I have a Henry in 44 and a new Ruger/Marlin in 357. The Marlin is a nicer built rifle than the Henry. Haven't had any trouble with the Henry and I don't hunt with either. But I think they are in the same ballpark pricewise, so I would give the edge to the Marlin.
I have Skinner sights on the Henry and I am going to do the same on the Marlin.
Purpose will be for shooting whitetail.I really like my Henry Model X. It's in 30-30 though. What's the purpose of the gun?
The old Marlins are definitely nice and I would buy one if I could find one for a decent price. The new ones are less money..I have an '80-ish Marlin and a Henry , both in .44 mag.
I prefer the Marlin as the Henry is really heavy for a LA.