.22 LR for rabbit and small game, and marksmanship training on open sights

[Txcowboy52]

Another vote for the Marlin 39A . Great shooter and very accurate. My best shooting .22 with open sights.

[huntinlever]

I have 3 Henry rimfire's, the 'plain' H001 22LR, an octagon 24" 22LR and an octagon 17HMR. I also have two Marlin 39A 's(no safety or rebounding, a 9422 22LR, a Ruger 96/22 22 Mag and a bunch of Mossberg's. I use the 24" octagon with a Nikon 4-12 more than any other rimfire, my wife prefers the 'common' H001. The Henry's are truly bargains compared to finding a Winchester 9422 or Marlin 39A with accuracy at 50 and 100 yards as good or better than the others. Groups well under an inch at 50 yards common with most 'decent' ammunition and even better with the 'good stuff'.

Thanks for the info.

[00buck]

Ruger 10/22 is a nice carbine for the price. Mine is a tack driver for $200

[huntinlever]

Ruger 10/22 is a nice carbine for the price. Mine is a tack driver for $200

Thanks, you bet, had one for I don't know how long, and loved it too. However, this is as much for the simple love of leverguns, as anything else. Was at the store yesterday and two Vaquero's came in. That is on the short list, too. Had the 5 1/2" Super Blackhawk in .44 mag...no intention to hunt with it and other than the fact I have a bit of a crazy love of the big wallop, not a ton of reason for the round and that length wheelgun. Meaning, a Vaquero 5" in 45 LC, my guide gun, a .22LR in lever....rooted in childhood and this old man is still there.

[BLAHUT]

An air gun, some of them are powerful enough to take small game,
don't cost much and are very cheap to shoot, not to mention good practice.

[Frank V]

I’m another who likes the Henry lever .22s

[1Papalote]

Mine have hammers!! I grew up with hammer guns so whether lever action, single shot, or pump....I like it.
SS......Ithaca lever/martini type action
Lever.......Marlin 39 Mountie
Pump .....earliest release from Rossi/Mitchell/Garcia a Wincher clone, my favorite.

[Thin Man]

I am in the process of down-sizing my volume of firearms, keeping the minimum that will keep me happy. My keepers are a Marlin Century Limited (shorter octagon barrel and crazy accurate) and a Winchester 9422 Magnum just for the caliber. For the wife, her Browning BL22 (Grade II) that I gave her as a wedding present when we married 53 years ago. After we are finished using these our daughters will squabble over them unless we gift the rifles directly to each girl to avoid their sibling rivalries. Gotta keep them happy, don't you know, even this late in life.

[dverna]

Another thread got me thinking on this. My first gun was a Marlin Model 97 built sometime in the early 1900's, IIRC. It's all I used, loved the heavy octagonal barrel, took many chapparal rabbits.

Decades later looking for a good .22LR lever for small game and marksmanship training with open sights. I know nothing really, about this world now. I'm sure there will be a different recommendation for every shooter who loves his lever, but any recommendations for a good rifle that will be used in the field, a worker, that doesn't break the bank?

You have received some suggestions that blow this "a worker, that doesn't break the bank" out of the water. 94/22's and M39's are not cheap. Lever actions are going to be a tad on the expensive side. Even a used Henry will be about $300-350. A used 10/22 will be $100 less.

[huntinlever]

You have received some suggestions that blow this "a worker, that doesn't break the bank" out of the water. 94/22's and M39's are not cheap. Lever actions are going to be a tad on the expensive side. Even a used Henry will be about $300-350. A used 10/22 will be $100 less.

Yep, agreed. The one thing I'm staying with is a lever, so it seems the Henry is a good choice, value for dollar spent. I don't have a problem at all with the 10/22 - in fact, big Ruger fanboy and always loved shooting the 10/22 (crazy accurate - took small game regularly on iron sights and longish distances, for a .22). Just the love of the lever, probably a lot of childhood nostalgia, and acknowledging I can't drop the coin for another Marlin.