Looking for a .22 lever action

Crazy.kayaker

Crazy.kayaker

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Hello everybody. I'm an odd case It seems I'm Ambi-ocular *I think the term is* Neither of my eyes is the more dominant one. I'm taking the PAL, R-PAL and my CORE over the next couple of weeks and I'm starting to look for a good starter gun and that I'm told is a .22 as I have no dominant Eye I'm looking at a gun I can use with both hands so a Lever or a pump action though I seem to favor using my left side as its more comfortable I'd also prefer a Lever action more as they are what I'm looking at and have not yet vetoed a pump action. I've been doing some research on a few guns and every company brags they have the best rifle. So I'm asking the veteran shooters here which .22 Lever action is the best one. As I'm a beginner, half the technical jargon they talk about on the guns is not yet fully understood, I do understand the different parts of the rifle just not the variations of the different kinds of sights and stuff like that.

The Rifles I've been looking at are
Marlin
http://www.gunshopfinder.com/marlin/marlin39A.asp
Henry (not that model specifically as they have multiple models)
http://www.gunshopfinder.com/Henry/henryleveraction22.asp
Browning BL-22
http://www.dealerease.net/catalog/product.asp?pid=1950&ret_id=356860
Ruger 96/22
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Rifle&subtype=Lever%20Action&famlst=36&variation=Model%2096%20Rimfire
There are others but I've never heard of them till recently.

Anything you can tell me about them like the Pros and Cons or which .22 you find better in the above mentioned actions would be much appreciated.
 
My first gun was a BL-22, love it. downside is it is tough to clean as it does not come apart ... easily. up side is I have put tens of thousands of rounds through it since 1982 and have had no problems ( even without taking it apart) I was recently looking at the new higher grades of the Bl22 that were not out when I bought mine and they look really nice.
 
I have a BL22 and that would be my pick again if I were to buy a new rifle. I love the super short throw and the fact the trigger travels with the lever. No more pinched fingers. It is as accurate as any other lever .22 I have shot, and feeds reliably. I have seen the price climbing on these recently, so I would definately get on the train quickly if I were you. They are supposed to increase a fair amount in the next year. (at least my gun dealer/gunsmith tells me).
Although I just went and looked at that Marlin , and I think that looks like a sweet deal. Longer barrel, more capacity, easy take down for cleaning. To me, as far as these 2 go, I would pick the cheaper, as they both look like excellent guns (I only know about the Browning, But that marlin sure looks good)
 
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Marlin 39

Get the real deal, the Marlin 39. It hasn't been in production for longer than any other NA rifle for no reason.

We have both the Marlin 39 and the Browning BL22.......
 
You may want to add the Winchester M9422 to your search. If you're seeking a top quality lever .22, the M9422 is hard to beat. I have both the 9422 which digests short, long & long rifle ammo, and the 9422M which is chambered for the .22WMR. They are solidly made, dependable rifles for the rimfire lever enthusiast. I also tried a new Henry last year and was impressed with their economical lever .22's. Good bang for the buck.
 
I have a BL22, When I bought it a couple of years ago. I chose it because it had better quality sights than most of the other .22 levers I have tried and looked at. Accuracy with open sights is excellent. I wish I had bought the BL22 as my first .22, because now both of my bolt action .22's are gathering dust...
 
The best made LA .22 accuracy wise I ever had was a Ithaca 72[Erma]better than most bolts.Like an idiot I sold it years ago..............Harold
 
Browning: Short throw, smooth and light a little less classic in appearance
Winchester: almost feels like you carrying and shooting a full sized centerfir rifle (other than recoil)
Henry: smooth as silk, a few plastic pieces, beautiful to look at.
Marlin: I have only seen one once and fired it, nice rifle, like a miniaturized Marlin 30-30.
 
At present I own a Winchester Model 9422.In the past I have owned a Marlin Model 39 and an Ithaca Model 72.All were fine working lever action .22's.Know of a few guys who use Browning BL22's.They are happy with them.
 
I'd say try them all if you can. Hard to beat the Marlin 39A IMO if you value all steel construction and bolt action accuracy. Mine shoots especially well with a Williams FP peep sight. Holds 19 .22LR, shoots shorts and longs as well with ease.
 
Of all the lever rimfires out there, the Marlin is without a doubt the best quality, best built rifle out there. And that goes for most bolt action, autoloaders and pump actions thrown in as well.

Their quality cannot be beat and their accuracy is also very good. It has the feel of a full sized hunting rifle. What they have as a standard barrel would be considered a heavy varmint barrel by any other company. They feed well if taken care of, however I have some experiance with a friends older 1939, and it will not cycle cartridges like Winchesters X-pert. Some of them have loose seated bullets that tend to 'wobble' in the case mouth. Most others cycle fine.

Winchester's 9422 would be my next pick. It was also high quality, but they are hard to come by now. Henry builds a couple nice rifles. Their Plain Jane lever action has plastic barrel bands and a plastic front sight. I don't like that, but could get over it. Their Golden Boy model is a real beauty, and is built very well. I have handled one and admired it, but I have never shot one. I read an article some time ago, and they praised it and it's accuracy.

Browning's example is a pretty little gun, but I never liked it's design. The trigger group breaks away from the reciever and rides with the lever. It won't affect anything, but it just doesn't feel right to me.

Rugers 96 model is just gross.

In the end, I would steer you towards the Marlin. It is in my opinion the absolute best .22 rifle you can buy from any maker in that price range and even higher, regardless of action. I can say that, I've tried most. ;)
 
I really do like the marlin 39A .22 but sadly the MSRP $593.00 is about 100 dollars more then I can easily afford not to mention the taxes on it. I didn't realize they were so expensive but still in the running.

The ruger is in my price range but I don't like that it fires WMR the lower price is not really worth the extra it would cost to SHOOT it. So the RUGER is off.

Now the rifle I'm more leaning towards is the Browning BL .22 grade I like the short swing on the action and the stock on it is nicer personally then the grade II and I don't need any fancy scroll engraving and the price of the grade I is in my limit of $500.
http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=005B&cat_id=024&type_id=100

The Henry rifles are many. Pretty much they all fire the LR/L/S I guess thats the benefit of a tubular magazine. It comes down to which model of Henry would I like the most if I got one. I like the following henry's as they are in my price range.
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h004_goldenboy.cfm
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h001t_leveroctagon.cfm
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h001_leveraction.cfm
The order of the henry guns I like are as follows GOLDEN BOY or the H001T (lever action octagon) then the H001 lever action. If anyone can tell me any first hand knowledge that would be nice so I can pick the best.

Well the M9422 and the Ithica 72 are both good guns from what I've read about them for the most part, but they are both no longer in production and that means finding them used. As I know next to nothing about new guns let alone used ones, I will be staying away from the used firearms till I know how to spot a good deal from a lemon unless I find a screaming deal of course. *pardon any wrong terms I use I'm still learning* I will still be doing research on the guns listed above
 
As an owner of a Ruger 96/22 in .22LR, I am more than happy with it. It groups as well as my 10/22 and the rotary magazine is far more friendly than any tube magazine. Ruger has discontinued manufacturing them in .22LR, so you will have to look hard to find one on the used market.
 
I want a gun I can use Ambi so I can find out which side I shoot the most comfortably and accurately before I go and spend money on a left or right handed rifle that and Lever Action guns just look so cool in my opinion. I've always loved westerns were they use their rifles more then the revolvers.
 
Look for a 2nd hand Marlin 39A then. Many think the older ones are better yet anyway and its not like its possible to even begin to wear one out!

PS - they're $ 521.99 at S.I.R. That's where I picked mine up a couple of years ago.
 
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