Pros and Cons of Some Lever 22s

Alex_Zues

Alex_Zues

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
121   0   0
Location
Sasquatchewan, the flat part
I'm aiming (see what I did there?) to buy a lever 22, novice level budget. Henry seemed to rule for a bit. Solid name, etc. Rossi is out there, but it shares the same price as Henry. Now Savage pops put with their Revel, but I don't know much about them. Most of the reviews out there are generic, and lots of people complaining it isn't steel reciever or threaded for silencers (our southern neighbours).

Henry:

Been around for a while, so fewer surprises. Reliable enough action.

Sales on at the moment for Black Friday

Alloy reciever. Meh.

Heritage:

Seems fancy with the rustic finish, but is it lipstick on a pig?

Chiappa takedown:

I hear bad things about QC.

Rossi:

dunno what to say about these ones.
 

Savage:
Aluminum reciever doesn't really bother me since anything in its price point is running some sort of pot metal anyways.

Made in Canada is a nice touch.

With all being a similar price point, is there something I'm missing? My gut is telling me to choose between Henry and Savage.
 
Have to hunt, and probably pricey, but the Winchester 9422 and Marlin 39s are top notch.
Brownings are slick.
Of the rest, I'd be inclined to go with Savage, Canadian made. Might help if service is ever needed.
 
Don't know how many thousands of rounds I've put through my henry .22 mares leg with a full stock. But it comes with me on every single range trip for the kast 15 hears and has never once failed to feed or eject. No mater what brand or if it's long rifle or shorts. It eats them all. Anyone saying only get this or that and all others are junk are just snobs who need to justify the inflated price they paid.
 
I used to have a norinco lever. Can't remember what it was a clone of but it had issuses. the carrier (?) the piece the round sits on after coming out of the magazine and lifts the round up to the chamber) had way to much side to side play. every now and then when the round eject from the magazine and it would drop to the side of the carrier causing a jam. i had to take the gun apart to get the round out.
 
Do your research on the Browning receiver..... it's not steel and there are many cases of them being broken.

The Winchester 9422 is one of the best.
 
I'm aiming (see what I did there?) to buy a lever 22, novice level budget. Henry seemed to rule for a bit.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you're aware of the best. As others have mentioned... maybe they just read the title and not your post.
Can't go wrong with a Henry...
Finding a "Entry Level" lever, pretty well goes hand in hand with "Entry Budget".
That said, could also look at a Mossberg 464, Mossberg Palomino, Rossi Rio Bravo or even a Ithica 72 saddle.


Or could go with "buy once, cry once" and buy a Win 9422, Marlin 39A or a Browning BLR.
 
Last edited:
My Henry experience has been great. I don't have one of their lever guns, but my single shot had a trigger recall that was dealt with promptly without trouble, and when I inquired about getting a Youth size stock for my Single Shot they sent me one for free.

So for customer service reasons alone I'd go with a Henry personally. I'm also interested in the Savage, but its still too new for my liking.
 
I've owned a 9422 in the past, prettiest of them all but I never loved shooting it. Beautifully made, except the lever had too much play side-to-side. When I bought it, I had the option of a couple of well-used 9422s that were slick/better tolerances...but I'd only ever owned old 22s and thought newer=better. I'd make a different choice today.

Gave up on levers until I tried a well-loved BL-22 this year. Have a buddy who recommended them numerous times but the lever/trigger arrangement seemed a bit weird to me. Glad I got over that. Cycling the lever took a little getting used to, but it's really fun to shoot offhand and balances well.
 
elKrusto said:
Browning receiver not steel? What? they certainly are steel......
Click to expand...
Upper is, where barrel is fitted and bolt locks. Lower, where most of the mechanism is housed is a non-ferrous casting. It connects to the steel upper with a peg, which can be broken out.
 
Alex_Zues said:
Rossi:
dunno what to say about these ones.
Click to expand...

Nothing but good things to say about the Rossi Rio Bravo (bang for buck). Especially since discovered the little screw underneath the trigger backstop - now lightweight, crisp with minimal takeup. The lever cycling is smooth, ejection makes consistent piles of brass. ~2 MOA with the right ammo benched, or plate size group offhand rapid fire. Fun, brings a smile. Regularly on sale ~$450..
 
HuskyDude said:
I'm sure you're aware of the best. As others have mentioned... maybe they just read the title and not your post.
Can't go wrong with a Henry...
Finding a "Entry Level" lever, pretty well goes hand in hand with "Entry Budget" too.
That said, could also look at a Mossberg 464, Mossberg Palomino, Rossi Rio Bravo or even a Ithica 72 saddle.


Or could go with "buy once, cry once" and buy a Win 9422, Marlin 39A or a Browning BLR.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the additional names to look into.
 
An old time gunsmith shuddered when I mentioned a Henry lever .22. He said he did a trigger job on one. He said the guts were "pot metal junk". His words, not mine. I know the fellow would not fib about it.
 
I have had three Marlin 39's. One a and two m's.
These are full throw levers, bout 90 degrees to load and ####.
The Browning I had did not last long but they and the Winchester have a short throw of about 30 degrees.
 
tiriaq said:
Upper is, where barrel is fitted and bolt locks. Lower, where most of the mechanism is housed is a non-ferrous casting. It connects to the steel upper with a peg, which can be broken out.
Click to expand...

Technically true, but what's not true is this statement; "not steel=not good"

In my opinion, the BL-22 might be the best 22 Lever if you're also factoring in size/balance etc. Sure, we all point-out what we don't like about this/that model, but lever action 22s aren't battle rifles nor do they tend to get subjected to the kind of hard use that would compromise the part described above. So, I guess I'd say don't let the presence of non-steel part steer you away from the BL-22 as an option to consider. I'd take a BL-22 over any of the options being discussed in this thread, and like my beat-up BL-22 so much I may consider a new(er) Grade II in the not-too-distant future.

I don't think I kept my 9422 for even 2 years, only left the house about 3X. I have to talk myself out of bringing the BL-22 every time. lol
 
I base my opinion on my experience with BL-22s I worked on in my gunsmithing shop.
They can be slick and smooth. They also have some quirks.
 
I own a 39m which I just can't say enough about and your not asking about it. With the prices the way they are I wouldn't look for one. Personally I got lucky and found one several years ago for $400. I have also had a BL-22 and to me they are worth looking into if you can find a deal on one used. I personally did not like the short throw as I have a touch of arthritis in my wrist and found the grasping way of opening the lever quite uncomfortable.
As for the Henry, I had one for quite a while but sold it to a friend who is still enjoying it. It is well built reliable and cycled just fine. Accuracy was decent too. Never really tried to scope the one I had as it was a plinker to me but had a lot of fun with it. If I didn't have the 39m I would probably look into another one.
Unfortunately I have not been able to get my hands on a Revel. They are available up here but feel its something I would really like to hold in my hands before I buy it. The reviews on rimfirecentral are quite good as well as here. They barrels are plenty accurate and it looks easy to clean.
I wouldn't get too hung up on an alloy receiver as things just aren't made with the same materials they used to be and it being a rimfire I doubt you will wear it out. Even several high end shotguns use things like aluminum and plastic, the internal parts of my GP100 are MIM.
Let us know what you go with.
 
I've had a couple of Bl-22's, one of which I shot for years and probably put close to a hundred thousand rounds through shooting gophers. Both of those rifles were the most accurate lever 22's I've ever seen. I like the 9422 but it isn't nearly as slick to operate as a Bl-22 and almost double the price for a used one compared to a Bl-22. I'm also a fan of the old Marlin 39A.
My daughter has a Henry and for the money it's ok but it's pretty junky compared to the Browning. She has since moved up to a Bl-22 and likes it much better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom