Lever 22

Status
Not open for further replies.

ExAgoradzo

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
1,531
Location
SW Idaho
in your opinion, what's the best lever 22. This does not necessarily need to be a new gun. In fact I'm leaning towards the Win 94-22. But I'm not a fan of high gloss wood.

I want a shooter, not necessarily the 'prettiest'. Reliability and accuracy is what any gun I own is all about.

All 3 of my levers now are Marlins.

Definitely sub-$1000.

Glass or no...

Thanks,
Greg
 
you already own one of the best, i own two marlins and one win 94/22 and it,s a close second. eastbank
 
The Winchester is by far the better rifle. And I own 2 Marlins which would be my 2nd choice. I've not had much experience with the Browning but it probably deserves to be in the conversation as well. The Henry is a decent rifle for the money, but just isn't in the same league as the others.

But the Winchesters have gotten so expensive, as have the Marlins I can understand someone choosing the Henry if they just want a rifle to shoot. But for quality and long term value, no.
 
Yup, the Winchesters have gotten silly in price. I've had three of the 9422Ms.
All Winchesters, no USRA.
They all shot well, worked smooth.........but one for some reason shot off to the side (checked and could see nothing obvious).
Scoped it. Killed chucks dead.

But it looked HORRIBLE with a scope on it.

IMHO most lever guns do.
Now if they made a mini Sav 99 lever .22...........

So with prices, and looks.............I'd have to say "go Marlin".
In .22 lr find a Mountie.

They aint exactly cheap, but those of slight cosmetic hinderance can be scored at bargain prices.
I let one slide by not long ago.

Proly shouldn't have. But every .22 purpose I have now, requires a scope.
 
I rather dislike the BL22.
Just feels funky and looks "off".

Personally I think he Win 94 whips the Marlin in looks (.22 or centerfire)...........but Marlins look better scoped, and in centerfire............hate that reg or angle eject of the Win.

Pops has a pre 64 94 in .30-30 with killer wood..............IMHO it's a elongated paperweight. Minty, looks fantastic............that's about all the good I can say about it.
Had a BB94 yrs ago that was worst shooting gun I ever had. Maybe that soured me.........and it too was beautiful.

Function reigns supreme.................and while Marlins don't win the looks game, you slap a scope on em and fill your game bag.............with ease.

The little scaled down Redfields do look good, but are pricey. Chinese copy for sale I saw not long ago. Nope. You get a nice Marlin 39A or 39M and slap a Leupold 4X rimfire on it. The rifle deserves such.
 
Comparing my Browning to my buddy's Henry... well, there is no comparison. Fit and finish of the Browning is far and away better and doesn't feel nearly as clunky. It's a quick little carbine. But as has been mentioned, it may be shinier than you want. It has other qualities that might make that less important though. It deserves a look at least.
 
Winchester is the best of the bunch. It is actually a better made rifle than any domestic centerfire 94 in over 100yrs. All milled steel and hand fitted. No stampings. No castings. No plastic. Marlin would be a close second. The Brownings are also very good, albeit a bit different and the last one I looked at has some plastic. Henry is a distant last. Lots of folks like them and they're good guns for the money but the other three far surpass them. Partly due to materials (zinc/aluminum) and "alternative construction methods" and partly due to fit & finish.
 
ExAgoradzo;

The Marlin 39 series, the Browning BL, and the Winchester 9422's are really the only contenders for "best". Unless, of course, you qualify best with something like best value, or best under $XXX.XX. Of the three, my vote goes to the JM Marlins, but I do acknowledge that the other two are no slouches either, and all three have their fans.

900F
 
While I love the Browning's short throw action, I don't think it's accuracy is as good as the Marlin's.

I agree that the Henry is in a lower segment. I'd vote Marlin, though I don't have any experience with the Winchester.
 
Older, JM stamped Marlin 39A or 39M. Fantastic shooters. If you want irons, look at Skinner Sights.

I like the 9422, but they are $$$$. You can find 39's for ~$500 in good shape.
 
Thanks!

For the record, I didn't mean I already had a .22LR lever: I have a .357, .44RM, and a .45/70--all Marlins.

Looks like the vote is to keep it in the family. I see one on GB right now. Might need it.
Already drilled and tapped too...

Thanks again,
Greg
 
I had an older Browning BLR Grade II with the gold trigger. Trigger pull was not great, but I could usually head shoot swimming muskrats at 60 yards with subsonic.22's. Roughly maybe the size of a tennis ball, moving. So, accuracy was there. 2-7 scope.

Gave it to my S-I-L
 
I have a win 9422 and it's a sweet shooter, it carries superb and the accuracy is great.

The Marlins are a great gun and a lot of it comes down to preference between the Marlins and wins. Winchester for looks and carry ability, marlin more than likely for accuracy and scopability.
 
The Marlins are a great gun and a lot of it comes down to preference between the Marlins and wins. Winchester for looks and carry ability, marlin more than likely for accuracy and scopability.
!!!

What do you mean by 'carry ability'? Lighter? Or just more traditional?

Thanks
Greg
 
Marlin 39A Mountie
Marlin 39A
Winchester 9422
Browning BL22
Mossberg 494
Henry
This is my list. What you prefer will be a matter of personal preference.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top