can somebody tell me why

Because they can. A .22 LR bullet is pretty loose and probably wouldn't much like the side pressure cause by loading. It would be very hard on your thumb and finger to load several hundred rounds a day like that and is totally unnecessary to oad via a side port on any rifle. Look at the Mossberg pistol cartridge leverguns, they load from the front too. :wave:
 
madmac said:
all the .22 lever actions load from the front of the tube,
and not from the rear,like a 30-30 ?

i am guessing it is because the round is so small?
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I would have thought that dropping a center fire cartridge on top of another in a tube would have been a safety issue more than anything else. FS
 
I don't think it would be practical to use a side loading gate with .22RF cartridges due to their small size making loading difficult. The Winchester 1873 in .22 Short was likely the first tube fed .22 repeater and even it used a removable inner tube. The fact that all .22 tube magazines use an inner tube instead of a loading gate suggests to me that there is a good reason for this.
 
It might be just to let all of the Fudds practice their muzzle control...because...they need it.
 
It is way faster to dump 17 .22 LR cartridges down the magazine tube from the muzzle end, than to insert them one-by-one through a side port. In fact, a buddy gave me an aluminum tube that might work as a speedloader, with a little hammer and file work.

I think the higher powered centerfire levers were "the" fighting rifles of that era. That being the case, it is easier and more ergonomic to top-up tube mags from side or butt ports in between shots, on the fly, or while keeping the rifle mounted, on target (almost), ready to fire and doing all this behind cover.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Do they all? I always wanted a model 94 in 22LR. I guess I incorrectly assumed it had a loading ramp beneath the receiver.
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Nope! I have a couple of em, one in .22 and one in .22 mag. both tube feeds from the muzzle.

It's not a bad thing though... quick and easy to load and unload.

If I had a single complaint, it would be that when down to a couple rounds, the tube gets loose, and can actually fall out. I throw a wrap of tape on mine when in the field/bush.
 
Another factor to consider is the fact that 22 rimfire cartridges can be easily subjected to enough pressure from the side to distort the bullet in the case, causing some misalignment between case and bullet. Feeding into a magazine from the front, or in the buttstock eliminates this possibility. Trying to feed 20 or more 22 long rifles into a loading gate against any spring pressure does not appeal to me at all. Sure would build a decent callous on one's thumb in time, I'm thinking!! Regards, Eagleye.
 
I agree eagleye....the disfigurement of the case bullet alignment would definitely hamper the reloading process. Many of the bulk .22 bullets are distorted during assembly processes and they show up occasionally in bulk boxes. Very easily done to a soft lead bullet - stiff brass casing configuration. Pushing so many shells thru the gate would certainly be a chore.

It certainly is hard enough pushing the small 25-20 bullets thru a gate, I can imagine what it was like doing a .22 bullet.
 
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