Lever action 22 LR - Which one?????

[shtur]

I use my .22's for small game hunting.
I owned a 39A, which is heavy for it's size and caliber. I had a 39A mountie, and it felt heavy for it's size/caliber.
I have a BL-22, and after replacing both front and rear sights, it is my wife's rabbit getter.

[stubshaft]

There is no other lever action .22 LR besides the Marlin 39A.

Ditto! The Winchester 9422 would be my second choice.

[1Papalote]

Marlin Mountie, if you can find one.
Much lighter than 39A.

My favorite 22 was a pump gun, an early Rossi (Winchester clone)

[Buzz Krumhunger]

I’ve owned a Marlin 39, a 9422, and a Henry. Got rid of the Henry when the paint got scratched off the pot metal receiver by a brass rivet in a saddle scabbard.

Guns with pot metal receivers remind me of junky RG revolvers.

[John Taylor]

Was at a gun show a while back and saw two 1897 Marlins that had price tags over $3,000. I have one that is in need of repair and will get to it when I have time. Out of all the 22s I have owned the #4 Remington tops them all with the 1890 Winchester next, have not found a 22 lever gun that I like yet.

[Drm50]

My first rifle was a 1897 Marlin. I still have it and couldn’t estimate the number of rounds that were run through it when I was a kid. My dad bought it out of collection for $8 in 1955. I bought a new 39m in 70s for my kids. They got over their western phase and preferred Nylon 66. The 39m was as smooth and accurate as my 97. I put a receiver sight on it and used it for squirrel a few years.
It was lightly used and I just sold it a few months ago. I’ve owned Wins and Brownings and Ithaca.
Ithaca 72 is junk. I’ve shot Henry’s. Cant say anything bad about them, just not my cup of tea. The Marlin is like a 1911 Colt, it is what other Lever 22s are judged by. It’s been around since the early versions of 1892.

[bedbugbilly]

I have 2 Henrys - one is an older youth model with a Brooklyn address 0 the other one is one of the "Frontier" models - a beautiful rifle with great walnut, octagon barrel - can't remember the model numbers but not the brass models. Both have butter smooth actions and work flawlessly.

Everyone has their favorite brand - handle them and see which fits you the best and which fits your budget. I don't shoot mine much because of the higher cost of ammo during this shortage and trouble finding it. I hav a supply of it on hand - while I prefer shooting LR - my Henrys feed and shoot Shorts and Longs just fine so I'm not limited to LR. I would imagine the others can do the same.

I like a lever action 22, but I also view them as a all around utility gun - for plinking fun, small game, critters, etc - not for precision target work. Will one brand shot or work better than another brand? Maybe yes, maybe no - all depends on who is looking down the barrel - plus it's no secret that some 22 ammo just seems to work better than others and in these times, what is on the shelf is probably going to dictate what brand of ammo you shoot. Every brand of rifle will also have its plusses and minuses too.

Regardless of the make you go with, a lever action22 will put a big smile one your face whether you are a kid or an "old man" like many of us are. Good luck - hope you find the right one for you and when you do - have fun and enjoy the heck out if it.

[Lksdmachine]

Excellent suggestions in here. I personally prefer a mechanism/receiver made of steel for longevity. Henry receivers are cast aluminum alloy, may be fine, but I never got hooked on that. Same for the new Rossi receivers.

Some additional points of interest would be the Marlin 56(magazine fed) and 57(tube fed) “levermatic”. These sport a very short travel lever where you can cycle the action and never let go of the grip area of the stock. They are becoming more rare these days and are bringing well over 500 each for nice specimens. 1st year production model 56’s are steel receivers and all 57 s,l,lr receivers are alloy unfortunately. The 57 alloy receiver bothered me so much having it be alloy that I took a 56 action and machined it for the tube feed.....now I have a 57 in s,l,lr with a steel receiver.


Another of my favorites is a Taurus 62LA. This is a very rare lever gun based on the Winchester 62 pump action mechanism. Rossi and Taurus made the steel receiver copies of those pump guns in rimfire in blued steel, nickel plate steel and polished stainless. Taurus followed suit with producing a lever action incorporating what Winchester did only in prototype form. Unfortunately the Taurus 62LA is super hard to find and very pricey when encountered. (Made under 2yrs). I’m a rimfire nut and love bizarre or rare mechanisms.

Anyway, it’s all fun and good, enjoy your search!!

[pietro]

I have a NIB 9422, and like new BL-22 Grade II.

I need to sell the 9422 and Browning...

Maybe you can sell ne of them to the OP, Sam Sackett...…..

BTW, while the quality of workmanship/fit/finish on the BL-22 is superb, I found it to be so light that I found it difficult to hold steady enough for effective shots when hunting (TMMV)

.

[nhithaca]

I got a Winchester 150 for Christmas when I was 14, still have it. Always shot very well and still looks & works great. Bought a Marlin 39a Mountie a few years ago and must agree with others here that it is a great rifle. If you can find one that is!

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have a 9422 Winchester, a Marlin 56, two Marlin 39A's, a Ruger 96-22 Mag, and three Henry's, the 24" Octagon, a 20" Octagon 17 HMR and the H001 'standard' model. The Henry H001 20" 'standard' round barrel is the rifle my wife and I shoot the most with the 24" Henry Octagon barrel a close second. With good ammo and a 4-12 Nikon Monarch scope, the 24" Octagon will go under 2 MOA on a good day at 100 yards with the Henry H001 standard coming very close to that. The .17 HMR is more accurate but much more expensive to shoot and does not kill critters very well so I consider the .17 HMR a mistake except for 200 yard practice maybe. The Henry rifle is good, the 17 HMR caliber is the problem. The Browning .22 had some problems with the trigger, trigger return spring or something very long ago, might be fixed now? You are not properly maipulating a lever action rifle if you have your finger inside the trigger guard while working the lever. Millions and millions of Winchester, Marlin and Savage Lever actions manage to function without pinching fingers, a pinched trigger finger is operator error (unless you are disabled in some manner). Hard to beat the Henry's.

[Eddie Southgate]

Of the three you mentioned I would hands down take the Browning even if it meant a short wait to accumulate more funds . I think it's the best rifle of the bunch plus I think in the long term it will hold it's value much better than the Henry or the Rossi .

Between the Browning and the Marlin's others have suggested ,it is a toss up in my mind , I would be very happy with either .

[Sam Sackett]

Thanks for all the replies. Makes me want to keep looking for an older lever gun. I have never handled either the 9422 or the 39A. I think I’ll hold off purchasing until I can handle them to see what really fits me.

Thanks again,
Sam Sackett

[jstanfield103]

Out of all the 22lr levers out there I will list them in the way they are as far as make , quality and accuracy.

1. Winchester 9422, the best lever out of all the levers. Direct feed, smooth as silk and accuracy that none can beat. Build quality is also far superior. Most people including me have this rifle and rate it the best. But is also the most expensive.

2. Marlin 39A, Solid, very well built rifle. Clunky action compared to the Winchester but designed that way. Not direct feed rifle will not feed from any angle (if that matters). Very good accuracy and take down is very easy. I prefer the straight stock Mountie over the pistol stocked regular 39A

3. Browning BL-22, Very well built rifle. The part of the receiver that the stock attaches to is some sort of aluminum but the rest of the receiver is steel. It is also direct feed so can be chambered at any angle. 33 Degree lever throw (allows you to keep your hand on the grip to lever the action) Reassembly of rifle can be a pain. Accuracy is almost as good as the Marlin and Winchester. Lighter rifle than the other two. Best feature is the magazine tube which can be use by a button and closed in any position. No grooved J slot to run a tab into like all the other rifles. This is my favorite out of all the other rifles. It goes to the range 4 times compared to the other rifles. Just love my BL-22's

Henry 22's, Not direct feed. accuracy is on par and close if not the same as the other rifles. Has a lifetime warranty. Made cheaper than the other rifles, not much is steel in the receiver. Heavier rifle and barrel I believe is a softer metal. I have owned several Henry 22's they do not seem to stay around like my other lever 22's. Smooth action almost if not equal to the smoothness of the Winchester. Build quality as far as workman ship very good. Everything matches up and they make a beautiful rifle.

4. Rossi, I have only had one Rossi rifle in pump action. Parts seemed to wear down to easy in it and I did not keep it for and extended time. The have kind of a bad reputation but I do think they are improving their quality. So really can not comment on the Rossi. They seem to be liked.

For me I will stay with my Winchester, Marlin and Browning rifles the best top three in that order. But the Browning being my favorite just because the one I shoot all the time is an old beater that I saved and is worn in well and don't ever have to worry about. Plus I like the feed tube and the short lever throw.

Winchester 1972 made



1955 Marlin 39A Mountie



1980 Browning BL-22. Had a rough life before me. But my favorite rifle.

[Rich/WIS]

Have had an M39 and a Win 250. The M39 went to my son and hte Win is long gone as well. Liked the 250 and got it 63 just after they came out. Not sure of the round count (a lot) but about 67-68 had to send it back to Win, the locking recess in the alloy receiver wore out. Win put a new receiver on it and that eventually began to wear out as well.

[rintinglen]

I have a 39A that will be for sale only after I die. That would be my first choice. I would have taken a Winchester 9422, but they were a hundred bucks more back then, and at that time a hundred bucks meant a lot to me. I found mine in a pawn shop and with a bit of dickering, I got it for $265.00. I would have liked a Mountie, but I never found one for sale until long after I got the 39A. By then, I had fallen for the longer barreled Marlin's accuracy.

[ktw]

If it doesn't have to be a repeater, don't forget about the Winchester Low Wall. There are some quite good Miroku built, Winchester badged examples out there in the used market that don't attract quite the same price attention as the 9422's and 39s. It meets all my needs for a hunting 22.

-ktw

[Hodagtrapper]

I have owned plenty of rifles in bolt, pump and single shot but only one lever action .22. That is a Henry loop handled, round blued barrel and receiver model. Very accurate rifle for me and functions perfectly. The older models mentioned above would be fine choices too.

Chris

[indian joe]

Have had an M39 and a Win 250. The M39 went to my son and hte Win is long gone as well. Liked the 250 and got it 63 just after they came out. Not sure of the round count (a lot) but about 67-68 had to send it back to Win, the locking recess in the alloy receiver wore out. Win put a new receiver on it and that eventually began to wear out as well.

I had a winchester 150 ----same deal, the locking recess wore out - I got it fixed enough to work and traded it off - liked the gun a lot (proly why it wore out ) Ifn I knew then what I knew now might be coulda fixed it properly - thinking steel insert in the top of the reciever somehow ?

[beltfed]

Still have and love my 39A Mountie I bought second hand in early 60s for $45
Very accurate and dependable squirrel rifle.
beltfed/arnie