22LR Lever Action Rifle

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Sour Kraut

Sour Kraut

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Considering a lever action 22..... Would love some recommendations with pros and cons on various available models including used rifles.

Thanks!
 
I've never shot a lever action in .22lr, but I've heard good things about Henry's. And my personal experience with the brand has been pretty good.
 
I would look for a Winchester 9422 or Marlin 39A, of the new ones I would recommend it would have to be the Uberti Silverboys. My brother has one and it is well built, I've heard and believe my brothers is affected by this that some of the Uberti's had incorrect front sights causing them to shoot high or low, can't remember. I'll have to ask my brother. But that is a simple fix and Uberti was sending new front sights to those that were affected.

I won't recommend a Henry rimfire personally as I was not impressed with the one I had about 10 years ago (paint peeling off the ZAMAK around ejection port and the edges around the bolt), traded mine for a loss. But a lot of people love them. Henry's centerfires I've been told do not use the ZAMAK receivers, so there is a disconnect there in the product line.
 
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I think the Winchester 9422 is probably the very best. There is one I am in love with at a local shop that has a princely sum on the price tag.

For cheap you can get an Ithaca 49R. Dad has had one for 50 years and it is the gun I learned to shoot with.
 
Mine.

One of the Marlins is from the mid to late 50's, the other from the 1960's. I bought all 3 used and the Marlins have seen some hard use. But the ones with straight grips are much less common and I bought them anyway. The Winchester is the better of the 3 and I almost feel guilty paying $200 for it several years ago. Those sell for around $700-$800 now.

The Henry is a serviceable rifle for the money, but if you ever shoot any of these you'll throw rocks at a Henry.

levers 003.JPG
 
I’ve got a Henry “Evil Roy” but my Marlin 39a is smoother, feels & shoots better ... but if you’re just getting into 22Levers, a Henry is a great place to start ... if I found a deal on another one, I wouldn’t pass it up!
 
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All I can tell you is, I bought one of the early Henry lever 22's and I've heard all the whining about the EARLY models having nylon sights ect… Well, here I am years later, and the gun still functions perfectly with every ammo I feed it, from CB caps to stingers and it's eliminated an untold amount of "pest".

It's gobbled up a HUGE amount of ammo and those nylon sights are still in tact and still working perfectly, even though the gun has never been cleaned, (action or bbl.) it lives on my ATV 24/7 365, and has had nothing more than some rust wiped off it a few times.

It's been left in the woods twice, got rained on numerous times and was even lost off an ATV for a couple days. On top of that, it was ran over by that ATV at least twice, and other than some rubbing wear on the wood, it still looks pretty good and has never failed to function in any way.

I'd call most of that abuse, but I bought it to leave on the ATV and that's exactly how it's been treated. AND STILL, everyone grabs it, shoots it, and it gets ignored until the next time it gets picked up.

The action is buttery smooth and it's easily accurate enough to knock a crow out of a tree at over 100 yards, something I've done a few times...

Now, I don't see how a 39A or a Winchester would be any better than that and I'd bet the Henry will be much lighter and smoother and still last a long long time plus it didn't cost me an arm and a leg to buy new!!

Mine is still as tight as it was when I bought it, and if it ever wears out, I'd buy another in a heartbeat!!!

DM
 
I have a Winchester 9422 that I bought almost 30 years ago. It's been a terrific rifle, even though it hasn't seen much use.
Find one of those!

I have been intrigued by Henry's lever-action .22s, but never really developed the urge to splurge. I think they are good deals. The Uberti silverboys seem interesting, but I've never seen one locally.
 
DM~ said:
All I can tell you is, I bought one of the early Henry lever 22's and I've heard all the whining about the EARLY models having nylon sights ect… Well, here I am years later, and the gun still functions perfectly with every ammo I feed it, from CB caps to stingers and it's eliminated an untold amount of "pest".

It's gobbled up a HUGE amount of ammo and those nylon sights are still in tact and still working perfectly, even though the gun has never been cleaned, (action or bbl.) it lives on my ATV 24/7 365, and has had nothing more than some rust wiped off it a few times.

It's been left in the woods twice, got rained on numerous times and was even lost off an ATV for a couple days. On top of that, it was ran over by that ATV at least twice, and other than some rubbing wear on the wood, it still looks pretty good and has never failed to function in any way.

I'd call most of that abuse, but I bought it to leave on the ATV and that's exactly how it's been treated. AND STILL, everyone grabs it, shoots it, and it gets ignored until the next time it gets picked up.

The action is buttery smooth and it's easily accurate enough to knock a crow out of a tree at over 100 yards, something I've done a few times...

Now, I don't see how a 39A or a Winchester would be any better than that and I'd bet the Henry will be much lighter and smoother and still last a long long time plus it didn't cost me an arm and a leg to buy new!!

Mine is still as tight as it was when I bought it, and if it ever wears out, I'd buy another in a heartbeat!!!

DM
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Perhaps you need a visit from the ASPCF (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Firearms). lol Credit to Riomouse911 for coming up with that.
 
ASC_1294.JPG

My first 5 lever 22s. The winchester is easily my favorite. Then the browning and Marlin are close enough. All three would likely not disappoint. The Henry and ithaca (same design) arent on the same level but are serviceable guns. I do like them enough but they aren't in the ballpark of the other three. I've since picked up a few more but those 4 designs are easily the main 4 people use. If you want a bigger heavier gun the marlin stands alone though.
I'm pretty sure Marlin doesn't actually ship the 39 any more. Even custom shop. I dont think Winchester does the 9422 either. Mossberg had one for a while too that may still be made. Browning is probably the best currently made from what I've used IMO. The henry is a perfect rabbit/squirrel/ pop can gun. But the finish is trash and the internals pretty soft. They will likely last for a lifetime but not 2 or 3 if that matters to you.
 
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New, I'd go with the Browning over the Henry, hands down. Used, the Marlin 39A or the Winchester 9422, if you can find and afford them.
 
crestoncowboy said:
View attachment 894809

. Mossberg had one for a while too that may still be made..
Click to expand...
index.php

Have had the Mossberg for over 30 years now. Wonderful weapon.
 
DM~ said:
If they come by, all I could do is plead guilty !! and beg for leniency for my sentence!

DM
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Under strict ASPCF guidelines, hard working guns that are subjected to honest daily use would not be classified as victims of abuse no matter how worn they become... however... the gun being stranded in the woods and being run over a time of two by the ATV certainly raises eyebrows! :eek:

I am glad to read about the toughness of the Henry lever .22. I have three Henry’s, a youth .22, standard .22 and a .22 mag. All have been great guns, and like the others said they didn’t cost nearly what a nice higher end BL-22, 9422 or 39A run. (Trust me, I love all three of those choices though!)

Good luck finding what you want, there are tons of good lever guns out there and they’ll run and run with almost any circumstances with almost any ammo. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
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I bought a new Marlin Model 39 AS in 1997 and put a Williams 5D receiver sight on it shortly thereafter. Love the rifle; not enamored so much by the trigger.
 
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