[Kentucky-roughrider]

I am guilty of being one of those people who said "22LR was for kids and I had no use for them" or at least I thought it if I didn't say it. However a friend of mine reintroduced me to the fun of shooting one, and since I no olonger own a 22 that I trust. What would be a good one, and remmeber I am a lever gun addict?

[tmrami]

Well, I have a .22 Henry lever action that I absolutely love! If I remember correctly it was around $250 at Walmart.

[greyling22]

Henry makes a nice one, cheapest of the elver 22's too. Browning makes good one too, very short lever though takes a bit of getting used to though. But most folks seem to think the marlin is the best of the lever 22's. It's a big heavy gun compared to the other 2. Think rifle as compared to a carbine.

In a semi auto, ruger and marlin both make good guns. I've never been impressed with the remington semi's.

[TCB in TN]

I love my lever guns to. My favorite is the Marlin 39a/39m. They are wonderful rifles. Solid, well made, accurate, and beautiful IMHO. Hard to beat them. I do like the Henry, they are a nice little gun, but don't have the look or feel of the marlin, of course they don't cost as much either.

[cmat]

Winchester or Taurus model 62, I like levers too but the pump makes for a very fun and fast action.

[Abel]

I would search for a Marlin 39 used. As in, pre-2008. Or a Henry.

[BrocLuno]

Winchester 9422. Marlin 39A. Both at the top of the game in 22 levers. Classics in their own right. Couple of sears branded "hammerless" levers around in the used market.

I'd spend a bit of time on GunBroker and AuctionArms with searches on .22 & lever as key words and see what you see? You'll get a taste for what's out there. Go try a few at the store and see what fits your shoulder and build. You will find a comfortable one and that'll be the one to get :)

[Geno]

Marlin 39A
Henry
Win 94/22 (no longer made)

Geno

[CraigC]

Marlins can still be had at decent prices. Winchester 94/22's are my favorite but are demanding collector/speculator prices these days.

[hogcowboy]

I happen to like the feel of the Marlin over the Henry.

[Naybor]

Yeah, the Marlin 39A.

[PX15]

Greyling22:

Think of Marlin 39A's as a "big heavy gun", unless you you get a "Mountie" (or CL like mine). :)

My Marlin Model 39 (Century Limited) is actually smaller than my Browning SA22 (ATD)...

Jesse

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a73/Laserlips/100_2349.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a73/Laserlips/100_2363.jpg

[T.R.]

I prefer an accurate and reliable semi-auto rifle for plinking.

- Savage 64 or Stevens 62

- Squire Bingham 20

- Marlin / Glenfield 60

TR

[bigfatdave]

.22 isn't for kids ... .22 is for shooting a whole lot for cheap.

I own and enjoy a Henry lever carbine (shorter barrel, big loop lever for my big hands) and ordered a Mare's Leg yesterday to match it. Henry makes a whole bunch of lever-gun models, and they're pretty affordable.

There are others, and they might be a bit tougher ... but for a .22lr Henry is making a gun that is still overbuilt for the pressures it sees. They make .22wmr and .17hmr models, too.

[76shuvlinoff]

Marlin fan here, an older 39A is a classy tack driver.

For a semi auto a Marlin 60 will let you off easy and give you much more than your money's worth.

One of each is a corner full of grins.

;)

[CaliCoastie]

well i love levers also, most of mine are marlin. I have a 39a, shop around and you can find them around 300 used. i also have a 57m in 22mag, made back in the 60's with tubular mag and short throw(2in). really steer you twords the 39a/m/d, american steel, american black walnut, and take down.

[CoastieShep]

Another vote for the Marlin.
Most accurate thing I've ever shot.

[Furncliff]

I have a Marlin 39M, and I gave my wife a Browning BL22 for Valentines Day some years back. The Browning is lighter, and the ladies in my family favor it, it might be more accurate than my Marlin. Most of the ones you will see for sale are made in Japan, which shouldn't dissuade you, they are nicely made and the wood and metal finish is excellent. Those made in Belgium are a bit harder to find.

The Marlin is heavier and larger, it's built as if it where meant to live a 100 years. And they have a reputation for accuracy.

[jpwilly]

I use to feel the same way for years my 22lr didn't leave the corner of the closet. I grew up with this Winchester rifle and shot quite a few bricks of ammo through it as a young man.

Then one day I took it back out to dust it off and relive the glory days and realized that shooting 22lr was as much fun, if not more fun, than some of the centerfires I had given up 22lrs for.

Now I have 4 22lr rifles, 3 22lr handguns, and a 22lr drop in conversion kit for my AR-15's...generally shooting 1/2 to a full brick at the range almost every time. It's help me become a much better centerfire shooter too.

[caribou]

The Power of .22 LR is AWSOME!!!

Its a universal caliber, quiet nd not over power'd for small game. Good self defense round as well.....mega "lots" can be carried all the do da day, maby a years supply if you lump it ....

Invest in .22lr, it very well may be the currency of the future..... :D

[az_imuth]

I have several of the .22 lever guns and have a tough time disliking any of them. I think the Winchester, Marlin or Henry would be a good rifle for the majority of folks out there. I haven't used a Browning yet, but they do look to be a good, quality rifle and I intend to get one eventually.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to get!

[SwampWolf]

Either the Marlin 39 or the Winchester 9422 are the ones I'd recommend. Another good choice is the Browning BL-22.

[ilove2shoot]

hmmm, tough choice between the Marlin and Henry. I have at one time or another owned both and have enjoyed both. I would take either in my humber opinion.

[toivo]

I have a boatload of .22 rifles. The only levers are two Winchester 9422's that I bought before they were discontinued and got stupid expensive. They are great rifles, but I wouldn't buy one at today's prices. I would probably go for a Marlin 39 instead.

I have no personal experience with the Henry, but I've seen a few at the range. People seem to like theirs.

If you want a semi-auto, the Marlin 60 is a great deal for the money. If you want a tinkering/project rifle, go for a Ruger 10/22 because of all the aftermarket goodies you can get. Otherwise, you'll get just as good a rifle for less money with the Marlin.

Savage and Marlin both make great bolt rifles for reasonable prices. If you want to spend a little more cash and move up one notch in "class," go for a CZ: either the old model 452 (my preference) or the new 455 that lets you swap barrels to let you use .22WMR or .17 if you want.

And then there's pumps. Older Remington 572 would be my choice (I have one), but the Henry pumps are popular too.

[Snowdog]

I just received a nice "full-size" Mossberg M146B-A bolt action .22 S/L/LR that was C&R eligible (1954) and inexpensive. It's tube magazine holds 30 .22shorts or 20 LRs.

It's my 3rd .22LR rifle, but possibly my favorite already. It's great when you know the new-to-you firearm you've just received will be dirt cheap to feed.

http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/210362000/210362773/pix463245742.jpg

[CZguy]

I've come full circle back to .22s.

Since the OP said he likes pumps the Marlin 39a is the best one out there. I prefer a good used one, as the action is slicker than the new ones with the extra safety. A Henry Golden Boy isn't built to last several generations, like the Marlin, but they have the best customer service in the industry. I like the Winchesters, but the prices are ridicules.

There are many others .22s that I really enjoy. CZ 452 (any variation) Winchester 69A, Remington 572, Marlin 60, and yes everyone should own at least one Ruger 10/22.

[cookekdjr]

Best levers are the Browning BL-22 and the Marlin 39 series.
The Browning has superb balance and shoots very well off-hand. The lever stroke is shorter than any other levergun I have tried. it oozes quality. But the sights are made for young eyes and it doesn't have as many after-market offerings as the Marlin.

The Marlin is a classic, and you can readily find peep sight options for it.

[NWCP]

I like the Winchester 9422. I also have the 9422M and the 9417. All three have been great rifles and fun to shoot. Along with all of my various centerfire rifles I must have at least 6 .22 caliber rifles. I have enjoyed shooting .22s since my dad gave me my first.I still own and shoot that rifle on a routine basis. No collection is complete without some good .22s in lever, bolt and semi auto configurations. Same goes for pistols.

[WoofersInc]

I really like my Henry lever guns. Thne action on them is one of the smoothest out there.

I have really come to embrace the 22lr in the last 2 years. Guns in this chambering are the most I have bought over that time frame. I now have over 20 different 22's and have my eye on a few more. The amout of shooting I can do for the lower cost makes them some of my most used guns.
A big plus is that I have 8 of them set up for suppressor use which adds to the fun.:)

[kimberkid]

Henry levers are what got me started, the Marlin 39A is what keeps me.

I'd picked up a standard Henry on impulse at Walmart, shot it a few times and got to liking it ... wanting something a bit nicer and more accurate I picked up a Henry Golden Boy Engraved. Then a couple weeks later I stopped at a garage sale and saw this pore 'ole Marlin 39A with a barrel like a sewer pipe. I talked to the lady running it and she had found it in the basement of her parents house ... and I decided for $50 it would make a good project gun. I found a Century Limited barrel for it cheap and being a DYI kind of guy and thinking I couldn't hurt it too much anyway I installed the barrel myself, picked up a new mag tube from Numrich and refinished the wood ... when I finally got it all together I took it out and shot it and fell in love with it.

Now years later I've had a couple Winchesters and Brownings but along with the first Henry they're long gone ... the Golden Boy gets wiped down every year but has yet to be fired ... I still have the pore ole Marlin and a Original Golden 39A I've picked up along the way ... as someone mentioned they are built to last for generations and it won't be long before my grandson is ready to graduate from his Daisy and shoot his first real gun.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/kimberkid/Toys/P2090049.jpg

[SwampWolf]

Since the OP said he likes pumps the Marlin 39a is the best one out there.

What am I missing here? :confused:

[J-Bar]

One? My god man, why limit yourself to one .22??

Get a semi-auto (Ruger, Marlin), a bolt action (Savage, Remington), a pistol (Ruger, Browning), a revolver (Ruger, S&W, Colt).

Life is short!!

[CZguy]

Quote:
Since the OP said he likes pumps the Marlin 39a is the best one out there.

What am I missing here?


I'd like to be able to say that was a test..........and that you passed.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. I made a mistake. :o

[Dulvarian]

22 LR is a great caliber. Lever, bolt, semi, take your pick. Irons, scopes, red dots, lasers.

CZ makes a nice bolt if you don't mind spending a bit on it.

[SwampWolf]

I'd like to be able to say that was a test..........and that you passed.


I like that option best. I don't pass many tests any more. :)

[RandomPerson]

I know quite a few people who make fun of 22LR. The ones I know will pull out their macho pistol, fire 20 times and have 20 different holes on their target from 7 yards. This makes me smile to myself when I use my 22LR guns to make a single group hole after 5-10 rounds, and after about 20-40 rounds I'm simply shooting through the hole and not touching any paper.

[Coal Dragger]

If you must have a lever action .22LR the only one worth buying in my (not terribly valuable) opinion is the Marlin 39A. I have long had a fetish with high quality .22LR firearms, and just yesterday traded off a .308 Steyr SSG 69 on a Cooper M57 with a laminated stock.

For the first time in my adult life I am without a .308.... but I've got one hell of a nice and accurate .22LR. Besides my new Cooper M52 in .280 AI out shot the SSG rather badly, so I no longer needed a target rifle that couldn't keep up with a hunting rifle.

Also if today's session is any indication the Cooper M57 is a keeper, wonderful trigger probably around 2.5-3lbs, slick feeding of most ammo, positive extraction of most ammo, and good accuracy even with cheapo Federal Game Shock 36gr hollow points. Managed a 5 round 50 yard group with these that was flirting with 1/2" until the wind started blowing me, the bullets, and the target around. Still not bad for shooting over a rolled up rain coat on the hood of my pickup.

I have a few gripes though, first of all the match chamber is really tight and sometimes a loaded round will not extract since the bullet is into the rifling, although I had no issues with this once any standard rounds were fired. Also the CCI stingers gave me a failure to extract all the time with a loaded round, and even once with a fired case. My guess is the longer case is also getting into the rifling and is sticking a bit. Kind of a shame since they were easily holding under 3/4" at 50 yards in the wind with a ton of horizontal stringing. I also noticed just the faintest traces of tool marks from the reamer pilot when the barrel was crowned, not a big deal since accuracy doesn't seem to suffer any that I can tell and the marks have already smoothed out from firing live ammo. Honestly I am a bit of a loony when it comes to machine marks in a barrel anyway....

[Picher]

I also have a 39A and love the rifle, but the bore is rough and I needed to do a bit of work to make it fire consistently and extract well. Workmanship on the newer guns leaves a lot to be desired. Even the scope screw holes weren't aligned with the bore and the iron sights are not quite on top of the barrel. The metal and wood finish are very good, however.

I'd recommend finding a very good, used one.

[Kentucky-roughrider]

I purchased a Henry on Monday, was planning on testing it on Tuesday, the wind make it impossible to preform the test we were going to do. A pond being taken over by turtles amd that said friend, said she enjoyed shooting those pest more than targets. I will post photos when I learn how to.