Lever action or semi-auto .22?

Lever action or semi-auto for a .22

  • Lever Action

    Votes: 82 53.9%
  • Semi-Auto

    Votes: 70 46.1%

  • Total voters
    152
Status
Not open for further replies.

KeithCo88

Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
28
I'm in the market for a .22 and had been dead set on a semi-auto (tho I still haven't decided which yet) but I've read a few threads on here where people are all about the lever actions. My question: why are the lever actions more expensive? Are they more reliable & accurate (out of the box) or is it just because of the extra machining to make the lever action?

I'm looking for a .22lr (tho I hear the henry lever can take any manner of 22 which sounds simply awesome) that I can buy, clean and shoot out of the box. I don't wanna customize anything...I just wanna shoot and be able to clean it myself without having an advanced degree or ridiculous tools. Should I go lever or semi-auto?

Lever I'll almost definitely go Henry...I know there's a lot of Marlin fans out there but it's just a little north of my price range and if the Henry can in fact eat any manner of .22 that's just more suitable for my purposes. Question: does your arm get tired after a long shooting session w/the lever?

Semi-Auto is the standard debate between all the usual suspects so we don't need to rehash that here. I don't want to spend all day reloading which is why I was originally partial to a semi-auto...but if I can't hit stuff with it as well as a lever then screw it!

So where should my hard earned money go...lever or semi-auto?
 
Last edited:
Some of the most accurate .22 rifles made today are match modified Ruger 10/22 semi-auto's.

Probably the most accurate lever-action, out of the box, is the Marlin 39A.
It too will shoot any .22 Short, Long, or Long Rifle ammo interchangable.
But they hardly make Longs anymore, and Shorts cost twice as much as Long Rifles.

Either one is so simple to take down for cleaning, even a cave man can do it!

And no, your arm doesn't get tired operating the lever.

You should be able to buy a very nice used 39A for not much more then a new Henry.
And I for one would rather have the used 39A.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=230905657
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=231136424

rc
 
I suspect the price difference between the semi-auto and the lever action is due to the fact that the blowback semi auto action is very simple in design and usually uses very few parts compared to the lever. JMHO.
 
I often use CCI CB Longs for quiet backyard pest control. I haven't yet personally encountered a semi-auto that will cycle those rounds reliably. A lever will.
 
When my son was eight, I started him shooting. He now has a Ruger 10/22, a Smith 15/22 and a Henry lever gun. When we take off to go do some plinking, he'll grab the lever gun before the other two 8 times out of ten. I asked him why and he said that the lever gun was just more fun and easier to load.

Personally, when I'm heading into the woods and just want to have something with me, I grab my .357 lever gun, when I have a bunch of other semis available and for the same reasons stated by my son. No magazines to worry about. Easy to load and top off and mighty compact. The biggest plus is reliability. The lever eats anything.

I also have a 10/22 that I like to shoot, but geez, it's a money pitt. It shoots really well and is right up there with some very nice bolt guns, but man, I have around $1K in it, not including the scope and mount.

You might also consider a Marlin for a semi auto. I just don't care for them because they are too long to be handy for me.
 
I have bolt action, lever action and semi auto 22s. I almost always grab the semi when heading out. For anything except for the most casual shooting the semi is the most versatile. Of all of my rifles, my basic 10/22 w/Tech Sights gets used the most.
 
I have rimfire levers and a 10//22 as well. While I like the 10/22 and find it to be quite accurate, it's a lever gun that I'll grab if I want something fun to shoot. Get the Henry and then you can pick up a used 10/22 for pretty cheap if you keep your eyes peeled.

Best of luck in whatever you decide!
 
I have both levers and a semi auto. I have a Winchester mod 150 lever, a Henry lever, and a Marlin mod 60. I love them all! The Marlin is the one that I would say is the best value, and it will eat a brick of ammo faster than the other two can do as a team.

I think semi autos are way more fun for plinking. You can get some reactive targets, spread them out, and see who can hit them all the fastest will the fewest misses. It is allot of fun, but you can triple your time with anything but a semi. There are allot of speed games that are much more fun with a semi, IMO.

Take a long look at the Marlin 60 before you decide on anything..... They are dirt cheap, accurate, and reliable.
 
You are in NJ right ?

So get a Lever gun, and go shoot NRA smallbore cowboy silhouette!!

I believe there are several Silhouette clubs in you general area.
 
Different strokes. For me, nothing is more fun than a good .22LR levergun. My first choice is the Winchester 94/22, second Marlin 39, third Browning BL-22. No, in 20yrs of shooting them I've never had my arm get tired from running the lever. Nor have I found a semi-auto to be 'more' fun but some folks like brunettes, some like blondes. You have to decide for yourself what you like the most. The important thing is to approach your selection with an open mind.
 
I currently own a CZ 452 American in .22Lr and a Marlin Model 60 in .22LR. I am not set on getting a Henry H001T in .22S/L/LR. There is something about shooting a lever that is a lot of fun. I like my M60, but in PA you can't hunt with a semi. I think this is something that makes the Henry a little more appealing to my needs. I like my semi, but I just find the lever to be more of a fun hunting and plinking gun. It is also a huge factor knowing that the Henry will eat up any ammo you feed it, and do so reliably. I vote lever..

Just my $0.02.
 
I prefer semi-autos to levers, but my favorite is a pump. I have my father's old and well-worn Win 06 that is too loose to shoot (now that I am old enough to recognize it :eek: ), but I bought a Rossi clone about 15 years ago from a friend, and it is my hands-down favorite. My Ruger 10-22 is an accurate and fun gun, too, and I don't think you'd be ill-served by any of them. I used to keep shotgun shells hopping in caliche pits in west Texas holding the pump at my waist & shooting on instinct (defined as hundreds of rounds of practice). If I were mandated to have one gun only, it would be the Rossi (or the 06 after an impending restoration/rebuild). "Cream and sugar with your coffee?" :)
 
I like them all, but enjoy shooting my Henry the most.

Not only is is a joy to shoot and accurate to boot, it's the only rimfire I've ever owned that's been 100% reliable with any ammo I've fed it.
 
My son's first gun is a Henry.22. What a beautiful work of art! I have a couple of Marlins That I picked up used for about the same money. But I'm looking for a Henry in .22 magnum.
 
I learned many moons ago on an old single shot bolt action, and they still have a special place in my heart. I love my 10/22. It gets cranky for a cleaning after a few bricks though. I've never had that problem with a lever. Rain or shine, day or night, dirty or clean, never had a problem. I say both! But if you have to choose one, I would get a 10/22 now. (And the other for your next birthday! :cool: ) My 2 cents FWIW. Thanks.
-Gig 'em-
 
I chose the lever gun because you can fire cb shorts in it. It's like shooting a bb gun on steroids!!
 
i've used them all over the years but have owned more bolt actions because "I" am a better shooter with one. not that semis are less accurate by any means. its just a brick of cheap 22s and a fast trigger bring out the stupid in me.even so my 1022 sees more daylight than the rest. if you like a semi they're cheaper and easier find (older ones even say s/L/Lr on the barrel ), if you "don't want to spend all day reloading" get the henry or get all the clips you can find and load all night.
 
To me it's like the difference in having a tv with a remote and having one where you have to get up and go change the channel on the tv.
So then what would a five-shot boltgun be equated to, a transistor radio?

It's not all about "playing cowboy". The levergun offers tons of utility and they are usually more accurate than their antagonists claim them to be. They are imminently useful and have up very little practical accuracy to a bolt gun, while being vastly quicker to operate; give up very little in practical speed to the automatic, while offering much more appeal to the more traditional shooter. Simply put, they work. The naysayers are usually those who have never owned one and never would, like you Jeff. You just don't "get it". Which is okay, there are lots of things I don't get.
 
I prefer the lever too - I have a 94/22.

In our safe we have a lever, bolt and semiauto 22's. When my youngest son wanted to 'upgrade' his cz...he got a henry.

Although the lever action is an old american design, many rifles chambered in levers will never be chambered in any semi-auto.

Really, the 22's...when reflecting....the 22's that are shot the most and enjoyed the most when plinking are the tube fed ones. Magazines take too long to reload and can be bothersome on the thumb after a while.
 
I didn't vote, because I like both for different reasons. My accurized 10-22 will shoot at least as well as my scoped 39A, but it's more difficult to clean. I don't mind cleaning after an extensive range session, but the 39A just stays so much cleaner in the action that I feel I don't need to clean it as often.

When walking the back forty, I usually grab the 39A, but lately have been taking my CZ 455 .22 Mag, should I chance on a coyote, but mostly because it's new and recently accurized and shooting mighty fine. If I feel like pulling triggers more, the 39A will be the first one chosen.

I don't normally take my .22LR bolt actions down back, but use them extensively at the range. They are the ultimate in accuracy, due to free-floated barrels, excellent triggers, tight chambers, consistent firing mechanisms and often...higher scope magnifications than I employ on my walk-about rifles. They clean most easily also, and are my first choice for centerfire rifles, for any recreational use.

Picher
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top