Buying a 22 lever action

[chicharrones]

In my case, these were first guns for the kids. They can handle the young, new owner "learning to take care of firearms" period that all first guns go through. As the kids get older, they can save for the solid steel guns to add to their collection later.

JMHO

Dan

I agree with that. Let the kids learn on guns you won't cry over if they scratch it, nick it, or come home with rust on it. And as Furncliff said, the standard 39A with the 24" barrel is nose heavy for young ones shooting off hand.

The kids can always get a Marlin 39 as a college graduation gift, if they still want one by then.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I agree with that.

I don't. If it is in my safe and my child can handle the caliber and platform, then they can shoot it. I don't care if my sons happen to damage the finish, I bought them to shoot and enjoy with my family. A couple of dings are worth it if I get to teach a younger generation to shoot IMO.

 

[RevDerb]

I love my lever Marlins but couldn't justify the big bucks for a 39a so I picked up a Henry H001 and have absolutely no regrets. It is really smooth and really accurate.

 

[JohnBT]

I vote for a used Mountie; straight stock and a 20" barrel.

A fine gun that's scratched up and worn always looks better to me than a scratched up worn inexpensive gun. Otoh, somehow my Mountie still looks good after 48 years.

 

[Quoheleth]

Used Winchester 250s can be found. Similar in looks to a Ruger but use a tubular magazine. I have my Dads that he bought back in '63 - his first post-college graduation purchase. It's slick and smooth. It might not be my favorite gun in the safe, but it'll never leave for good.

Q

 

[chas08]

I once owned a Winchester 9422, a sweeter lever 22lr I've never handled, so I voted other. If I had to buy "new" today I would be looking at the Henry. I'm not ready to trust the new Marlins yet. An older Marlin 39A would be nice, but I've never seen one with a straight grip, though they may exist.

 

[Sky]

My FLL had a Henry for $270. I really checked the rifle over. Action was smooth and finish was beautiful.....except.....this was a new rifle.....already had two places on the barrel where sub-finish rust or corrosion was starting. I passed on the deal and the rifle was sold that week to someone.?... I got to thinking about the beautiful golden finish (keeping the finger prints off) and the corrosion under the bluing (surely not standard for the Henry) and I do not have the hots for one anymore..Kinda reminds me of a rifle you hang over the fire place ...Just my thoughts and experience.

 

[x_wrench]

i own a henry, its on ok gun, but nothing like the marlin. if you buy a marlin, you will use it, your kids will use it, and your grand kids will still be using it after you are long gone. if you subject a henry to that much shooting, it will have to be replaced before you go. i bought the henry due to financial restrictions. plus the fact that i will not shoot it so much that my son will be able to shoot it. but his kids will be out of luck i am afraid. you know the old saying, quality, price, speed (in this case, longevity), pick two.

 

[DM~]

So, i guess some of you guys have wore a Henry out? How many rounds did it take?

I know of one with over 20,000 rounds through it without failure, so you guys must have shot your's a LOT!

DM

 

[CraigC]

20,000rds is just getting started. I put that many through a 50yr old Single Six in just three years.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I know of one with over 20,000 rounds through it without failure

20,000 isn't much in a 22. My marlin 60's have digest many, many 1000 round bricks.

But yeah, I get your point. Everyone says they won't last...but no one says "mine didn't last."

I'll admit, the machine work leaves much to be desired...but the new marlin 39a's aren't exactly wonders of modern machinery, either.

Yeah, the plastic barrel band does turn me off on the henry, but the octagonal barrel doesn't have that...it also has a dovetailed front slot.

 

[CraigC]

Everyone says they won't last...but no one says "mine didn't last."

That's because everyone who expects to shoot tens upon tens of thousands of rounds through a .22LR knows and appreciates the difference between pot metal and blued steel. So they buy Winchester, Marlin, Colt, USFA, Uberti and Ruger instead of Henry and Heritage. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a rifle constructed of milled steel will last longer than one constructed of pot metal. Who wants to spend enough time with a pot metal rifle to wear it out???

 

[DM~]

20,000rds is just getting started. I put that many through a 50yr old Single Six in just three years.

Agreed, 20K isn't all that much! BUT, it's still going strong too!

To listen to some of you, a Henry won't last but a few years, and i just haven't seen the proof of that! I have 2 Henry levers, and my H001 is a better rifle than i expected it to be.

I had a Ruger single six fail in less than 5,000, so i guess they are junk.

I had a Ruger semi auto that to this day, is the worst jam-0-matic i've ever owned, so they are junk too!

BTW, i'm told all the new Henrys have the steel sights and steel band, and you can buy them from Henry IF your old Henry has plastic.

DM

 

[Ringo1234]

I have a newer Henry 22 and like it a lot, probably 1000 rounds through it so far. As someone said up there, mines for me and the kids for plinking. If they scratch it whatever fine. When I get some extra cash probably going to get a marlin for me only. They can fight over it after I'm dust.

 

[JohnBT]

The current Henry company has only been making their lever .22s since 1993. It's way too early to tell how they will hold up. I'm not saying they won't, just that it's too soon to tell.

Marlin rimfires made over 100 years ago are still going strong.

JT

 

[chicharrones]

Isn't the Henry a new manufactured version of the old Ithaca/Erma Model 72?

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=398117

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=232856257
http://www.gunsamerica.com/90770294...ever_Action_Erma_W_Germany_Mfg_ca_1975.htm?&#
http://www.texasfirearmsales.com/Site/Long_Guns/Entries/2008/7/16_Ithaca_saddlegun_.22.html
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=8482136

My dad had an old Ithaca 49 single shot styled like a lever repeater. Because it was cared for, it lasted for decades until Hurricane Ike got it and pitched it into the flood waters. It was an unrepairable rust bucket after sitting in salt water for a few days.

 

[LOLBELL]

Bl 22

I would have to go with a Browning, I got one for Christmas when I was 12. I will be 51 in 2 days. There is no telling at the hunders of bricks of LR, Longs, and shorts that have been fired through it with 0 jams. I passed it to my oldest son when He was 12. My father-in-law passed a 39a to my youngest son when he was 12. The 39 jams at least 3 or 4 times every session and shaves a slice of lead off of every bullet as it is cycled. I've got to get the Marlin to a gunsmith to stop the arguing over who is going to get to shoot the Browning today.:banghead: The boys also own an Eagle Scout Henry each. They are beautiful guns but have never been fired. I hope they are passed down to my Eagle Scout gandsons who fire the first shots through them in a few years.

I personally think any new gun will not be the quality of the guns of say 20 years or longer ago no matter which you decide to go with.

 

[daveit]

Woo hoo....39th vote for the 39A.

I love mine...I put some brass peep sight on it (forget which brand, but I found it here) and it shoots great out to 100 and I'm not even the best rifleman...haha.

 

[bergmen]

That's because everyone who expects to shoot tens upon tens of thousands of rounds through a .22LR knows and appreciates the difference between pot metal and blued steel. So they buy Winchester, Marlin, Colt, USFA, Uberti and Ruger instead of Henry and Heritage. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a rifle constructed of milled steel will last longer than one constructed of pot metal. Who wants to spend enough time with a pot metal rifle to wear it out???

It isn't made of "pot metal", it is die cast aluminum. While well made, you are correct in that aluminum receiver parts generally do not stand the test of time anywhere near the same as forged steel. The receiver casting on the Henry's are designed as a direct wear item, not just a static structural housing for moving internal parts.

My Winchester model 59 semi-auto shotgun was manufactured with a machined aluminum receiver. Worked fine for a few decades, then cracked longitudinally on the left side for about four inches. The gun was not repairable and was out of commission until I found a model 50 steel recever to modify and take it's place. The shotgun is back in action and will be inherited by my children. The original could not have been.

As a result, I own no long arms with aluminum receivers. As I said earlier, this did not keep me from buying Henrys for my daughter and grandson for the reasons mentioned above.

Dan

 

[Wishoot]

Henry for me.

It's crazy accurate, fun, and light weight.

Henry's customer service could be just about the best in the business too.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Thanks for the info on the receiver, Dan. I think an aluminum receiver on a RR will last for several decades. My marlin 60 is one of the 18 rounders manufactured in the 70's. It has an aluminum receiver and it's been around the block beating around in a truck or through the woods...not to mention i'm sure it's got a 6 figure round count.

 

[bergmen]

Thanks for the info on the receiver, Dan. I think an aluminum receiver on a RR will last for several decades. My marlin 60 is one of the 18 rounders manufactured in the 70's. It has an aluminum receiver and it's been around the block beating around in a truck or through the woods...not to mention i'm sure it's got a 6 figure round count.

Very true indeed. My 12 gauge shotgun beat up the receiver a heck of a lot more than a .22 ever would. Also, the crack in my receiver was traced to a design flaw, the metal was machined too thin in a bolt follower tracking groove that was machined to the same dimensions as the steel model 50 receiver.

The model 50 receiver was identical to the aluminum receiver on the 59. If they would have left more material in critical areas on the 59 receiver, it would have survived much longer. But, having been bit once, I have trouble trusting them (although I know modern alloy receiver equipped shotguns are much better designed and fabricated these days).

Dan

 

[Badlander]

If you want A great gun buy The Marlin. You want A good(?) gun buy A Henry.

A nice Older one would be Sweet.

 

[stan rose]

Unless you must absolutley buy new, may I suggest looking at a used Winchester 9422. A very close second to that is the Marlin 39.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

There's a 56 39A in the corner of my father's bedroom I would love to set next to my 79 mostly just because it's Dad's. I fixed it up for him a few years ago with a new ejector, extractor, and replaced the missing bullet guide. It runs like butter, handles like a larger caliber rifle, I love it. However, Dad is now no longer able to make choices so asking to buy it from him just would not be fair.