.22 Cal Lever Action Rifles

[KNS]

Looking at different lever actions for general plinking/varmints. There are many: Marlin, Winchester, Henry, etc. Who has a good American made product without some of the cheap plastic cr&p you see on 22s these days.

Thanks...

[Rick Lee]

I don't think I've ever seen a lever gun in .22. I have a 1906 Winchester pump-action .22. Bought it for $75 when I was 10.

[HardDrive]

Not to be nosey, but why do you want a lever action? If the answer is, 'for fun', great. But they really are not the best action. Always seem to have reliability issues. Just my opinion.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I don't think I've ever seen a lever gun in .22. I have a 1906 Winchester pump-action .22. Bought it for $75 when I was 10.

Now you have...


It's accurate as well. Toss a beer bottle in the air and it'll hit the ground in a thousand pieces.

A little about it here:
Remington Scoremaster 511 and friend

[Eric Coffey]

If you don't want cheap plastic cr&p, and a nice wood stock, be prepared to pay. Personally, if I were looking for a .22LR rifle, I would try and track down an older used Sako Finnfire P94S.


Edit: oops/nevermind, missed the "lever action" part (Sako referenced is a bolt action).

[Tobra]

Browning pump 22 was about the best rimfire weapon I ever shot. Shoot the eye out of a hummingbird like a bolt action, repeat like a lever action, but much easier to stay on target, the ultimate varmint weapon IMHO

[on2wheels52]

I've had a number of lever .22's come through the shop, the only one I've kept is a 9422 Winchester. Toward the end of its model run a cross-bolt safety was added, I'd look for one without. I don't imagine finding one for <$300 but expect one to hold its value well.
Jim

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by slodave

It's accurate as well. Toss a beer bottle in the air and it'll hit the ground in a thousand pieces....

Even without pulling the trigger ?

[Seahawk]

I've never shot the 9422 Winchester but I have owned a Marlin 39 for almost 40 years. The attachment is in my mind an interesting comparison between the two.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/marlin_vs_winchester.htm

[KNS]

Thanks guys. Just curious what the collective opinion was.

[JTO]

I have a Winchester 9422 from about 1988. It is a beautiful and well built gun. It is very reliable (I don't know were people get the idea that a lever gun is not reliable). It is accurate too. I put a Leupold VXII 3-9 on it and can hit whatever I want out to about 100 yds and beyond.

As Jim stated above, they are pricey. I don't think they have been made in years. I have seen them sell for over $800! Yikes.
Troy

[mudman]

I've got a Henry. It has jammed a couple of times but that may have been due to old ammunition and slight oxidation on the shells, never jammed with new rounds. It is smaller but comfortable none the less. It does have a bit of cheap plastic but it is an inexpensive gun.

[mudman]

[daepp]

I have a Winchester 9422M XLR (Magnum). It is a great gun. Very easy to shoot accurately due to its weight and balance. Very nice grips (checkering?) - walnut I believe. Bought NIB at a gun show in the 80's for $165. Have no idea what it's worth today, but it is definitely my favorite.

[tabs]

Winchester 94/22 go in the $600 plus range for one nearly new in box. I see them all the time.

[Jeff Higgins]

The Marlin 39A is currently about the best game in town. Expect to pay about $500 for a new one. The Browning is a nice little lever gun, but it is Japanese made (Miroku). The Winchester is no longer available.

Don't let these guys dissuade you from a good lever gun. A good one will shoot with any other hunting rifle, i.e. one that can be carried into the field and carried all day by an average man, as opposed to the contivances many haul to the range to impress their buddies with their grouping ability.

I used to be a "bolt action snob", until 20 years or so ago. I used to think that no lever gun could ever shoot with a bolt action. I was wrong. Anyone who tells you that is also wrong, and is merely displaying their lack of experience with the lever action. Lever actions were alledged to be sloppy and loose, unreliable and inaccurate. Underpowered to boot, compared to modern bolt actions. Neither assesment could be further from the truth.

Many, many years ago an old timer told me he would be suspicious of anyone who called himself a "rifleman" and didn't own at least a couple of lever guns. I thought he was crazy at the time; just a cantankerous old man. I have now come to either see the wisdom of his words, or, quite possibly, have become that cantankerous old man myself.

Go buy yourself a lever gun. Then you, too, can smile knowingly when some "expert" claims that lever guns are "inferior".