Buying my first .22- Two lever-actions, one choice

Slipery

Slipery

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Hey everyone,

So I have a shotgun, a big game rifle, and a bolt action .22 magnum.
A niche that I've been wanting to fill is the good old .22 LR. Cheap to shoot, lots of fun. I plan to eventually, maybe two years down the road get a ruger 10/22 as my .22 semi auto. First though, I reallly have a longing for a lever action. In my P.A.L course I got to operate a lever action for the first time, and I just loved cycling the action.. Haven't had the chance since.

Here's the deal. I have most of my firearms planned out that I will eventually own.. Its a short list, of 10 guns, but it covers pretty much everything I desire.

For my .22 lever action, I am having some trouble deciding between two guns.

The Marlin 39AS and the Henry H001T.

I have read many different reviews and threads on marlin versus henry lever-actions and marlin usually seems to come out on top. The H001T is not usually compared to the marlin 39 though, just the regular h001 is..

The 39A is about $100 more then the H001T, and I am basically wondering whether it is worth that extra $100, I am not afraid to pay for quality because I want a firearm that will last me for years to come.

I'll be using iron sights for both, and it will be for plinking around my friends farm and hopefully my own property one day, and for some squirrel hunting.

Thanks, opinions and experiences are appreciated.
I can't find many review on the H001T, so if anyone has one and can comment on it, that would be great.
 
I just bought a Henry Golden Boy on Wednesday. It was my first .22 lever action. I own 7 other .22 rifles. I also have a Winchester 94 in .357.

The Golden Boy is a very nice rifle as it relates to fit and finish. The octagonal barrel is a nice feature as well. Aesthetically, the rifle gets a 9 out of ten. In terms of function, I loaded up 15 rounds of Yellow Jacket with that truncated cone and it chamber them effortlessly. The trigger is a little rough as one may expect on a $400 rifle but I'm sure it will wear in just fine. I am guessing but I think we are looking at a 5-6lbs trigger. Just right for the bush but a little heavy for target shooting. I can't attest to accuracy yet as all I shot was an 8" target at 25yds with open sights and poor eyes. They were all on the paper though. The sights are just OK and I am thinking about replacing them already. The action cycles VERY smoothly. Most impressive. Much, much better than my Win 94. Its a light rifle and a day of carrying it in the field would be no effort.

Thats about all I can tell you from my own experience today. I would have no problem recommending it but I haven't the benefit of owning one for ten years. My take at this point is 8.5 out of 10 for the sights.

Hope that helps and best of luck with your decision.
 
The Marlin is a fantastic rifle that's really a big game rifle that fires small game bullets. It's built like a tank and the quality shows. They really are an excellent choice for an heirloom quality rifle.

I just recieved a catolauge from Henry and I have to say I'm impressed with the company. I've never fired a Henry .22, but I've handled them. The Goldenboy is also a heavy rifle, but neither can really compare.

As for the Browning, I just aquired one a short time ago and I love it. It's accurate, good looking, lightweight and really fun to shoot. I don't think it matters what you decide, all levers are fun and you'll enjoy it, that's a promise.
 
I think that the marlin is a better gun(never shot one).
I have a Henry .22 though, and I love it. Not a single complaint. Never had any problem loading any ammo in there, ad its plenty accurate for me.
 
I have a Marlin 39A Mountie that is a very nice gun to plink with. Accurate if I do my part. Also easy to take down. No experience with the Henry.

I'd also suggest handling both and see which one feels more natural for you to shoulder - do it wearing a jacket and without as you'll likely be shooting in nice weather as well as cold weather.
 
Of the 2 choices, Marlin and only Marlin.

The Henry is a diecast pot metal innards in a shiny shell, sold at the price of a real solid steel gun. It will go the way of so many Hot Wheels cars eventually, whether you take good care of it or not.
I'm not a fan.

See if you can find a used Winchester 9422 or a BL-22. IIRC they both use a short stroke lever throw, and the BL22 trigger guard travels with the lever, which outright eliminates the possibility of pinching one's finger between the tip of the trigger and the heel of the lever while rapidly cycling the action. BDT, bled a fair bit. You tend to be more careful after just once.:D

Gotta be new? Some of the earlier models of Marlins are pretty sweet.

Cheers
Trev
 
I have a Marlin 39A Mountie, and have a 10 shot group at 50 M. that measured .95 using CCI MiniMags. Taught my 11 year old granddaughter and 9 year old grandson and they loved "Racking the action". I also had a 39a that I bought in 1958. Should never have gotten rid of it but bolts looked so good after 25 years.
 
trevj said:
Of the 2 choices, Marlin and only Marlin.

The Henry is a diecast pot metal innards in a shiny shell, sold at the price of a real solid steel gun. It will go the way of so many Hot Wheels cars eventually, whether you take good care of it or not.
I'm not a fan.
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spoken like someone who has never actually used one. Say you have a problem with your Marlin, Like the previous owner wrecked the stock? Would marlin replace it free of charge? No.
Henry would.
I have never had a problem with my Henry, but I can say confidently that if I ever do have a problem with it, They will replace wha ever part needs replacing free of charge.
 
The Henry is the latest incarnation of the Erma/Ithaca rifle. A rifle definitely designed for economical production. They do have a pot metal frame with a shiney cover over top. Plastic bands on the newest ones? The Browning also uses a pot metal lower receiver.
I have had to work on quite a number of rifles that were used hard, neglected and/or abused. The Marlin and Winchester are head and shoulders above the others.
Personally, I consider the Marlin or Winchester superior to the Browning or Henry/Erma/Ithaca.
 
I recently bought the Henry .17 HMR Varmint Hunter Express, lever action. I fell in love with this rifle, action was silky smooth.
Unfortunately 2 weeks into owning it after firing only 40 rounds the damn thing started jamming on me all the time. Serious feeding issues, rounds would get jammed in the bottom of the tube and they would also jam when lifting through the receiver. The trigger was brutal, totally unacceptable.
Henry does have great customer service, they offered to repair it if i got it to New York. No thanks, it took me 3 weeks but I got my money back.

I'd suggest the Marlin or Browning.
 
whammy said:
spoken like someone who has never actually used one. Say you have a problem with your Marlin, Like the previous owner wrecked the stock? Would marlin replace it free of charge? No.
Henry would.
I have never had a problem with my Henry, but I can say confidently that if I ever do have a problem with it, They will replace wha ever part needs replacing free of charge.
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Nope. Never used one. I try not to spend money on pot metal if I can avoid it.
Sorry to hear that the Browning is part pot metal too. The one I shot was a pretty decent working gun, once you got used to the idea of not having to clear your finger out to cycle the lever.

Don't care if Marlin will or won't replace the parts for free. I'm pretty good with the idea that if I screw it up, I'll have to pay for the parts. If a previous owner screwed it up, it would be priced accordingly, before I'd have bought it, too, so really, not an issue. Or it serves as a really good reason to buy some really nice wood and go to town on dressing it up a bit.

No one ever went wrong with nice solid walnut, and good old fashioned steel. The shiny taco shell cover over the pot metal innards of a Henry does nothing for me. Suit yourself, though.:D

Cheers
Trev
 
You know I used to own one of the Ithica 'pot metal' rifles. It was a lever action, drop block single shot. It was so old it could have belonged to Moses as far as I know. As horrible as 'pot metal' is, there was nothing wrong with that rifle except for the finish, it was starting to come off. Yup, the action was sure junk. Being 'pot metal' it was no good for anything except killing many, many gophers and providing many hours of enjoyment. :wave:
 
I have the Cabelas Canada catalogue, and there is a Marlin 39A there for $539, so I think thats what I'll be taking in my next order from the catalogue. I hope they have it in stock!

Thanks everyone
 
Marlin 39

Slipery said:
I have the Cabelas Canada catalogue, and there is a Marlin 39A there for $539, so I think thats what I'll be taking in my next order from the catalogue. I hope they have it in stock!

Thanks everyone
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Great choice, you will not regret it. Your kids and grandkids will approve of your decision also.:) The Marlin 39/189- 22RF is currently the longest continuously produced NA rifle in history. ( I read that somewhere, not the Internet.:p)

My Dad bought mine for me 20 some years ago now, for my first 'real' rifle. Countless rounds later, it works better than new. Only problem is...... now I really want a 'Mountie' model.:cool:
 
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