School me on .22 Lever action plz

HuskyDude

HuskyDude

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As I go deeper and deeper down the .22cal rabbit hole.
I find my interests moving from S/A to Bolt to Pump and now onto lever actions.
And it seems the price is directly proportional to each.

Was considering looking for a Winchester 9422 Lever. To sit along my 1958 Winchester Model 94 .30-30.
But after some reading thinking maybe a Marlin 39A. Or maybe something else.

Are the older .22 levers that elusive and that expensive? Not looking for a alloy one.

Need some input please.
 
The older all steel lever actions- Winchester and Marlin- are very well built and have been increasing in value as they are no longer produced. For very good conditions ones expect to pay around $1000 or more for the common models. Variations that are less common will probably cost more. Many owners are happy to keep them... not many available.
 
HuskyDude said:
As I go deeper and deeper down the .22cal rabbit hole.
I find my interests moving from S/A to Bolt to Pump and now onto lever actions.
And it seems the price is directly proportional to each.

Was considering looking for a Winchester 9422 Lever. To sit along my 1958 Winchester Model 94 .30-30.
But after some reading thinking maybe a Marlin 39A. Or maybe something else.

Are the older .22 levers that elusive and that expensive? Not looking for a alloy one.

Need some input please.
Click to expand...

winchester 9422 is no longer made and sold at moon prices


the henry clones are cheap and good. not sure what else is out there
 
Good info. I'd like to stay away from the alloy ones.
My 58 Win94 took awhile to find. But I was looking for year specific.
It would be nice to find one similar in a 9422.
 
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My first gun was a Browning BL22 when I was 6 so I have a soft spot for them. They have a sweet short throw. They're accurate and well made. Cons are that they are a bit of a bugger to completely disassemble and can be "expensive".

The Henry's are all around solid guns. They are relatively smooth. The price is pretty darned good for what you get. The Golden Boys are ###y as heck. Chiappa makes a similar copy and it's ok but not great.

The Winchester 9422's are expensive. Definitely quality guns. But in my opinion you're not getting enough to justify the major increase in price.

Marlin 39's are also up there in price. They're solid guns and have a takedown screw to come apart in two pieces for a "backpack gun". The ones I've owned have been fairly accurate. One was exceptional.
 
Saw a Marlin 39A from 1977 I believe for sale on Alberta Outdoorsman last week for $1295. It was gone within couple days.
 
I have a Henry H001TRP 'Small Game Rifle'. Rifle comes with an octagon barrel, rear peep sight, big loop for gloves. To help my aging eyes I replaced front sight with a Skinner fiber optic. I've been thinking about getting the 22WMR version H001TMRP.


Henry does not warranty dry firing damage, rifle holds 16 rounds of 22lr, I put a snap cap in for #16.
 
gandalfe said:
The Browning is one of the best lever 22's.Short throw and very accurate.I bought one brand new 50 years ago, and it still looks and shoots good.
Click to expand...
Got them all
From $ to $$$$
Henry, alloy , a million models, does the job but
Browning, short throw, beautiful gun but you need an engineering degree to take it apart and put it back together
Uberti(sp) ?
Winchester 94/22 and Marlin 39 , quality costs and you can feel the difference when you pick them up
 
Over the last five years I’ve put about 6000rds through my Henry H001. It runs like a clock to this day. Over the last four years I’ve put about 4500rds through my H004 Golden Boy. It too runs perfectly and both are more accurate than expected.
 
Hey HuskyDude-I've only owned one 22 lever (a late-production 9422) but I've owned a Henry pump, a Taurus pump, and have shot at least 2 other Henry levers. Bottom line for me=I dislike tube magazines more every time I load one. :)

BUT...to your question-I'd track down a Winchester 9422 or a Marlin 39 if you're hung-up on all-steel/classic 22 levers. While there are days I wished I'd kept my 9422, I actually don't miss it..as I never hunted with it, and it's not the greatest bench gun scoped. (knew it was't, it's just how I was shooting most at the time) The 9422 was not my favourite gun to clean either. The last lever gun I shot WAS my buddy's new Henry and I won't lie, it was allot of fun. While there is a slim chance I'll ever get into levers again, for me, it would likely BE a henry for $ purposes. As the years go by, the importance of "pride of ownership" seems to be fading a bit, and while I think the Henry's look a bit cheap compared to 9422/39...I have all kinds of faith in their build quality/reputation. The company stands behind their products from what I hear, which IS something to consider if you're going to use it allot. I would have no idea how hard it is to get parts for a Marln 39 but on the other hand, I'm not sure I've ever heard of anyone LOOKING for parts for one. The build quality is supposed to be excellent.

If you'd have asked me if I had an issue with alloy receivers 5 years ago, I would have said yes. Now, my most used pump gun is a Mossberg 500. (vs. Rem 870)
 
I had a 9422 in 22 magnum - the version with checkering on the stocks. It got sold when I replaced it with a Ruger 96/22 Magnum - that one is just superb! Uses the same 9 shot rotary magazines as my 77/22 Magnum. Our forty year old son bought a Win 94/22 in .22 last summer - we installed a rear aperture sight and that is one very nice rifle out in the gopher patch! I have a Marlin 39A on the table, waiting for a firing pin. Owner says it was a real fun gun to shoot - takes down easily for "from the breech" bore cleaning. However, from on-line, that Marlin firing pin appears to need replacement periodically - can't say why, but perhaps "dry firing"(?), although no one will own up to doing that when shown the broken pieces...
I prefer the Ruger 96/22's with their detachable magazines. Most all others have a tube magazine - certainly a well proven system, but I have come to enjoy the convenience of that box mag.
 
In my view, and it’s worth what you are paying, the 9422 and the 39 are the way to go. I don’t like the very short throw of the Browning. The Ithaca is a POS that is hard to repair. I have not owned a Henry.
 
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