Lever action .22 rifle?

I'm on a lever action kick and was wanting a Henry lever .22 rifle, but I looked at a used one at a gunshow and the aluminum receiver had a lot of wear and looked kinda cheap, so now I'm thinking about Marlin, Browning, or old Winchester 9422. I know the Marlin has a steel receiver but how about the Browning and Winny? Also, any pros or cons of each brand?

I found a Marlin that was 40 years old that I think is great! The gun came unfired and at first gave accuracy problems but once I put 200 rounds through it the accuracy of it is close to unbelievable!I have heard that the latest Marlins with the rebounding hammer are giving problems but there are still older guns out there.

you can't go wrong with the marlin or the winchester. my first rifle was a 1976-vintage winchester 9422, and i still have it. it is still a jewel, and a treasured gun to me!
good luck!
ed

If you can find one, the Winchester Model 250 is a winner. My dad gave me this one, my first gun, when I was twelve...47 years ago and no, it's not for sale. (o;

My 39 Mountie with a red dot sight will out shoot my 9422 with a 4x Leupold at 50 yds. benchrest.

Hard to go wrong with a Marlin M39 with a few years under its belt. Mine are great. And they hold their value.

My cousin likes his 9422 a lot. Pricey.

Regards,

Dyson

I had a Winchester 9422 that was outstanding. My friend bought a Henry golden boy that was beautiful but shot insanely high at 20 yds. My Browning BL-22 (1972 vintage) has to be my favorite lever gun in double-douce(s, l, and lr.) as my dad gave it to me for my birthday and it is a shooting dream. It has a 33 degree lever throw, so you don't even jerk the lever....you literally flick your fingers to lever in another round. It is also very compact. All in all though, my Winchester 62-A and my Model '06 carbine (both pumps .22 s,l, and lr.) get the majority of the trips for game. The BL-22 is around $500 or less new. Some can be had around the $375 mark if you look. Check out GB on-line.........http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=199170172

Have a newer Marlin 39A (04 production) which is very accurate and have had no major ejection problems. I bought it lightly used from a Forum member. It has safety features which some think are cumbersome but they don't bother me.

As others have said, the Marlin and Winchester are both great lever actions. I have a Winchester 9422 Magnum XTR, and it's a beautiful and accurate gun. Some day I hope to get a matching 9422 LR. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them.

All those old guns are great, but I have a Henry Carbine with the large loop, and I love it. It's fairly accurate for what it is, and I shoot it with Wal Mart bulk ammo only, so I get what I expect. Good thing about Henry's is that EVERY componet on the gun is sourced right here in this country. I know you said the receiver looked cheap, but the external part is actually just a cover over the actual aluminum receiver. I don't think you would go wrong with one of these.

One more vote for a Marlin 39A made after 1939.

Regards,

Tam 3

I am a .22 rifle addict, and am particularly fond of lever action .22 rifles, I own a Henry H001 (the cheapest Henry), a Winchester 9422, a Browning BL22 and newer Marlin 39A.

Some thoughts on each:

If you want a Marlin 39A, get one of the older ones without the rebounding hammer. Mine (with rebounding hammer) took two trips back to the factory to cure it's failure to fire (light primer strikes) and failure to eject issues. Seems to be OK now, 500 rounds through it since it last came back from repair. It's a full size, heavy rifle, quite accurate. Marlin has now been aqcuired by Remington, and the New Haven Conncticut plant where the 39A was made is now closed, so getting even one of the newer, problematic rifles may be difficult. Much easier to get an older used one...

The Henry H001 is one of my favorite rifles, great value for the money. I paid $249 for mine brand new, it's smooth and accurate, and hasn't had a hiccup in the thousands of round I've put through it. I like the sights on the Henry better than any other of the lever .22's, it has a blade front sight and square notch rear, while the others have some sort of bead front sight. To me, a bead front sight obscures the target, making fine accuracy harder. With my first box of ammo through the rifle, I was hitting golf balls at 50 yards. It is light at 5.5 pounds, has more of a utilitarian look and feel to it, but it is a great rifle.

The Browning Bl22 is one of the higher grade, engraved rifles, got it used, 1994 or so vintage. It is the lightest of my .22 lever rifles at 5.0 pounds, prettier than a speckled pup, but has a horrible trigger, probably greater than 8 pounds. This hurts it's accuracy some. Has a short stock, so might be good for those with younger shooters in the house. The short lever throw does make it fun to shoot, but the accuracy limits it to a 25 yard rifle for me....

The Winchester 9422 I have is one of the first year 9422 "XTR", with the high gloss stock and metal. It is accurate and smooth, weighs about the same as the Henry at 5.5 pounds, great trigger. Owning and shooting it makes you feel like you own a Cadillac Eldorado, it is that nice. Bad news is they don't make them any more so you have to be prepared to pay some big money to own one (500-700 dollars). Worth every penny of it if you find a nice example.

So, if you want a field grade .22 lever rifle you don't mind letting the kids use or throw into your truck, get a Henry. If you want a legacy rifle, a desirable collectors piece, get a Winchester, older Marlin or Browning.

I bought my first Marlin 39 in 1954. Great rifle, accurate & fool proof. Gave it to my son years ago. Won a Henry Golden Boy @ FNRA dinner a few years ago. Smooth action but there's a Model 39 at our local gunshop for $395. Ha Ha, I'm thinking............. What the Hell.?

I bought my Marlin 39A last year, and have had no problems with it. I put on a set of Skinner Peep sights, and she shoots very tight groups at 25 yards (indoor range where I shoot).

Hard to go wrong with either the 9422 or a Marlin 39. I've got a 1951 vintage 39A and a 1972 vintage 9422, both 99% original, factory condition and both shoot great. I was out plinking with the 9422 this afternoon, good fun!

I have a henry 22 standard and it shoots great; consistently 1/2'' at 50 yards with CCI ammo.

It is a nice smooth actioned 22 and inexpensive too.

I have a Browning BL22 and find it to be one of the most accurate .22's I own. Love the short lever throw and mine has filled the frying pan with critter meat dozens and dozens of times.

canoeguy said:

...
So, if you want a field grade .22 lever rifle you don't mind letting the kids use or throw into your truck, get a Henry. If you want a legacy rifle, a desirable collectors piece, get a Winchester, older Marlin or Browning.

Click to expand...

That pretty much sums up my opinion on the question as well.

I have this Henry Repeating Arms GoldenBoy
It has the slickest action that I have ever used.

I liked it so much that I bought this in 45Colt.
Henry Repeating Arms BigBoy

Another vote for the 9422 IF you can find one and IF you can afford it. Otherwise I would consider the Henry mostly because it is made in USA which is becoming rare, but the plastic and aluminum parts bother me some.