vote for the best lever action .22 and why

i just recently bought the browning bl-22 and its a great little gun. accurate as hell from 30 yards away. ran about 200 rounds through it and havent had any trouble with cheap ammo
 
Those Winchester .22 levers must be really nice because Sellers on the EE are asking more for them vs the Winchester Big-brother Center-fire….
 
I have a Browning lever that I picked up before 1980 and I still use it now after a bazillion rounds shooting gophers every year. It still looks brand new and the only repair I've made is a new firing pin for about 45 bucks installed.

I have no comments on the other makes because mine just keeps on ticking... and ticking....and ticking...
 
I'm sort of biased here..... I vote the BL22. i have a 1974 model that my dad bought me the day i was born. It is a gem and looks brand new... i just love the feel and short throw of the lever... but like i said heavily biased here. ;)
 
Norinco JW21 ... $175.00 average cost .. all converted railroad rail .. no zink and plastic like the Henry .. takes Winchester parts .. could have owned one for each family member re the cost of a Winchester .. never be a safe queen .. tack driver and substitute hammer ..

Project for increasing your dremel skilks and bluing .. if it gets heavy toss it away .. wish Marstar and Canada ammo still could get them in, but alas they are appreciated more in less nice and shinny parts of the world :)

Sorry guys when I pick up my Winchester, all I think is how much it is worth, about the sand on the range bench, and do I really want my grandson to drop it in the gravel .. so it sits in the safe .. Jw21 gets all the use, so it gets my vote ...
 
rocor98 said:
Norinco JW21 ... $175.00 average cost ..
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Average eh.
Sweet I'll keep my eye out for one on the low side.......actually even if you know where one @$200.00 is I'm sure others would appreciate the heads up.

Looks like they go for around $400 in New Zealand if you can find one....
 
Sorry for the confusion .. $175.00 average purchase cost .. mine was $159.00 on sale ( I think ) in 2012, but I believe one was NIB on the EE a few years back for $300.00 .. people seem to hold on to them ..

I believe Norinco bought Winchesters tooling .. and used their reduced labor costs, recycled rail steel, and mistry wood stocks to produce these .. they just do not turn heads on the range, or under the Xmas tree in North America .. but for the cost/performance they needed mention ..
 
My father has used the 9422m since he bought it, I continue to use it too.
I think they're great for new shooters, lever action fun and a little more pop from the .22mag
 
A club mate bought one of the Norinco lever rifles after his son got to shoot my Henry and loved it. The Norc was VERY rough to cycle. It would actually leave the back of my fingers sore from just a couple of cycles of the lever. The trigger was also HORRIBLE! So buyer beware that in the case of the Norinco you might be buying a "loosely assembled kit" that needs significant action work to slick up and be as nice to operate as the "pinky finger" Henry action.
 
tiriaq said:
9422, and the Marlin 39.
I dislike the BL22s, having had to work on ones that customers brought in for repair.
The Erma/Ithaca was an economy rifle with a diecast zinc alloy receiver with a steel shell. Apparently the Henry is the current version.
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About 20 years ago I knew a gunsmith with drawer full of about 4-5 Erma lever action .22s in parts. The barrel was just pressed into the alloy receiver and came loose and receiver hole was reamed from use. He hated them. Are the Henry rifle`s barrels pinned in place or just press fit?
 
rocor98 said:
Sorry guys when I pick up my Winchester, all I think is how much it is worth, about the sand on the range bench, and do I really want my grandson to drop it in the gravel .. so it sits in the safe .. Jw21 gets all the use, so it gets my vote ...
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I guess I'm a spoiled (somewhat) old-fart... Learned on my dad's Marlin 39 and the very first rifle I could call my own was a 9422 (what can I say, my father loves nice guns).

Bumps, scratches and wear are what makes some firearms memorable. I'll let whomever is in charge of my estate to worry with the deprecations.
(Hopefully they'll have good memories associated with these guns and will want to hang on to them... and pass them on when the time comes)
 
Appears that if you're looking for a Lever that has a traditional "throw" with an action slick as goose snot in the $300-400 range…Henry's the way to go.
 
Pre Remington owned marlin anything is a good value.
Browning makes a great rifle
Henry makes a great rifle, except I don't like the weight of the big bore.
Having said all this, my vote would be for the Henry, awesome company to deal with and very well built rifles for the price.
 
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