Lever action 22. choices.

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I'm in the old fart group too, and i've never said the Henry levers are a better rifle than the Marlin levers. It's just there a lot of folks here who do not own a Henry, and call the Henry's pot metal junk and it just isn't true.

I've yet to see anyone, on line or otherwise that's worn out a Henry lever 22. 99.99% of the Henrys will out live their first and second owners....and probably more than that.

The truth is, i like the Henry lever better than a 39 and that's why i own three of them, but that doesn't mean i hate 39's,

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They do the job they were intended to do VERY well, they look very good, are accurate,

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are very smooth and last plenty long enough to be a very good buy in todays market.

DM
 
i always thought the best dogs are the ones that pick you. i was proven right at last weeks gunshow when a sweet 1981 39a slipped 400 dollars from my fingers and jumped in the truck beside me.so far i've shot 3 or 4 hundred CBshorts thru it(don't want to wake the neighbors).
 
It's just there a lot of folks here who do not own a Henry, and call the Henry's pot metal junk and it just isn't true.
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I don't have to own one to know that I do not want to. I buy quality, not a warranty. The "problem", if there is one, is that Henry owners can't seem to look at these inanimate objects objectively. Can't count the number of online discussions I've seen and/or participated in where Henry owners swore up and down that their guns were "just as good" as a Winchester or Marlin. As you say, "it just isn't true" and anybody with a thimbleful of knowledge about guns can plainly see it. Folks who like cheap guns like Henry and Heritage always seem to be the most defensive.
 
Aren't Marlins of questionable quality now anyways? They were bought out by the company, Cerebus I believe, that owns Remington and now their quality has been shot to hell no pun intended.

Doesn't it beg the question, are new Marlin lever-actions still worth buying despite the recent manufactering issues?
 
CraigC said:
I don't have to own one to know that I do not want to. I buy quality, not a warranty. Folks who like cheap guns always seem to be the most defensive.
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i've owned a lot of cheap guns over the years and have yet to see one that wasn't more accurate than the person holding it. some would eat whatever cheap ammo i had and spit the lead downrange with surgical precision and much of what i learned was from working on the others. they were what i could afford . they were mine and yes i was proud of them. they are the reason i'm not a gun snob today.
 
CraigC said:
I don't have to own one to know that I do not want to. I buy quality, not a warranty. The "problem", if there is one, is that Henry owners can't seem to look at these inanimate objects objectively. Can't count the number of online discussions I've seen and/or participated in where Henry owners swore up and down that their guns were "just as good" as a Winchester or Marlin. As you say, "it just isn't true" and anybody with a thimbleful of knowledge about guns can plainly see it. Folks who like cheap guns like Henry and Heritage always seem to be the most defensive.
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That's a pretty humorous post considering all the threads i read on line on asking how to get their new 39's to stop jamming and feeding right, with no post like that on new Henrys.

Henry lever guns are good guns, and i've had ZERO problems with the 3 i've had from new.

DM
 
I do not own a Henry, but I have shot them and they shoot very nice, actions are very smooth and are very accurate. The guns that I have handled came out of the boxes and looked great, function flawlessly and do the job they were designed to do. Number one question should be "does the tool do what it was designed to do!" Henry rifles do it and do it well. The original post was asking about a new Henry vs. and old Marlin. My vote was for the Marlin. Get the Henry next month.

DMH
 
The Marlin is a quality rifle you will will be proud to pass down to your grandkids that will continue to increase in value.

In the short term both will perform equally, but in the long term the Marlin will be cheaper and be the better performer.
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Everyone should have a 39 someday.
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Yep and yep. Nothing like forged steel receivers and real walnut stocks.
 
Craig said:
Folks who like cheap guns like Henry and Heritage always seem to be the most defensive.
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Gack! Okay, this is a comparison between Henry and Marlin. Does Heritage even make a lever gun? And, having handled Henry and Heritage firearms ... seriously, how can you say that they are both the same quality? I would say the Henry my father has is much higher on that scale than the Heritage revolvers I've handled.
 
...how can you say that they are both the same quality?
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They're pretty close. Both are made of pot metal, I'm sorry, zinc-based alloys. Both are made as cheaply as possible. Each is at the bottom of the totem pole. Each gets compared favorably to what are obviously better guns. The conversations are always the same. They are all but interchangeable. Henry vs. Marlin or Winchester, Heritage vs. Ruger. Happens with cheap scopes as well. "Mine's just as good and cost half as much", blah, blah, blah, ad nauseum.


That's a pretty humorous post considering all the threads i read on line on asking how to get their new 39's to stop jamming and feeding right, with no post like that on new Henrys.
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That's pretty humorous considering that the Marlin has been in constant production for over 100yrs and the only problem guns have come out since Cerberus took over. What, two years? I'm not a Marlin fanboy and have never owned one of their rimfire leverguns but it is undeniable that they are better guns. Much better. I passed on a really nice, pre-safety 39 a couple weeks ago, stickered at $400, which I probably could've got for $350. New pot metal Henries are $250. They're good guns for the money but I'll spend the extra hundred bucks every time.


I'm thinking the Henry is ok for what you pay...I just can't warm up to the alloy receivers.
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Agreed.
 
On the day I turned 18, almost 40 years ago, I went out and bought a Winchester 9422. It has never failed to bring a grin to my face and is very accurate. I don't know about how the modern guns are, but this oldie is unquestionably high quality.
 
I am fortunate to be able to buy most any lever 22. I have these:

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The Henry is very inexpensive. $150.00 at a pawn shop. I "tuned" it and it cycles very well and shoots pretty decent. The rifle is way too light to shoot accuartely at a distance offhand.

The Uberti copy of an 1866 is metal/wood heavy. Tuned, it cycles almost as good as my 1873s.

The difference in cost of these are extreme but I agree with CraigC. I would buy the Marlin for longevity and resale.

I do not consider my self a gun snob.
 
Wow this thread has gone in so many directions since i first started it. Hehehe anyways I got my Skinner peep sight today and i love it. It feels very natural to me when I bring it up to my eye. Ive heard of alot of problems on this thread with QC of newer marlins but Ill have to say that being from 1948 my newly purchased 39A seems very solid and feeds very smoothly. I cant wait to take it to the range again with the new skinner ppep sight and for the $275 I spent on the rifle that I will get that much worth of enjoyment out of it. Thanks for all the great input on lever action 22s. Im sure that whether you have a henry, winchester or marlin that they are all fun as heck to shoot and for cheap.

Grim,
 
Anyone recall a hammerless lever .22 made by Winchester? My dad traded ours for the BL-22, but I remember that it was tube fed, with checkered stocks. That was around 1980.
 
My 4 year old Marlin 39a w 6-20 Simmons, using CCI Blazer @ 100 meters, 7 three shot groups has 1.50 max dia as of last year off sand bags front and year. I never tried Remington Cyclone, but mine likes HV and higher. It is put away and will take it out again some day. There are Marlin people and Henry Folks. I chose Marlin at the time due to build quality, IMO.

Added scope and had to edit power fm 24 dwn to 20. Have 6-24 on CZ
 
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A Marlin Model 39 Golden Mountie was my second rifle (first was a Stevens Crackshot) and I have both today. It would be very difficult for me to ever want a different brand. That Mountie has had untold hundreds of thousands of rounds through it in the past 42 years and it was well used when I got it. I have shot Winchesters and Brownings but neither interest me.

I would vote for finding a pre-safety Mountie and enjoying for the rest of you life.
 
I would NEVER say Henry's or Marlins are made of Pot Metal.I find this to be just plain prejudice... or Lack of knowledge on the topic... Henry's are by far the smoothest lever gun with exception of my Nylon Lever that i have ever operated. I would either buy the model with the octagon barrell or a golden boy, which is why I currently dont own one because I am addicted to Remington Nylons. They're awesome guns.. The pump is also incredibly fun to shoot and shoots circles around the Rossi/Taurus pump. I have shot a number of henry lever rifles, out of box, and even one owned by a third generation owner. These rifles can handle years and years of abuse and are a true beauty... They're also collectors items... Old guns are great.. but if i'm wanting to shoot, i'd rather have a good gun i can get warrantied any day of the week. In my case, i own both. I'd rather shoot, or purchase a henry rifle. With all tha said... Buy coffee, diapers, and cheap shotgun shells at walmart... Never buy a gun there... EVER. As a major corporation walmart has products specifically designed for their price bracket. These guns typically have a cheaper finish, or "second" grade hardwood stocks. Get one ordered from Henry... You wont be disapointed... If you like the marlin, buy the Marlin. it's dependable, obviously well made, for a Marlin, and is a ncie little gun. It is not head and shoulders over a Henry. Shoot them both, see which one fits you.
 
I would love to compare a new henry to my old marlin. I will have to say that I am impressed with my marlin 39a. The thing is almost 70 years old with all the original parts and still functions flawlessly and has a smooth action. It seems to be built well.
 
I would NEVER say Henry's or Marlins are made of Pot Metal. I find this to be just plain prejudice.
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Not prejudice, it's the plain, unadulterated truth. The receiver consists of a zinc-based alloy (pot metal) inner receiver and an outer sleeve. The "blued" finish is sprayed-on. Of course, there are plenty of shooters who are willing to overlook such things but I am not one of them. I'm a levergun fanatic and like them to be made of blued steel and walnut and greatly prefer them to be made in Italy or Japan of superior materials than made in the USA of pot metal. Even Henry's octagon barrels look like they were polished by an 800lb gorilla on crystal meth.

Yes, Henries are smooth and that is often used as a selling point but that is a simplistic view. You have to look at what's going on inside. There is a round bolt about the size of a pencil that hardly even contacts the receiver. Conversely, the Winchester 94/22 has a massive bolt that is machined from solid steel that has FAR more contact area inside the receiver. A receiver which is also milled from a solid block of steel. The Winchester is because it is finely fitted. The Henry is smooth because it is sloppy. It has been said that the 94/22 was the finest domestically made levergun during its production. That they were so finely made but due to it being "just a .22", Winchester never made any money on them. They had to fit a certain price point.
 
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I would NEVER say Henry's or Marlins are made of Pot Metal. I find this to be just plain prejudice.

Not prejudice, it's the plain, unadulterated truth. The receiver consists of a zinc-based alloy (pot metal) inner receiver and an outer sleeve. The "blued" finish is sprayed-on.
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CraigC has told the unvarnished truth. In terms of function, the difference between forged steel and "pot metal" may never be an issue. But the fact is, Henry receivers are made from a zinc-based alloy and Marlins (as well as Winchesters) are composed of forged steel, for whatever difference it makes to an individual user.
 
These guns are made out of milled steel... not forged.... nobody beat on those things with a hammer... or a hydraulic drive. They're great rifles. nobody said they werent. The issue that has raised this discussion is that Henrys are good rifles as well. If you disagree, sit on yer hands. We all have guns, like your's, ill like mine and your's too. :)
 
As I've stated before, I like the Winchesters, Marlins, Henry's and would probably like a Browning if I owned one. What's interesting to me is that the "Pot Metal" Henry can handle the .22 WMR round while the forged steel Marlin is unable to do so. I'm not sure why this is so, but I would be interested to hear an explanation.
 
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