Pump or lever???

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kagia

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So I'm think addicted to .22 rimfire!

I've had a few .22 caliber firearms over the years (a couple 10/22s, SR22, MnP22 pistol.)

I would always buy them, shoot them a bit, and basically forget about them. I ended up selling a couple and the rest usually just collect dust all year. Just never really got into it.

I recently got a Ruger American Rimfire compact .22lr. Total impulse buy. Was kicking myself the whole way home for buying it. Didn't figure I'd ever end up shooting it, but mounted up a scope and hit the range just to justify the purchase. That gun was so much fun to shoot that I went back and shot it again a couple days later, along with the 10/22 takedown. Brought them out again today. Been out shooting more in the last week than I usually do in a year. I don't know what's changed, but I'm having a friggin blast shooting these guns.

For my next acquisition, I'd like an iron-sighted, tube-fed .22 in either pump or lever action. Always liked lever guns, but I'm very intrigued by the idea of a 22 pump gun. It will be a multi-purpose rifle for fun plinking, shooting the odd grouse, and maybe a bit of pest control.

My criteria is as follows...

Must be current production.

I'd like something accurate. Is one type of action typically more accurate than the other?

I'd like to be able to mount a good rear peep sight, preferably without having to modify anything (ie; drilling/tapping.)

I'd really like something quick and easy to field strip. Pump or lever?

I'd expect it to be capable of reliably feeding and firing short rounds as needed.

I want something that can be dry-fired without causing any damage to the gun. Not that I plan to be purposely dry-firing it a whole bunch, but I find that with repeaters, unless they are semi auto and have a last round bolt hold, I tend to keep firing until I hear a click. Usually having too much fun to be counting my shots or looking in the chamber after every shot.

Can you help me decide between a pump and a lever? Which do you like better, and why? I'm really leaning toward a pump, but haven't ruled out a lever by any means.

Are there any other parameters to consider that I haven't listed?

What models do you suggest? What's your favorite pump/lever gun? Feel free to post pics!

Thanks.
 
I've used both the Henry lever action (plain jane black model, not the golden boy) and their pump action .22, and I much prefer the lever.

The weight between the two is substantially different, the lever is nice and light, easy to carry, the pump with the octagon barrel feels very overbuilt for a .22, although if you went with the octagon barrel golden boy lever it may be closer in weight. (fwiw I like the big loop better than the small loop on the levers, but it's all personal preference)

The other big pro/con for me was the grip. I tent to hold my front hand a little closer to the receiver, so the pump, just like most pump shotguns, feels awkward with my hand so far up front.

With both of them though we tried a few different brands of .22 and didn't have any issues feeding and ejecting afterword. The only part I'm not sure about is the dry firing, I've never really dug into their recommendations on it.
 
Thanks!

That is something I hadn't considered. Maybe I'll see if I can handle both at a shop, as I do not usually care much for excessively heavy rifles if I'm often shooting them off hand.
 
Or the henry small game rifle/carbine, comes with skinner peep sight installed on the receiver, large loop and octagonal barrel.
 
I have both and love both. The lever is lighter in carbine form and also strips down for cleaning easier... Tho I usually just run a snake threw it and not strip either down unless I want to do a deep clean. I like the buck hit sights, never been a peep sight fan. But I had to turn the white diamond insert around to full black because the contrast was messing with my eye.

Either one cycles everything I've put it them from any long rifle, shorts or quiets.
 
I had a henry pump action .22 that I sold about a month ago. It was a fun gun for me it just lost its appeal. For being new and in stock you might be SOL. They are still on the henry website but cabelas says no longer available. The shop where I bought it also does not get them any more.
 
The henry pump action is a re-worked version of their lever action. There is one on the E.E. right now with octagonal barrel

The Rossi clones of the Winchesters work well and are usually on the E.E. around $300
The Remington Fieldmaster works well but I prefer hammer's with half #### over the Remington's button safety.
 
I've got both ,money well spent. The more you use the pump the slicker it becomes. Minute of squirrel at 25 meters with the iron sights.
 
Okay I think I'm going to go with a Henry. Don't know if it'll be a pump or a lever (probably eventually end up with both,) but do you figure the accuracy would be noticably better with that heavy octagon barrel?
 
kagia said:
Okay I think I'm going to go with a Henry. Don't know if it'll be a pump or a lever (probably eventually end up with both,) but do you figure the accuracy would be noticably better with that heavy octagon barrel?[/QUOTE

You can get the lever with the same octagonal barrel with the frontier model. As far as it being more accurate, maybe slightly due to the longer sight radius over the round carbine version.
Click to expand...
 
I've two pump action 22s, both long out of production. I've one lever action 22, a Marlin 39A, the Marlin comes predrilled and tapped for a receiver sight, mine carries a Williams brand, I really enjoy the Marlin.

I have shot a friend's Henry lever action 22, I think it is called "Yellow Boy", really sweet little gun but I don't recall if it comes pre tapped for a receiver sight.
 
Yeah I just got back from a local LGS and now I have no idea what to do. The levers are all really nice. Played with the little carbine round barrel, rifle round barrel, and rifle octagonal barrel. They all feel really nice. Even the rifle with long octagonal barrel seems to balance nicely...

I think I'd like the rifle length round barrel and then maybe get the octagonal pump. That little carbine is damn nice too...

Too many choices!
 
The Henry small game rifle sounds like the ticket. Octogon barrel, peep sight, lever action.

I have a Frontier and it is a joy to own and shoot. Got one with some decent wood on it and because my eyes didn't get along with the buckhorn sights I added a barrel mount Skinner peep sight. I use the sight as a ghost ring with the apperture removed and it is plenty accurate. If I really want to zone in I put the apperture in. Fun rifle and silky smooth to operate.

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A newer remlin 336ss with the wwg trigger and a leupy 2-7x33mm vx2 has become my stand & ground blind deer gun.
Had a 760 carbine in 06 at one time back when I could use iron sights.
Reflecting back I prefer the scoped 336ss.
3# break and crisp with no creep every time.
That wwg trigger has got me really spoiled.
The 3 kills since I got the marlin were 1-shot with the 170 grain core-lokt factory ammo.
Federal premium ammo with the 170 grain nosler partition bullets was a tad more accurate but at $10 more a box the difference wasn't worth it.
 
I have had a lot of 22s. Marlin 39, henry lever, but the one i miss is the Remington 572 field master.
Current production, easy to clean and holds 17 LR or 25 shorts accuracy is worthy of a 4-12 scope at 50 yrds and it comes with a machined dovetail. I never had a jam with it and it fired reliably. Pump stroke was about an inch versus opening a lever. I sold it for some silly reason now have a couple 10/22s which work pretty good with a clean chamber. One day i will find a 572 BDL model and hold onto it.
 
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I have fired both the Remington 572 and Henry lever 22. Both well made. Both have the odd plastic bit, but nothing to worry about. The Henry has a plastic barrel band. The 572 has a plastic plate under the reciever that can be removed to modify the rifle to using detachable mags. Not sure why you'd want to do that..

Both 572 I've shot had high combs in the stock that made shooting the irons.. awkward. The Henry was just right for irons, very comfortable.

My experience is that a pump 22 is quicker but a lever 22 is more fun. Both were quite smooth and would be fantastic squirrel rifles.
 
I shouldn't really chime in on this thread because I really dislike loading tube mags, I find levers a pain to clean thoroughly, I don't find levers OR pumps to shoot as accurately as bolt guns...so I don't own a lever OR a pump. I have owned a Henry pump (disliked it, sold it after 2 outings) and found the effort to cycle it was nuts. Heavy gun for what it was too, and had one of those dreadful tube mags. :) I've also owned a ROSSI pump (Winchester copy) and while much lighter/nicer to cycle...try loading a tube mag rifle standing in the middle of a muddy field by yourself..and THEN tell me how much fun tube mags are. lol I also owned a Winchester 9422 lever, and there are days I wish I'd kept that rifle. No fun to give it a good cleaning, no fun to load...but at least accuracy was decent, quality superb, cycled like butter, etc. My only complaint is that I bought one new and it was so pretty I was paranoid using it. lol I think a Winchester lever in 22WMR could be a temptation for me some day though.

Today~the ONLY lever that is even the slightest temptation is the Henry "Mare's leg" but I'd have to get a proper-sized buttstock for it. I like it for the short barrel.

However...I think the RAR the OP bought is a fine rifle but AS a bolt-gun fan...I think I'd be more keen on trying other flavors of bolt guns before I'd (personally) move over to a lever or a pump. I like the RARs, but there are finer bolt guns out there. Naturally, you have to pick one that uses box mags. :)
 
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