Big Horn Armory — Local services in Cody

LONG REVEIW

So I placed my order about 7/8/22 and it was delivered on 10/10/23. They were pretty close with their estimated time of completion, of course I knew that going in that it would be a long wait time. I opted for the standard model 89 with the only custom option being the "fancy" walnut. It is beautiful wood. The fit and finish in my honest opinion is a 10/10. The wood is a little big in spots but the at is done purposefully because of expansion and contraction of wood over its lifetime, no problem. No tooling marks, grinding marks or even scuffs on the wood. Internals also look like and feel perfect. No sharp edged on anything. Screws are all flush and haven't been chewed up by the gun smiths assembly of the rifle(I've had issues with other companies doing this in the past). The grip is large, bigger than I thought. Definitely bigger than any Henry or Marlin 45/70 I've ever felt, but it's not to big. It feels very nice in the hand and it definitely fits the rifle. Fore-end has a good swell and definitely will fit big or small hands. It's a slightly heavy gun but I've always liked the way heavy firearms felt. It's not ridiculous but you can definitely feel it. It doesn't rattle if you shake it like every other lever gun I've had. The action isn't stiff but it's definitely not something you can work with one finger. You have to be firm about it from start to finish, not overkill but you have to follow through from beginning to end and it runs just fine. Cycling was perfect with 3 different loadings, I'm not a perfect shot at 75 yards by any means. But I would say it's accurate, I'm the issue not the rifle. Recoil is about as bad as a 45/70. Im not terribly recoil sensitive, but I don't think it's bad, especially not compared to a .500 revolver! I love this rifle, it's one of the few pieces that will never be for sale, I'm very indecisive about what I want but this is definitely one that will be my daughters when I'm old and gone. Now, before you purchase one of these or even think about it I want to make a few things clear before anyone bashes the company or has a sour attitude about what they're getting

They are expensive, very expensive. You are getting quality materials, from front to back it is built with the best materials. Craftsmanship is top notch, even the twin screws on the locking lugs and lever are a solid design to prevent them from becoming loose.

The wait is a long time, I waited a bit over 1 year for mine, but they are built by hand, one at a time. You get in line, pay for it, and forget about it until it's time (trust me it's best to forget about it and not drive yourself nuts waiting). I understand why they take so long, it's nothing new, they are upfront about lead times and you should appreciate what they are doing to build these. Just be patient, I've waited upwards of a year for custom boots and it's worth it every time.

You're getting a .50 cal lever gun. That's enough for me.

All in all I love it, I thank everyone for working with me and being patient with me over the last year, they're good folks. They're very kind, very understanding. Anyone on here crying needs to just relax and give them a minute to work with you. They will work with you, just chill out and be kind. I promise it's worth it. Thanks Big Horn, you build a fine rifle and gained a life long customer and friend.

I apologize for me misspelling any words or rambling like an idiot.

EDIT: I would like to retract one of the above statements, The action after cleaning and lubricating the rifle, feels like a Completely different Action. I can operate the lever with one finger, now you still have Be very firm when cycling it to properly eject and chamber, the next round. But it is smooth as butter from start to finish. It reminds me of the old Winchester 1887 Lever, action, shotgun, while that shotgun was not nearly as reliable, you have to be very firm with the action to get it to...

Follow up to my review below. Originally I rated Big Horn Armory a 1 star for the reasons below. I received a call last week that my rifle was ready to be built and the balance was due. After emailing back and forth with Kari (BHA is very lucky to have this lady on their team, she was very helpful and emphatic) and explaining my frustration, BHA and Kari offered a solution that I felt went a long way to make up for the original frustration. I run a business and customer service is everything. People will soon forget a cheaper price, but a bad experience ( or a positive one) will not soon be forgotten. Thank you Kari and BHA for the steps you took, I do appreciate it very much. Looking forward to receiving my rifle shortly.

(Original review from Dec 2022) Ordered a Model 89 in March of 2021. Paid $1000 deposit and told it would ship around Dec of 2021. No communication. Called Feb 2022 and told they were moving to a new location and production was on hold. Advised to call back in April of 2022. Called in April and was told check back in August. Called in August of 2022 and told they had no receivers and were waiting on milling machines before production could resume. Was also too there were roughly 250 firearms in front of my order. I understand that Covid changed things and I can appreciate moving to a new location to increase productivity. I have a major issue when I am told excuse after excuse and refuse to refund my deposit.

Curious to see if any action is taken by management or if I have simply funded their move and upgrades with no expectation...

Bruce Milton here. My experience is almost identical to that of Jason Kilpatrick. I paid a deposit for a Model 89 on 17 February 2021 and since then have received the same litany of email and telephonic excuses as has Jason. I might add that all correspondence was generated on my end; there were no unsolicited explanations/progress reports describing and/or apologizing for the continuing delay. I understand there have been real world challenges of late, but to hold my deposit hostage for "issues beyond their control" and not issue me a refund is a poor example of customer centricity. BHA's manufacturing roadblocks are not of MY making and to expect me to just wait for an apparent indefinite (almost 22 months and counting so far) period is disappointing at best. My experience with BHA has been quite unfavorable and the excitement I initially harbored about their product has definitely waned.

Update: My Model 89 actually arrived almost exactly two years to the day from when I ordered it. I am quite pleased with the product, glad I ordered it, but still stand by...