Anyone have a BL22? Thoughts?

mpsmyth

mpsmyth

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So I'm looking for feedback from anyone that has a browning BL22 as I'm currently thinking I'd like one. Looking for reviews or thoughts on this, and in comparison to the marlin 39A and Henry Golden boy.

I already have a remington 597 and a ruger 10/22 distributor exclusive, but am thinking it's time to add a lever.

Thoughts, reviews, feedback?

Thanks so much.
 
I've had mine for years, since maybe '94. The hammer-spring eventually weakened until misfires were past common and right up to annoying in frequency. I think the spring was 8 bucks, so no big deal. No problems other than that, and honestly I suspect that it was a dud right from the beginning.

The Marlins are very nice, though I've never owned one. The 94-22 is also a cut above, but in fairness it was twice as much money. I use the Win now and my son claimed the Browning.
 
I owned a BL22 grade1 Nickel finish. Very nice wood, metal, compact and light. Very quick and short throw action with a fairly stiff trigger (but breaks clean).
I would strongly suggest handling all three. Each has a different cheek-weld.
Everyone should have a lever in their cabinet….at least once.
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Like 'em but just couldn't get used to the short throw lever compared to the Win 94/22.

Browning makes a nice product but given the choice I'd take the Win 94/22.

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NAA.
 
I had one not to long ago and a young feller had his eye on it...........vamooosh gone.
Sweet little plinker and if I lay my hands on one with a soft trigger, I'd buy it.
As much as I hate to say it, I preferred shooting the BL22 over the Marlin.
Ya see how I wuzzent shy of letting her play with the others.

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I have two BL-22's a standard grade one and a presentation grade two, also have a 94/22 & 94/22M, Marlin 39A Mountie, Uberti Silver Boy and four Henry's (H001Y, H001T, H004, H004M)...

So... Browning is a quality rifle, fit and finish is top notch... and they are the ones I shoot the least... I HATE the short throw lever... for me it ruins the lever action experience... I want to WORK the lever, not FLICK the lever... my Mountie is a safe queen, she's a super model and rarely gets fed. Uberti is ok... but I'm likely going to send it packing, love my Win 94's even if they are a tad "rattly" and a smidge loose... they feel so good carrying and at shoulder with a sense of history... for pure shooting fun and a buttery smooth action AND accuracy... I will take a Henry any day of the week and THRICE on Sundays... the Frontier is my favorite... they got this model exactly right... and I'm currently hunting down a couple more... my LR H001T got a brass conversion and is too dang pretty to beat up in the bunny brush... so the question would be; Are you an admirer or a shooter? Browning for the former, Henry Fontier for the latter...


All of the above is JMO.
 
I've got a couple of BL-22's, love em ! I too, am impressed with the quality and workmanship, the wood is very nice and very dark, deep blueing.
I found mine was sitting in the safe as well because it's so nice, I got another one to shoot. Mine is very accurate and the trigger pull is not hard at all. I like the short lever throw, you can stay on target for a follow-up shot.
I've never had a lever gun before, so I don't know if the full-lever action is better than the Browning.
I've found this gun shoulders easily and is light enough to carry around all day, it's my new, favorite shooter !
Just my .02 cents, but I love mine !
 
Currently have 2 in my cabinet along with a 9422. Have had Ithaca's and Erma's. I really like the BL22, both as a shooter and to work on.
No comment on the Henry's other than it appears to be a copy of the Erma.
 
I went thru a rimfire lever obsession several yrs back.

Bought and lived with a couple BL22's, 9422's, Erma, as well as a few different pumps too. Plinked with them and some inforal CAS rimfire.

The BL22 is very light, compact, well made. Triggers were always a lil heavy, no feed or function probs. For me I couldn't warm up to the quarter throw lever thing...more cuz I have so many centrfire levers and going back/forth was weird. The mechanism work very well and frankly the concept is very sound as you don't have to break your grip to cycle a round...you can get very fast/efficient with it. If one didn't have multiple other levers and or didn't have preconceived notions/habits one would prolly prefer it?? It is a very slender, compact, light gun...Browning clearly started with a clean slate and designed the rifle around the 22lr vs all others which all seem to be mirroring the centrefire lever experience.
If one was looking for a youth or small statured women plinker the BL22 is a homerun BTW...the short smooth low force lever and the overall micro dimensions are perfect here.

The 9422 is bigger, heavier and very much reproduces a centrefire lever feel and look. It is also very well made and shoots, functions very well. Nice rifles, different approach and definitely deliver on authenticity in look,feel and character to a centefire 94. If you can find the trapper version it is much nicer handling and balanced IMO.

I had 3 different Erma levers that were all horror shows for function/feeding and parts failure. They were all used but my gunsmith cursed at them as a whole. I was told they were manufactured by several different companies on different tooling and production lines so the tolerances and QA was poor??

Never owned a Henry....they came along after my rimfire lever obsession waned.
 
Had one since 1980, its never had a jam or ftf. It doesn't care what ammo you use, it will shoot.

I've replaced the firing pin once after forty or fifty thousand rounds. Yes, I said 40,000 or 50,000 rounds. I buy a case of 5000 rounds every one to two years, and my browning lever is my primary and most frequently used .22 cal for 35 years.

You cannot beat the reliability and value of a BL22.
 
I love mine,I have had it for about 35 years and have never had an issue with it. Very accurate and shoot any thing I put in it.
 
Thanks everyone! Great feedback, I really appreciate it. The fact it can be passed on to my young boys at the proper time helps me justify it when the wife finds out :) Happy shooting everyone!
 
BL22 Is a great gun, my old mans he says he bought in the early 70 grade 2 still runs great and looks great. I also have one from when i was a kid my dad got for me also a grade 2, its about 20 years old and i have never had an issue with it just wish the fit and finish was as good from the factory as my old mans. Only issue we ever had with either was a broken firing pin on the old mans from an empty mag dry fire, easily purchased through epps.

Overall it is a very dependable and accurate 22, irons are nice or attach a set of rings and scope to the 3/8 grooved reciever, and the short throw lever allows you to cycle the action with a flick of the fingers maintaining a grip on the stock.

It would be biased however to say get the bl22 as i have no familiarity with the other models you have mentioned, but you should get the bl22, and dont cheap out on the grade 1 if you have the choice........... just my 2 cents.
 
Love em...my first rifle...killed allot of groundhogs when I was a kid with it. Have a 9422 as well but spent my youth behind the browning so it has some favor with me. I like all 22 though :)
 
I`ve also been looking at the BL-22`s. Really like the grade 2 with the checkering. Handled a micro-midas (i think that is the model) of the BL-22 in my LGS and it was pretty sweet. Reminded me of a Winchester trapper.
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Love mine it is a FLD grade II, fit and finish is great, accurate and reliable so far, nice little gem to pass on to the boys my oldest shoots it well. Heard someone say they didn't like the lever throw that is the reason why most people I know bought them. But each to their own.
 
Browning Man said:
.... Heard someone say they didn't like the lever throw that is the reason why most people I know bought them. But each to their own.
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No kidding , that short throw is awesome for consecutive/running gopher shots. You can snap them rounds out there just as fast as a semi.
 
I've never owned one, but have replaced broken firing pins on two of them for friends in the last couple years. Don't know the circumstances of how/why they broke, just know they did. Western Gun Parts got me new parts both times, and the guns were up and running again after replacement. They are a pain to take apart, and there's this little triangle piece that I never seem to get installed they right way the first time.
 
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