.22lr lever action

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qwert65

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Hello,

I've got a hankering to get another .22lr lever action. I already own a Henry so I'm looking at a Marlin, Mossberg or used Winchester. Of these I've only fired the Marlin which I liked.

I am a huge Winchester fan though and understand the Winchester handles like the 94. Is this true?

The Mossberg is a couple hundred bucks cheaper does anyone have any expierence with them? Are they comprable to the Henry in quality?(not a knock on the Henry)

My only knock on the Marlin is the 24" barrel as I have short arms and occasionaly carry a rifle on horseback. Not a deal-breaker but I'd prefer a 20" barrel. Any thoughts?
 
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The Winchester 9422 is a nice rifle that unfortunatly isn't being made now, but are available used.
Although named after the 1894, the mechanism is really quite different and the only way it can be said to "handle" like it's big brother 1894 in .30-30 is that it is lever action.
It is a pretty nice action though.
Marlin and Browning .22 lever actions will also be nice guns.
The Henry is nice, but it's an economy gun and while many like it, some don't believe it will last as long as the others mentioned.
 
Pleased with my Marlin 39A, but it does have a 24" barrel. :)


marlin39_04.jpg
 
Another vote for the BL-22. It has the most practical accuracy of any rifle I have fired. It draws naturally to the shoulder for shooters of all ages. Fit and finish are top notch, and the action of the lever is a shorter stroke than any I've tried.
Only downside is the sights aren't the best for those of us who's eyes aren't what they used to be, and there aren't any good peep sights for it that I'm aware of.
You can occasionally find a Marlin 39 with a 20" barrel. Also a good choice.
 
He's already got a Henry,

I've got a Marlin,Winchester and Browning.
The browning is nice but the trigger is a bit heavy and hard to improve.
The Winchester is the smoothest action.
The Marlin's ( one stock length and one shortened with thinned down wooden foreend)
are not as smooth as the winchester and have the thicker typical Marlin wooden foreend which can be thinned down if you don't like the feel....

I feel the Marlin's are way to long..... I bought this one that the previous owner had shortened to 18 inches and it handles way better,
Marlin22007.jpg
 
I have a 39A that's set up just like EAJ's above. The Skinner on it is even brass; it looks identical. If I had to sell off all my other .22 rifles, it is the one I'd keep.

It has the most practical accuracy of any .22 I have fired (offhand or in hunting positions -- bench shooting bores me to death and I just don't do it for anything but sighting in). The BL-22 is skinny and light; these things never add up to practical accuracy. Neither do open sights of any kind, compared to good aperture sights. Go to any lever gun silhouette match, and every serious shooter will be using peeps. It's not because they like to spend extra money. The 24" barrel holds steady offhand, and the 39A feels like a real gun, with the right heft and balance.

I have a 20" 39 also. Mine is a rare tapered octagon, and it's a looker. It also carries well. But the 24" 39A with the Skinner on it is my top choice as a shooter.
 
The Henry you have now is a good shooter, but you deserve a quality gun. I own both the 94-22 and a couple of Marlins. I would highly recommend either. Both of my Marlins are 50's and 60's era Mounties with straight stocks and 20" barrels. I just like to be different. If you take your time looking in used gun racks they do turn up from time to time if you want that length. Someday I'll get one of the 24" barreled pistol grip versions. Both the Winchester and Marlin are a step up in quality over the Henry rifles.

I have no experience with the Browning, but have no doubt it is good as well.

Does Mossberg even make a lever 22? The only thing I am aware of is the 464 lever action in 30-30.
 
CZ_Amer_Win9422.jpg
My personal preference is the Winchester M9422. :) That said I have a Marlin M39A, should say I had one; family member claimed it for their own. When the Browning BL22 was first introduced I acquired one. There were problems. Browning corrected the deficiencies. Along the way it got sold off.
 
So it seems it really is a toss up excepting barrel length? Are the Winny's that well made throughout production or were certain years not the best quality?(ie late 60s Winchester)

I don't know if this threads helped me Now I want BOTH! :)
 
I prefer the long barrel on my 39a. It balances well for me, and is very stable when shooting off hand. When hunting I don't use ear protection, and the long barrel really cut the noise down.
 
Another vote for the Marlin, but I'll admit that I have no experience with the others. I'm sure the Winchester and the Browning are both good rifles. About the only "knock" I've got for the Marlin is that it's heavy, but then all steel and walnut aren't really a "bad" thing, are they?

Marlin39-A.gif

Yea, Yea...I know. A (GASP) scope on a lever gun. :what: Sorry boys and girls, my eyes aren't what they never were. I made the longest shot I ever made a squirrel with this rifle. 79 steps from where I stood, to where the squirrel landed out of the top of a big oak tree. :D

And I know this isn't what you're looking for, but it IS a lever gun and I just like to show it off. :neener:

An Ithaca M-49 Single-Shot (The magazine tube is fake). It's a falling block single shot made to look like a lever gun. You want to talk about short, light and handy? Ithaca made them back in the 60-70's to take advantage of the popularity of TV westerns, I suppose. I wanted one when I was a kid and never got it. When I saw this one on the rack at my local dealer a couple of years ago, I had to have it. I remember a 12 year old county kid standing in front of the gun rack at Sears just wishing everytime I see it. Man that kid would have been in high cotten back in the day. :D

000_0032.gif
 
The tube came from the factory. Sears sold a version of the same gun under the Ted Williams name that didn't have it.

There was also a repeater version (The 49R) that I've never seen, but have seen pictures of.
 
I am in the market for a .22 lever gun and although the browning is a nice looking piece and may be finely built, I cannot bring myself to buy a japanese made rifle. sorry. can't do it.
I think i'll be buying the marlin.
I had the henry .22 survival rifle a few years back. was not impressed with it at all (i know, i know...it's not a lever gun but...). I felt it was very cheaply made. It's the only gun I have ever sold. Sold it for $90 and felt like I ripped the guy off.
 
from Browning's website:

Question:
Where are Browning firearms manufactured?
Answer:

Browning firearms have been traditionally made in locations world-wide. John M. Browning's first rifle, the Single Shot, was made in Ogden, Utah. The next guns carrying the Browning name were made in Belgium. This continued for many decades. This was the result of John M. Browning's lasting relationship with Fabrique Nationale, in Herstal, Belgium. Most Browning guns were made in Belgium by F.N. until the mid '70s when some production was shifted to Miroku in Japan. Today's Browning firearms are made in either Belgium, Portugal, Japan or in the United States. With some exceptions this is the breakout:

Browning Firearm Manufacturers


Belgium
Superposed


Belgium (assembled in Portugal)
Gold 12 and 20 ga. shotguns Silver shotgun, Maxus shotgun, Hi-Power Pistol, FN Pistols, BAR Mark II Safari Rifle, and BAR Shorttrac and Longtrac rifles.


Italy
The BDA 380 Autoloading pistol

Japan
Citori, Cynergy, BLR Lightweight, BLR Lightweight '81, A-Bolt II, X-Bolt, BT-99, BL-22 Rifle, Auto-22 Rifle, T-Bolt, BPS (all), and Gold 10 ga.

United States
Buck Mark Pistols and rifles
 
I tried to salvage an Ithaca like that from flood damage during Hurricane Ike. It didn't work out so well, so the gun is gone. :(

Cool little falling block action though. Yours is a nice one Cajun Bass. :cool:
 
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