Lever action challenge!!

hifiwasabi

hifiwasabi

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A hypothetical situation to ponder for lever addicts; you have $400 burning a hole in your pocket from your income tax return, the itch to emulate John Wayne kicks in and you peruse your options for a rimfire lever action. Do you a) buy a new Henry b) try to convince someone on the EE that their 94/22, BL 22 or silverboy is only worth four hundred bucks or c) pick up a good used Winchester 150/250, Erma Werke or Norinco?

This isn't actually THAT hypothetical of a question, my tax return finally popped up, and aside from stashing some cash, theres a bit to burn up too. The stipulation is that only 22 LR's or 22 S, L, LR need apply.

Sean
 
I just got a Henry recently it is my first rimfire rifle (also my first lever action). Personally I love the little thing, fully ambidextrous (most likely not a concern for you) holds 17rds of .22LR or 21rds of .22 Short, and its fairly accurate (I was hitting a man sized target at 100M with the iron sights, I have yet to try it at closer ranges yet).
I would definitely recommend these to others, the only thing about my opinion on this is I haven't tried many rimfire rifles (only a single shot .22, a .22 bolt-action, and a ruger 10/22) so my experience with them is fairly limited. Hope this helps
 
Actually, I shoot left handed so ambidextrous is important, but not vital. The only reason I did not include 22 WMR is because I didn't think you could buy one for $400 or less, if you're willing to part with one, I'd be happy to oblige :p.

Sean
 
An octagon barrel Henry from LeBaron will run you just over $400 after tax. Silky smooth action, and hella fun to shoot. The only problem is you will have a hard time keeping your .22 supplies high.
 
A fellow shooter and his son liked my Henry so much that he bought a Norinco. It was accurate enough but the action was ROUGH cycling by even the kindest standards where the Henry is butter smooth by any standard. So at the very least skip on the Norinco in this case and START with a Henry. If you want to go upscale from there I can't help you. The only other lever rimfire I've handled is a buddy's Browning. And the short lever throw really threw me. I'm just too used to full lever travel on my other rifles to get used to the BL22.

Someone on Rimfire Central in the Henry forum reported an estimated 50K rounds through his Henry and it was still going strong.
 
Henry makes a fine rifle, but I would hold out for a Marlin 39A, took us 7 years to find one, but worth every second of the wait.
 
Henry make a nice lever action. If you want higher end i would look at Browning BL-22, Marlin 39a, and my favourite a Winchester 9422. As others have stated I would not discount a rifle in .22 WMR.
 
If given the chance to purchase a 9422M for $400 I certainly would jump on it, but it'll take more than a few beers to get someone drunk enough to fall for it. I do like the Henrys, but tell me more about Winchester 150/250's and the Marlin Levermatic, they appear to be the only other rifles of note for under the magic $400 mark.

Sean
 
Forget the WMR... even if you find one, you still have to feed it. Forget the Norinco and Silverboy... your best bet is the Henry Frontier... or a used Golden Boy. I'm not a fan of the BL-22 short throw... I love my Marlin Mountie AND my 94/22's, but you won't find them in your budget... but my Frontier gets the most use... and I also have a couple Henry's with 25K+ on them... still smooth as butter.
 
I would not pass up on the lower cost base model H001 either. Yes it has a more pistol like plastic front sight but I've found that this has not been a detriment at all. And by staying with the cheaper round barrel you safe yourself a good $50 to $80.

I've also got a Golden Boy and frankly hefting and shouldering them one after the other I actually prefer the lighter muzzle weight of the H001. But the octagonal barrel's heavier weight SHOULD make it a more accurate shooter for steady standing off hand shooting. But the lighter H001 wins for quick lift/sight/shoot style targets.

Smaller folks and kids also seem to prefer the lighter barrel.

And yeah, unless you've got a specific hunting or varmint control issue that requires WMR or .17HMR you're far better off with the cheaper to feed basic .22LR.
 
Henry, plain, old simple H001.
Nicest trigger possible.
I gave it Hi-Viz front and rear-sights.
My old eyes are thanking me.
Then (and my wallet will not thank me) I got a Spee-D-loader!
15 rounds fed with the flick of a wrist times eight (or is it times six?)
It's padlocked inside my range bag and I just don't feel like turning ON
a lot of lights to see the combination. It was faster to go to the website. One loader has eight tubes of 15-rounds (.22 LR) each,
It also takes 21 .22 shorts. Quieter than a cork gun.
 
Let's get something straight here. Marlin is not what it used to be. They are called Remlins for a reason. I wouldn't buy a new 39A. If you can find a good condition older model, go for it. But it's not going to be anywhere near $400.
 
Pyd said:
Henry makes a fine rifle, but I would hold out for a Marlin 39A, took us 7 years to find one, but worth every second of the wait.
Click to expand...

I have to second the Marlin 39A, we picked up a 1957 model at a gun show for $400, buttery smooth, fit and finish like they don't make anymore.
 
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