I like to actually use my guns, and I typically don’t try to “baby” them. While most of the time I don’t go out of my way to outright mistreat them, they’re tools after all; I am far from the type to have any safe queens, let alone firearms that don’t get rotated in and out of use a couple of times a year. This is the same case for the Henry Golden Boy in .22 LR, which I covered in an earlier Rimfire Report. There's something about that Brasslite receiver that makes me want to treat it a little better than the rest of the collection when it's on duty, so when 1791 Gunleather sent over a couple of pieces from their 1791 Hunt collection, I was more than excited. These pieces are built specifically for lever guns like the Golden Boy, which is a platform that I often feel goes ignored when it comes to accessories, so today I figured it was worth finding out if the leather treatment actually earns its keep with my typical style of treatment, or if it just looks nice in pictures. Either way, it was a good excuse to check out a recent expansion in 1791’s already expansive leather holster collection, so let's get right to it.
The Rimfire Report: A Golden Boy Dressed in 1791 Gunleather
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The two specific pieces from the 1791 Hunt Collection we’re checking out today are the HUNT Youth Rimfire Butt Cuff and the HUNT Rifle Scabbard Lever Action. The butt cuff runs $59.99 and is handcrafted in Mexico from American steerhide, with a built-in bandolier that holds eight rounds of rimfire ammunition. It's fitted with a padded suede cheekpiece for a better cheek weld and sight picture, along with a "creep-stop" strap that wraps the butt plate to keep it from shifting under recoil. As with the holsters, the scabbard and butt cuff are both covered by 1791's lifetime warranty.
The scabbard I had on order is sized for youth-platform rifles like the Savage Rascal and Keystone Chipmunk rather than full-size guns. The scabbard is the bigger investment at $299.99, also handcrafted from steerhide, and built with integrated strap-loops and heavy-duty saddle straps for mounting to a saddle or vehicle. It comes in Trapper (16" barrel) and Carbine (20" barrel) sizing, is available for both left- and right-handed shooters, which is an often overlooked feature, but one that 1791 is likely used to including due to the nature of their primary business.
“Installation”
I hesitated to call anything involving leather an “installation,” so maybe “fitting is a far more fitting term for describing this part of pairing your Golden Boy with a 1791 skin suit. The Golden Boy in .22 LR is a small, slim rifle, closer in scale to those youth guns I mentioned above than to a full-size lever action, and the cuff fits it without a problem. You’ll have to either call or use your best judgment when selecting both the butt cuff and scabbard, but 1791 has some handy guides on each individual product page that I’d highly recommend reading before you buy. If nothing else, to save you time from having to return an improperly fitting scabbard or cuff.
When it came to fitting my two pieces to the golden boy, the Scabbard kind of just fit; it's both loose enough to draw easily from, but has just enough grip from the leather to keep it snug with little friction. The Butt Cuff was a far more labor-intensive install, and getting it there took some doing. If you have arthritis, then this probably isn’t going to be the most enjoyable task for you.
I had just enough shock cord to snug it down onto the stock, and it took real effort to work it into place. That struggle is actually the point with leather like this. Once it's stretched over the stock, it wants to tighten back up, so the fit only gets more secure and personal the longer you leave it on.
Usefulness
The suede cheekpiece does what it says on the box, giving a noticeably better cheek weld than bare wood, and the bandolier is a genuinely handy place to keep a few extra rounds within reach at the bench or in the field. The integrated shell holder holds a total of eight 22LR cartridges, which are easy enough to push/pull out but still snug enough not to come loose during regular handling.
I don't own a horse, so the saddle straps it ships with aren't doing what 1791 designed them for, but they're not dead weight if you don’t have a living mount. Those same straps seem like they would cinch down just as well on a dirt bike or an ATV, and in a pinch they'll turn the whole scabbard into a sling you can carry on your back, which is what I’ve used them for most. The Golden Boy draws and re-holsters smoothly as the fit is relatively loose. So you won't find yourself fighting the leather to get the rifle in or out, but it won’t hold the gun in there like a fitted holster would either.
An added benefit of the high-quality leather, especially when it comes to the Golden Boy, is that it does real work protecting and somewhat buffing the finish that typically scratches if you look at it wrong. Henry’s Brasslite mirror finish is beautiful to look at but smudges and scratches easily, so having the scabbard both protect it and buff away minor blemishes from use is a bonus in my book. Neither of these two well-sewn pieces is the more practical purchase over one or the other. However, if you both own a Golden Boy and also believe that "practical" is a word that fairly applies to a $300 rifle scabbard or a $60 Butt Cuff that adds a bit of extra utility, I think you can probably already see where the value and appeal meet.
Final Thoughts
Now I wouldn't tell just anyone to go buy this pairing. It's an expensive, unmistakably ritzy way to carry and store a rifle that, at its core, is a humble little rimfire gun made from Henry’s fancy (and good-looking) version of Zamak, and there are cheaper options out there (like a plain gun sock) that will protect a Golden Boy nearly as well. But if you genuinely appreciate leather goods for their own sake like me, or if you've got a saddle that needs a durable scabbard for a .22 LR or a larger lever gun, this pairing fits right into that world. Even without a horse in the picture, it's just as comfortable riding in the front seat of a pickup truck or lashed to the rack of an ATV or side-by-side. For me, it came down to loving the Golden Boy enough to want to dress it up a little, and on that front, I think 1791’s leather delivers.
