. I find that racking the lever is louder than the subsonic gunshot. Because there is no gas system, I don't have to worry about over gassed or under gassed systems. Does this mean I am selling my semi-auto rifles to go exclusively lever action? Absolutely not. But for the modern defender, I do believe lever action rifles have a place at the table. 

357 Full Power and 38 Special Subsonic Ammunition 

I personally look at 357 & 38 Special similarly to 300 blackout. With 357, you get the benefits of full power loads for defense or taking game. With 38 special, it is almost always subsonic, save for some specific higher power defensive loads. Subsonic 38 special from this rifle is insanely quiet. I'm running my BDE 9mm suppressor in this video, which is rated for 38 special, but is not built for full power 357. When running 38 special, the hammer and action are seemingly louder than the gunshot. This is incredibly clear if you watch the full video, linked above. 38 special ammunition has virtually no recoil. Even the full power 357 ammunition has very mild recoil, especially when compared to my Henry X Model 45-70. 357 and 38 special lever action rifles fill a strong role of a defensive platform that is still, with the right ammunition, capable of taking larger game. 

Accuracy of the Henry SPD Tactical Lever Action Rifle 

Accuracy and consistency matters. The MSRP of this rifle is $1999, so for a rifle of this price, it needs to be a shooter. I had no reliability issues or feeding issues with ANY ammunition I threw at it. In terms of accuracy: 25 yards was a jagged hole with 9 rounds, 50 yards depicted the same result, only spreading slightly, and at 100 yards it was perfectly in line with what I would expect, ESPECIALLY considering the optic I was running. When I did my part with the 158 grain full power loads, the groups were right at 2" with 9 rounds. Occasionally, I'd have a flier, but that was always due to the limitation of my optic. I'm certain a quality scope would allow me to fully utilize the potential of this rifle. With 38 special ammunition I was grouping a little over 3" at 100 yards consistently. These were 125 grain FMJ round I hand loaded over Unique powder. Pistol ammunition often doesn't seem to be as consistent as quality rifle ammunition, but in this case the rifle stepped up and performed. 

With the accuracy I saw, I would have zero concerns taking white tailed deer at 100-150 yards. 150 to me is stretching the power of the round, but the accuracy is there. If you find yourself taking game inside of 100 yards consistently, this rifle will put down game. 

Malfunctions and / or Issues seen

I spent several range days running this rifle hard. It ran everything I threw at it and never gave me any malfunctions, light strikes, or feed issues. An important thing to note with a Lever Action Rifle of any kind: Don't short stroke the action. Be intentional. Folks can introduce malfunctions simply by running the action too fast and accidentally short stroking it. But for this gun, there were no issues whatsoever. And I ran it hard, got it really hot, and it still kept going. The ONLY thing I did prior to any range days was lubricate the action properly. I did this because I was running almost exclusively suppressed. Suppressors make guns dirtier, so keeping your rifle lubed up is critically important. 

Where does the Henry HUSH 357 / 38 Special Shine?

I think the biggest area this rifle shines is the fact that Henry is listening. No longer do I need to buy a rifle and then sink another $600-1000 into accessories. You can get what you need right out of the box. Further, this rifle points fast, keeps on target, and allows rapid follow up shots, even with full power loads. You get an ergonomic rifle that is reliable and capable without having to shell out a ton of money to make it happen. 

Is a Tactical Lever Action Rifle "Just as Good" as an AR-15?

Let's talk about a few downsides of this rifle. In short, no, this rifle will never be "just as good" as any other platform. Every platform has strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses of this rifle, in my mind, are basically limited to how fast you can reload the gun. Henry solved this problem with their Supreme model. The Supreme utilizes standard AR-15 magazines which will allow rapid magazine changes. The biggest benefit of AR-15's and similarly styled rifles is they are built for fighting. They are purpose designed for combat. The Lever action rifles miss a few important characteristics for that role. But seeing as most of us aren't engaging in combat with our rifles, the Henry SPD HUSH 357 does fill in important roles. But rounding out the cons: It's just slower than semi-auto rifles and it lacks some accessory capability that other platforms would have. One thing that comes to mind is you can't have a folding stock on this rifle. At least not until someone makes something like that possible. But for what this rifle was designed to fulfill, it does it all excellently. 

What does this mean for Henry, and where do they go from here? 

I get excited about this rifle because I have always loved Henry Rifles. Since a child I dreamed of owning a Henry, now I own a handful of Henry Rifles. It gets me excited because I can see that Henry is analyzing their next moves. What was viewed as an older company that simply makes historic lever action rifles, is now cresting into the future. It will be exciting to see if this signals anything new coming from Henry, and I'm here for it. If you have questions or comments, leave them below. I'll see you all in the next blog.