Best lever action .22

[earlthegoat2]

In my mind, when someone asks what is best, I generally point out the items that were made to a standard not a price point.

Nonetheless, the Marlin 39 has often been billed as an “adult” 22 rifle. As in, one that is sized and weighted for average grown ups who are probably also used to a Marlin 1894.

Either they designed it heavy on purpose and marketed it this way or they just made it and a quite a few years later, not much has changed. I could see the appeal back in the late 1800s to have a rimfire that pointed and shot like your larger bore rifle.

Nowadays there is more interest in target shooting and bringing the family so a rifle that a youth can wield all day is a plus.

For me, there is such thing as too light. It is even possible that I could mistake “too light” for “cheap junk”. Happens to me with ARs all the time.

 

[Trey Veston]

Having grown up in the woods of Idaho with an impending squirrel invasion, my first rifle ever was a Browing BLR22 Grade II.

I shot tens of thousands of rounds through it and was so bold in my late teens as to challenge friends to shooting the cherry off of a lit cigarette at ten paces with said rifle.

Stupidly, I sold it off in the early 90's in pursuit of more manly firearms.

A few years ago, I got the hankering for a new lever-action .22 and stumbled across a rifle that no one has mentioned in this thread.

It was an Uberti Silver Boy patterned after the Winchester 1873 rifle. I found mine on Bud's Gun Shop website on sale for $319.

I snagged it and have found it to be an incredibly handy little rifle with a very light trigger and butter-smooth action.







Y'all can keep squabbling about the Henry's, Winchesters, and the Marlins, while I am perfectly content with my wonderful Uberti.

 

[johnmcl]

There is a graduate level educational thread, The Marlin 39A Thread, in the archives of this forum. Thousands of posts with great content supporting my respectful assertion that the Marlin 39A is no pretender to the throne of King of Lever Action 22s.

 

[kidneyboy]

Browning BL22
Winchester 9422
Marlin 39M

Nostalgia guns. Everything was better when you didn't know as much as you do now.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Nostalgia guns are an interesting concept.

A few folks on here like to say folks only use old designs for nostalgia reasons. What I really think though is that they either don’t understand or are in some way offended that someone is using and enjoying a design would be perceived to be inferior, obsolete, or just plain bad by some.

Folks use what they use maybe for nostalgia or maybe because that is just what they like. For instance, just because you can get reliable, uggo cheap bolt actions for small money doesn’t mean everyone wants bolt gun. Some will pay more for a less accurate and better looking lever gun as long as it does what they want it to do. Same thing with the value that Henry brings to the market. They have drawbacks for sure. They do represent a good value though. Built to a price point and not a standard.

People don’t always buy into good values. They may pay more or less for interesting features or lack thereof.

I am not a Henry hater either. I have a Henry Pump in 22 Mag that is enjoyable and represents a fantastic value that cannot be ignored when it comes to the availability of pump rifles in 22 mag. There was a 22 mag lever for sale a bit back that I wanted but it sadly sold before I could get to it.

 

[Tommygunn]

Having grown up in the woods of Idaho with an impending squirrel invasion, my first rifle ever was a Browing BLR22 Grade II.

I shot tens of thousands of rounds through it and was so bold in my late teens as to challenge friends to shooting the cherry off of a lit cigarette at ten paces with said rifle.

Stupidly, I sold it off in the early 90's in pursuit of more manly firearms.

A few years ago, I got the hankering for a new lever-action .22 and stumbled across a rifle that no one has mentioned in this thread.

It was an Uberti Silver Boy patterned after the Winchester 1873 rifle. I found mine on Bud's Gun Shop website on sale for $319.

I snagged it and have found it to be an incredibly handy little rifle with a very light trigger and butter-smooth action.

View attachment 908329

View attachment 908330

View attachment 908331

Y'all can keep squabbling about the Henry's, Winchesters, and the Marlins, while I am perfectly content with my wonderful Uberti.

Very nice rifles, Trey!!

Did Uberti pattern their .22 lever rifle after an existing rifle, or develop their own mechanism? ?

I'm so tempted by that one with the beautiful brass receiver ... except I've never seen one around here ...and I already own a Winchester 9422 ....

I seriously think if I did see one I'd snag it in a micro-second.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Well now I want to post pics!
The twins
9422/9422M

I bought them as a pair off of gunbroker.
I think I paid about $800 for the pair in 2015 or so. They were boxed and I’m shot at that point in time but I have been well used since on my “woods walks.”


Ugly Betty 39a
I think this rifle is actually been cut down. It clearly was well used. Barrel length is about 181/4 inches. Quite the crack shot rifle, extremely accurate and balanced. The twins above are beautiful and are pampered a bit more than this one.

 

[chicharrones]

Well now I want to post pics!
The twins
9422/9422M

I bought them as a pair off of gunbroker.
I think I paid about $800 for the pair in 2015 or so. They were boxed and I’m shot at that point in time but I have been well used since on my “woods walks.”
View attachment 908414

Ugly Betty 39a
I think this rifle is actually been cut down. It clearly was well used. Barrel length is about 181/4 inches. Quite the crack shot rifle, extremely accurate and balanced. The twins above are beautiful and are pampered a bit more than this one.
View attachment 908415

See there, Ugly Betty reminds me why I like carbines made out of rifles.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Nostalgia guns. Everything was better when you didn't know as much as you do now.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

A few folks on here like to say folks only use old designs for nostalgia reasons.

Some maybe. But in my case as I said I grew up with the Ithaca (later henry). If there were any nostalgia it would favor the Henry. I still have the first one as well as a couple newer ones. Yet of the 4 main guns discussed here it's pretty easily one of the bottom two I'd choose. It and the Browning (due to the lever/trigger design) . Still highly recommended though. All my family had guns. Only one (an uncle) had anything that wasnt a field grade/budget gun and he preferred pump actions so I had never used a 39, BL-22, nor a 9422 until I was married and on my own in the later 90s. I dont hate the Henry. It's my fourth choice and a very good rifle. There are a few lever action rimfires that i wouldn't recommend, The sears 5/Winchester 150 and the Remington 76 being two of them. I just like the pump and lever action rimfires in general.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

The Golden Boy has been a fun rifle for me. I had an MVA #130 installed and a trigger job done. It rings the 8” dinger at 200 yards pretty easily for me and with about any ammunition I stuff in it. It’s had a lot of lead put through it and hasn’t missed a beat. Something worth mentioning is the Golden Boy has more drop in the stock than the blued models and that makes her hang mighty fine

 

[SwampWolf]

I found this piece of paper for a brand new Marlin 39AS bought in 1994 for $296.87.

You made me curious so I looked up the sales receipt for the Marlin Model 39AS I bought new on 3-19-97, from the Sportsman's Den in Shelby, Ohio: $289.00+tax. Not long afterwards, I installed a Williams receiver sight on it. I like the rifle a lot but am not fond of the trigger on it.

 

[chicharrones]

You made me curious so I looked up the sales receipt for the Marlin Model 39AS I bought new on 3-19-97, from the Sportsman's Den in Shelby, Ohio: $289.00+tax. Not long afterwards, I installed a Williams receiver sight on it. I like the rifle a lot but am not fond of the trigger on it.

Nice price! Yep, I have a Williams rear aperture on mine as well, installed in the early 2000s I think.

I did a little trigger work on mine several years ago, but the biggest problem after that work is the trigger spring is still too stiff. I wish there was a source for a lighter trigger spring.

 

[kidneyboy]

I took the little Henry to the range today. What a fun gun to shoot. Plus it like Golden bullets. It really likes 36gr mini mags.

 

[Edcnh]

The only 22 lever gun I currently have is the Henry 22 with an octagon barrel. Fun to shoot and relatively inexpensive. A great pinker gun.

 

[Airman Basic]

Been shooting this Mossberg more years than I care to count. So old that even the cheap rifles were made pretty good.

 

[CraigC]

There is a graduate level educational thread, The Marlin 39A Thread, in the archives of this forum. Thousands of posts with great content supporting my respectful assertion that the Marlin 39A is no pretender to the throne of King of Lever Action 22s.

That's definitely debatable.

 

[Texas10mm]

Marlin Golden 39A.

My buddy and I were shooting both of ours yesterday. Very accurate rifles. He was really surprised to see what they are getting for them on GunBroker.

 

[AZmark]

I've had first hand experience with the following and I'd rate them as follows:
1. Winchester 94/22
2. Marlin 39
3. Mossberg (not sure what model but it was old 50s or 60s)

unfortunately you would have to but used as these classics are things of the past

 

[crestoncowboy]

Mossberg (not sure what model but it was old 50s or 60s)

If it had a curved lever like the 39a it Maybe a 402. You see the 402 show up pretty often on gunbroker. Usually with broken ejectors or firing pins. They are a good bit cheaper than all the others though if you want one

 

[mustbe]

The marlin is a huge fat heavy gun compared to the saddle gun shaped others.

The Marlin 39D is the epitome of 22 levers. Gonna have to spend some money though.

 

[AZmark]

Been shooting this Mossberg more years than I care to count. So old that even the cheap rifles were made pretty good.

If it had a curved lever like the 39a it Maybe a 402. You see the 402 show up pretty often on gunbroker. Usually with broken ejectors or firing pins. They are a good bit cheaper than all the others though if you want one

It was the one shown in this pic that reminded me of it. It was my stepgrandfathers and It dissappeared for years, then my Mom found in behind the headboard of her bed 20 yrs after my dad had passed away. She took it to a gunsmith friend of hers and he cleaned it up and gave it to me. It still shoots great. I gave it to my nephew as when he heard of it he talked about how my dad would let him go out and shoot crows around the house with it.