.22 lever guns: educate me a bit

[huntsman22]

snow, consider a reddot rather than a scope. I have burris fasfires on a 9422M and the Browning. They are fast, accurate and my eyes like them better'n irons..... My Marlins are both scoped. You should consider adapting to the shorter lop, rather than putting on flugly lengtheners, too.....

 

[ischia]

I'd go with the Marlin. I have several,an original 39,a 39 "Mountie",a Golden 39 an 2 1894Ms in .22 mag. Great, solid rifles all. The 1894M is a real joy to shoot and super accurate but pricey and hard to find now. Years ago my brother borrowed the 39 to shoot crows,used modern hi-speed ammo and cracked/broke the bolt. Should have used target or standard velocity ammo. Got very lucky and I was able to get a replacement from Numrich Arms way back then. I don't believe any more parts are now available. It is also a great shooter with standard/target ammo only.

ischia

 

[gdogs]

I put more rounds through my Papal's old BL22 as a kid than probably any other single gun in my life. Spent summer after summer honing my skills with it. One of these days I'm going to pick up a maple stocked Browning, truly a thing of beauty.

 

[bowzette]

Check out the Marlin forum on Rimfirecentral.com

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Any Of the 3 would be a great rifle for you.....I have all 3...Bought the 9422 the year they came out.......Bought a Marlin 1897T( short 39 with octagon bbl) later....And later added a Browning BL-22 grade 11 ocatgon bbl........Three of the best .22 lever guns ever made.

 

[model17]

Marlin 39d with Nikon 4x= Lotta Fun!

 

[jinx]

I have a Marlin 39 and couldn't be happier. It was made before the cross bolt safety and has the JM stamped barrel.
Mine is labeled as Golden 39, but I remember buying this one because the trigger is not gold colored.{don't really care for the gold painted trigger}

Well made and reliable.

I also like the Henry.

 

[pmanton]

If it were me I'd go the extra bucks for the 9422. I bought one new years ago and it's my favorite .22. It's a tack driver. For my old eyes I mounted a Williams peep sight on it.
Paul
Salome, AZ

 

[muzzleblast]

Add me to the marlin list.

About 2002 I was weighing similar options as you. I went with the Marlin and have been very happy. Always wanted a 9422 however.

 

[Hang-Fire Hank]

RECEIVER SIGHT

Snowman:
I sympathize w/your "old eyes". Rather than mount a scope, consider a Williams Foolproof receiver sight w/target knobs. Screw-in rear sight aperture (choice of sizes) clears up the front sight. Marlin 39-As are already drilled/tapped on the receiver's left side for Wm's sights. Knobs are click adjustable for windage & elevation. I shoot mine out to 200 yds.

As you can tell, I'm also an aficionado of the Marlin 39-A. "Every man and boy should own one". I've owned three, still own two both with Ballard rifling (pre 1953). Dearly love them. Don't know why some people may have had extracting problems, probably ammo brand. Switch ammo brands, but don't sell the gun in disgust. Personally, I've fired Shorts, LR's, & a mixture of both with zero problems.

Best Of Luck To You, Hank M.

 

[RobertJ.]

Wow, lots of votes for the Marlin! I'm certainly not going to fault that, I like them, too!

But I wonder how many voted for the 39, without ever handling a BL22?

It's the fastest shooting lever action I've ever fired, and I challenge anyone to show me a lever action .22 that they can shoot better! When cycling the action, your hand doesn't need to leave the rifle, the lever can be worked with your fingers. A little practice, and you shoot like a semi-auto!

I've seen a Henry .22 (not the Golden Boy), and compared it side by side with a BL22. I'm reminded of the saying "The extra you spend for quality will be forgotten long before the PITA of going cheap". The receiver is plated, not solid steel like the 39 or BL22. I've heard they shoot just fine, however. My neighbor had one, and he liked it.

At least the Marlin compares favorably in the quality department. That rifle would be awesome as well, I just like the Browning better.

The Winchester would be a great choice, too, but just try to find one that's affordable!

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

I would also vote for the old Marlin without hesitation.

 

[2152hq]

I like the older Marlin. I have several Marlin Model 97 leveraction .22 cal including a couple deluxe models.
They are saddled with using 22Standard Vel ammo only and have the old style so called one piece mag tube, but are what later became the Mod 39, the 39A.
The Model39 was still using the old style bolt that limited it and the 97 to StandVel ammo.
The M39A and forward have the redesigned bolt. Actually just a tiny radius to a machining cut made on the bolt in place of a sharp, square corner. The small difference makes a big difference in strength of that locking support face.

The cartridge interuptor (a stamped out spring steel piece) can give problems if not just right by allowing a second round out of the mag and onto the carrier instead of holding it back. A common cause of jamming in the 39A.

The cartridge guide spring captured above the chamber face in a cut between the frame and bbl shank can also cause problems if bent or twisted. It does the same thing in the M80 bolt series of rifles.
You have to remove the bbl from the frame to replace, but the part is cheap.
Don't snag & damage the ejector when cleaning from the muzzle. At least the ejector is held in place with a couple screws on the 39A.
On the Mod97 pre1905 mfg,,the ejector assembly falls free from the rifle when the bolt is removed for cleaning from the gun.
Lots of those early rifles have the ejector missing and it's easy to gloss right over it and miss it when looking at a rifle. Repros are available now and are good quality.

Some early Mod39A round bbl rifles you'llfind drilled and tapped on the side of the bbl up near the rec'vr for a scopemt.
These were guns made up to be sold excusively thru Sears at the time. A(Weaver?) side bbl mt and 'scope accompanied the rifle and thru the agreement, only Sears would sell the scoped M39. That lasted several years. Later Marlin began D&T the top of the rec'vr for scope mts and and offered a cantilever type base for the 39A in the 60's and 70's.

 

[snowman]

Once again, thank you much to all of you for your time and input. It gives me a lot more to go on. A special thanks to 2152hq(& a few others) for the 'technical service bulletins' -very helpful to know possible problems ahead of time.

Regards,
Andy

 

[Whisper]

I bought a Browning BL-22 in 1974. Since then I have put untold thousands of rounds through it, taught my three kids and a bunch of others how to shoot with it, and it has never failed once, never needed a repair. As mentioned before, the short stroke lever makes it unbelievably fast to fire repeat shots. It's so light you can hunt all day with it and hardly feel like you are carrying anything. My second choice in a .22 lever gun would be the 9422.

Cheers,
Whisper

 

[gregintenn]

I love my Marlin 39A. It was born the same year I was; 1973. The only thing that would make it better is a Williams Foolproof receiver sight.

 

[M16]

There's a reason the Winchester 9422's are expensive. They are the best.

 

[ameridaddy]

Haven't handled the Win or Browning, but I can tell you I've been delighted with my Marlin 39A for 57 years. It feels like a rifle, not a toy. There's something to be said for machined steel. If there's a down side, I find the hammer fall very heavy, but I'm used to it.
It's a fun gun for paper, tin cans, groundhogs in grandfather's garden and squirrels in the bird feeders.

 

[gwpercle]

I mounted a Williams Receiver ( peep ) sight on my Winchester, my "old eyes " do quite well with it. Looking through the rear peep hole , you only need see the front sight and target. Much easier for us old dudes.
I just couldn't bear to put a scope on that classic looking lever gun and the Williams Receiver Sight helped big time.
Gary

 

[eveled]

If I found a LGS, with those 3 in stock, I'd think I'd died and went to heaven.

You got to compare them side by each, I'd say pick the one that fit you and your budget. In a that situation I'd probably get a couple lof them.