BEST lever action rifle??

I own and have experience with the Winchester, Marlin, and Henry (Golden Boy) and as far as accuracy goes they're all about the same in my hands. In other respects they all have their pros and cons. Even though the Henry's are built to a lower price point, they're built well for the price and have an action that is magnitudes smoother than most other lever guns. While the Marlins are great rifles and built like tanks, neither of the two I've had were anything near smooth at all. One was a '54 model 39A and the other is a '72 39M. I think the 9422 is a nice rifle that strikes a balance between aesthetics, durability, easy handling and a smooth action. Too bad they're no longer produced.

When you get right down to it you can't go wrong with any of them. But hey, I enjoy my single-shot Ithaca M49 Saddle Gun just as much as the others, if not more, so what do I know. ;)
 
I won one of the basic Henry .22 lever actions a few years back. A co-worker was really mad that I won cause he wanted it pretty bad. After opening the box and taking the thing out for a look I promptly handed to him and said "go ahead, have it, it's yours". The thing was so cheaply made and the sights so terrible. I've seen toy guns with better quality sights. He shoots it alot and loves it. I have winchester 94-22's, a marlin 39a, and a couple marlin 1894 .22 wmrf's, and am afraid I would have been disapointed further had I kept the Henry. Now my oldest daughter is of the age that she has outgrown her chipmunk, and I'll be giving the Browning a cklose look.
 
My preference is for the Marlin as well. The first real gun I ever shot was my dad's Marlin out on our farm. He used it as his "turtle gun" to get rid of snapping turtles in our pond. :D
 
The Browning BL-22 is often regarded as the best .22 lr lever action.
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By who? Homers who bought them?:cool: I've handled the Browning and it has a cheapness to it in my opinion. The Marlin is a better rifle, but is too big. Who needs a heavy 24" 22lr levergun? A lever should be short and handy. The 39 is still a great base design and is a classic. If Remington were smart, they'd reintroduce the 39M.
 
I agree with that 100 %. I like the Marlin a lot, but the 39M is by far the best of them. I have 2 of them as well as the Winchester 94-22, which I would also like to see back in production.
 
Marlin 39A without a doubt. Has serious build quality, and if it has a fault, it is the weight. If Marlin put out a 16" carbine like my 1894 Limited .44, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 
I like my Marlin 39 mountie and my 94-22 trapper......The browning is OK..I don't particularly care for it tho......
 
Marlin and Winchester depending. Just like their .30-30 big brothers the Marlin is a little more rifle like while the Winchester is more carbine like. IMO of coarse. But no matter if you agree with that statement or not you have to agree that they have 2 different feels.

I like the BL-22s, nice finish, nice action. So nice I bought one for my Dad on his B-Day 8 or 10 years ago. But they are small.

Ruger 96/22. Prehaps the best .22 lever PLINKER ever made. 10 round detachable mag (up to 50 round mags if you like, yuck) , accurate, good action, etc etc. Just doesn't look cowboy enough for some folk.

Henry. Not on par quality wise with any of the others. Not saying they are bad but they aren't as good. But the yare the cheapest option so that makes some sense.

LK
 
+1 on the Browning. The action was smooth as silk, reloading is relatively quick and easy. I could also consistently hit golf balls at 100 yds using the iron sights. Awesome rifle.
 
I have a "Golden Boy" I love it and have no plan of dumping it. It is smooh in action, acurate , and just plane fun to shoot. That said the 39A will shoot just as well, and I would have to say is better built. I say buy the 39A!
 
My Henry .22LR Frontier has the smoothest action I've yet used in a lever gun, but the 1895 Marlin Cowboy .357 I sold some years ago is the one gun I wish I had back. Rarer than hen's teeth now.
 
Just personal opinion of course...

The only lever action 22 rifles I've ever owned (and still own) are one 1996 Marlin 39A, and two 1970 Model 39, Century Limiteds..

The 39A is the "tack driver" of the trio (but of course it's heavier, with a longer barrel), but both of the Century Limited's are very, very accurate, and actually more "fun" to plink with.

I love my Marlins, but I have two Browning SA22's that are very accurate, and a blast to shoot.. Not lever actions of course.

The most accurate rimfire rifle I own, and none of the 7 I own are "serious target rifles", is my Winchester 63...
Heck, hard not to love 'em all.......

My reasoning for not desiring a Henry has nothing to do with the build quality, or plating or anything else. In fact if you do casual research you'll be hard pressed to find a dissatisfied Henry owner.

My lack of interest in a Henry is simply because they are all over the place, common as deer ticks, and I just prefer something a bit different...

You can buy a Henry, a very good Henry, at any respectable gun store in America.. Heck, two if you want 'em, and they're pretty darn cheap, relatively speaking.. But if you want a Marlin 39A or Mountie, or CL, or even the sweet little Browning SA22 you have to do a bit more looking..

A lot more looking for a Winchester 63... (But it's worth it)..

I think IF I were looking for the best all around "plinker" that I would want to "hand down" from my little rimfire rifle stash I'd pick one of the Century Limiteds.. They have 20" octagon barrels (always nice), the action is sweet (pre re-bounding hammer/cross block safety) and enough "bling" to set them apart from most of the competition..

Just personal opinion, no offense to anybody.. I'm old, I hate conflict.. :o

Jesse

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If you want a lever action .22 rifle that is built to last a lifetime.
I would recomend a Marlin 39A.
Its expensive, but you get what you pay for. and on the bright side, it would be cheaper in the long run because you wont have to replace it.
 
I have a Henry Frontier Model and love it. For the money they are very hard to beat, and the company has legendary customer service.

I would not call it the BEST lever action, though. That's too subjective.
 
The BEST 22 levergun currently in production is Marlin. Nothing else is even close. The Browning ain't bad. You can make a good argument in favor to the discontinued Winchester 94-22.
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Hands down, the best 22 levergun currently made is the Browning BL-22. It's precision action and quality of workmanship is and always has been the envy of both Marlin and Winchester. Yes, the 39A has the longevity record and the Winchester has the name, but neither have ever had the quality and smooth action of the Browning. The comparison between them isn't even close.

In addition, I'm afraid that the current Marlin 39As are a mere shadow of the quality they once were. Maybe Remington can salvage their failing reputation and bring the QC back up but I'm betting against it.

That said, for the money, I think that the Henry levergun will give any other lever 22 currently made a run for it's money value wise. Yes, it doesn't have a machined steel receiver and yes, it's got some production shortcuts. But the fact is that of those 22 leverguns made today, dollar for dollar, the Henry might just be the best value.

At less than 1/2 the cost of the Browning, Marlin, or Winchester it's not as pretty but it's got a buttery smooth action, is as accurate as any, and has a lifetime warranty second to none. As to durability, there are shooters over on the Henry forum of RimfireCentral.com who've run well over 10,000 rds through their Henrys and they are just a buttery smooth and accurate as they were when new.

For me, I'd love to have a Browning Field Grade II like this,

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but I settled for what I could afford, my customized Henry H001.

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