Lever or pump .22

N

NJ357

Inactive
Good morning all, as I brace for this storm about to hit I can not stop thinking about the 2 rifles I was looking at the other day in my local gun shop. I was putting a deposit on a gorgeous used Ruger Single six since my 30 day waiting period has not ended ( Jersey law I can only buy 1 handgun in a 30 day period). I looked at a slightly used Henry .22 ($280) and noticed a Remington pump 22. I forget the price on it but was more interested in the lever gun at the time. But now as I think about it I think the pump is harder to come by. I did want one of each anyway, wife is hooked on .22 so it s a good thing for me :) so I am wondering what you guys and girls would do. Pick up the Remington pump now and wait on the lever ? I have only seen 1 old Winchester pump .22 that the guy would not sell, owner of shop said he was keeping it the rest have been $500 new Henrys which budget will not allow at this time. Also what would be an approx. $ amount to stay under? I know its hard without seeing pics to put a value on a rifle, but what is considered reasonable? or the HIGHEST price.
 
At Grice's in Clearfield, PA last week, they had several Remington pumps, and (IIRC) each was priced around $300.00, and each had considerable wear. The first Henry I bought was a .22 pump, and it was less than $500.00. I like the gun, except one of these days, I'm going to take the fore end stock off, slim it down a bit to make it feel a bit more vintage. That is the only negative I can say about the Henry-great rifle!
 
Howdy

In the old days, when I was a kid, and you went to a shooting gallery they always handed you a 22 pump action rifle. These were so common in the shooting galleries that they became known as Gallery Rifles or Gallery Guns.

The granddaddy of them all was the Winchester Model 1890, pictured at the top of this photo. These rifles were specific as to which 22 caliber round they would shoot, the one in the photo only shoots 22 Longs. In 1906 Winchester modified the Model 1890 making it capable of shooting either 22 shorts, longs, or long rifles. That is a Model '06 at the bottom of the photo.

model%201890%20and%20model%2006%2001_zpsxo8czegi.jpg




Later, Winchester brought out the hammerless Model 61, streamlined as a companion to the Model 12 shotgun.

Model61.jpg



Remington's competitor to the Winchester pumps was their Model 12. I already have the three Winchesters, but if I wanted another 22 all around fun rifle I would buy a Remington Model 12 over anything manufactured today in a heartbeat.

But I like old guns, so what do I know?

By the way, that Model 06 of mine was my Dad's. His Dad bought it for him in the 1930s in Abercrombie and Fitch in Manhattan. It is still as accurate today as it was the day it left the Winchester factory. Let's see how well the modern guns stand up over the years.
 
NJ357,
What model Remington pump? And what price? The vintage ones like Driftwood shows are getting expensive and harder to come by. If it's an old one, get the pump action if the price is fair. The more modern Henry, Browning, etc. lever actions are plentiful and good deals are out there if you're patient.
 
$195 pre '68?

Hello all thank you for your replies. I went back to the gun shop today. It is a Remington Fieldmaster 572. Chambered for S,L & LR. The guy at the counter said it must be before 1968 because he could not find a serial #. Other than a black stain on the stock and a few minor scratches I did not see anything wrong. Price was $195 so I gave them $60 to hold it until payday.
 
About a year ago I found a very clean Winchester Model 62 .22 pump with the exposed hammer. . I had wanted one for years so it now resides in my gun safe. Followed that up with a Model 61. Both fun to shoot.
 
There were Garcia pumps out there as well.

Mine was not nearly as accurate as my moms Winchester was.

I would go the old pumps over a lever
 
Fieldmaster

The Fieldmaster was the .22 rifle that I desired very badly as a kid. Thirty years later, I picked up an early one, with the vertical grooves on the foreend and the dovetailed front sight. Shot the snot out of that rifle. Eventually the forearm wood cracked. A repair did not hold. I bought a new forearm...it cracked too. Something was up, I bought a second forearm, and traded the rifle.

The Fieldmaster was a sleek, handsome, to my eye anyhow.
 
It's in the eye of the beholder. I have owned a couple remington pumps and simply don't like them. I would buy a Marlin 39 or a Win 9422 in a heartbeat over a pump .22 but that is just me.
 
I've only experienced a couple of either pump or lever 22's but I noticed you're likely to get a better trigger pull on a pump than lever. Might have been the ones I handled but trigger pull trumps type of operation in my book.
 
Jersey

Move out of NJ...I'm in the process of getting out and heading to PA.

Pumps are cool but the Henry is a very well made product. Consider the purpose for the rifle you are buying not just because it's different or "rare".
 
I now have a Winchester 62A that my uncle bought new in the late 40s while still a teenager. If i remember correctly, it is a later iteration of the 1890. That thing is one of my favorites, and never fails to elicit a smile when someone shoots it, including me. Marked for short, long and long rifle, but all i have ever shot is LR with it. Very accurate. Great fun.

I have both lever (couple Henrys) and pump, and really like them both. One thing to note, though, is with the pump it's nice you don't have to move your grip and trigger finger to load the next round. You can maintain sight picture better since it's your off hand that does the pumping. Just one woman's observation.
 
Grand dad tried to teach me to shoot with a beautiful Remington 12. When he passed it went to my cousin, who used it to prop open his garage door. Last my father saw of that rifle it was a block of rust.
 
I now have a Winchester 62A that my uncle bought new in the late 40s while still a teenager. If i remember correctly, it is a later iteration of the 1890. That thing is one of my favorites, and never fails to elicit a smile when someone shoots it, including me. Marked for short, long and long rifle, but all i have ever shot is LR with it. Very accurate. Great fun.
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Howdy Again

Your Model 62A is basically the same as my Model '06, the short rifle in my photo above. As far as I can tell, the main difference between the Model '06 and the Model 62A is the latter went back to a long barrel, while the Model '06 came with a shorter 20" barrel. Both are able to digest all three versions of the 22 rimfire; 22 Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles. The Model 1906 was an economy version of the Model 1890, the wood is not walnut. It is birch or some other less expensive wood that has been stained to look like walnut.

Both are a descendant of the Model 1890, which had a 24" octagonal barrel and could only fire one of the following: 22 Short, 22 Long, or 22 Long Rifle, the Model 1890 would only feed one of those cartridges, not all three. The majority of Model 1890s were chambered for 22 Short, because that was the cartridge used most often in shooting galleries. Next came 22 Long, then 22 Long Rifle. Mine is chambered for 22 Long, and I am not having much luck finding any 22 Longs these days. The other visible difference between the Model 1890 and the other two is the 1890 had a crescent shaped butt plate.

I would love to find an 1890 chambered for 22 Long Rifle, but they go for big bucks.
 
The Fieldmaster is a very nice rifle. Personally, I would much prefer it to a Henry lever action. If it's in decent shape you got a good buy.
 
I thought about a pump action .22 also but I don't like the fat handle on the Henry. I saw a beautiful older Rossi pump action in nickel at a gun show. The seller said you could rapid fire it by holding the trigger down and working the pump.
 
I saw a beautiful older Rossi pump action in nickel at a gun show. The seller said you could rapid fire it by holding the trigger down and working the pump.
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You can. It's called slam firing. I used to do it with my Dad's Model '06 Winchester. Not particularly good for the gun.

You can do the same thing with a Winchester Model 1897 or Model 12 shotgun. Again, not particularly good for the gun.
 
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