Author Topic: remington vs. winchester vs. henry lever actions (Read 3134 times)

gilly · « **on:** November 09, 2003, 04:59:57 PM »

Which is the best leaver action, Remington, Winchester, or Henry.
Which is the smoothest, accurate, and durable

HammerMan/LongbowMan · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2003, 07:07:20 AM »

IMHO, I would have to say I like the winchester the best. I don't know of a Remington lever action. The henrys are good, but I don't like plastic parts. The Winchester is smooth, very accurate, and all steel. The henry may be a little smoother, but I love my winchester's. I have both the 9422 LR. and 9422M and they are very good shooters. I have also tried a Marlin, which I thought was cheesy. It didn't eject shells to good and wasn't as graceful looking.

hillbill · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2003, 02:03:50 PM »

hey gilly! if im not mistaken the henry .22 lever is an excellent gun for the money, or was. they seem to be getting a little pricey. also correct me if im wrong but i believe they have an aluminum receiver. history tells us that no .22 lever with an aluminum receiver has ever really held its value or attained the collector desireability of the steel receivered guns, there must be a reason for this. i dont think youll go wrong with a henry but it aint the family heirloom a win or marlin is. good luk!

jh45gun · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2003, 07:23:56 PM »

Hillbill, I get a kick of the folks that downplay the Henry becuase of the alloy reciever yet gush and fawn over their Ruger 10/22's that also have a alloy reciever and look how dependable they are plus they take the semi auto bolt hammering the reciever where a lever action does not get that. You are right in the comment that Henry's are a excellent buy for the money. I am seeing more and more makes of guns with plastic on them so the sights and bands on the Henry do not bother me in the least bit. I like my Henry 22 mag so much it is wearing a scope almost as expensive as it was it has a Leopold 4x compact on it.

JIM

jh45gun · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2003, 07:28:21 PM »

Remington never made no lever actions. Not to my knowledge anyway leastwise no repeaters. They did make some single shots that had a lever on them but not a repeater like the Winchesters or Marlins of the period.

gilly · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2003, 03:25:30 AM »

i wasnt sure if there was a remington, i forgot to add the marlen lever

Flash · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2003, 01:16:14 AM »

I believe the Remington Apache, that old black synthetic 22 from back in the early 60's was made in a lever configuration. The only attempt by Remington if I recall correctly.

jh45gun · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2003, 08:13:18 PM »

Flash the Remington Apache was a mod 66 semi auto loader. Just a other version of the nylon 66. The model you are thinking of after I looked it up was a model 76 so yea Remington did make one it was a mod 66 basically with a lever. It was only made from 62 to 64 so I would suppose not many were made and they must not have sold well or I would think they would have made them longer. So flash I learned something from your post thanks. Jim

flatlander · « **Reply #8 on:** November 19, 2003, 06:38:20 AM »

I've had a Marlin for a few years and I love it. It is one of those that will never be sold or traded. It is super accurate, and just plain fun to shoot. I haven't tried the others, there's just no need IMO. I have one that is working great for me, so why mess with it?

gerry@fundy.net · « **Reply #9 on:** December 16, 2003, 02:25:44 AM »

I am very happy with my Henry but could be happier if it were more accurate. I average (5 shot groups @ 50 yds) 2.06" with Eley Standard, 2.19" with Lapua Super Club, 2.24" with Eley Target Rifle, and 2.56" with T-22. I have tried 11 brands of ammo and those shoot the best. Most other brands gave groups over 3" @ 50 yds. My best shooter is a FN Herstal Model CZ99 Precission sporter made by Zastava. With that rifle I average 1.05" at 100 Yds. with Lapua Super Club. That rifle and my 3 Anschutz all stay well under 1" at 50 yds. That said, I still have more fun with the Henry when it comes to plinking. I had a many others including a 10/22 that gave worst groups.
Gerry

S.S. · « **Reply #10 on:** December 16, 2003, 07:22:30 AM »

True that Remington did make a lever action .22LR,
and if you find one you will put all your others in the
gun cabinet! they were sweet shooters but they were few
in numbers. I have seen only two of them and for a while I thought they were some sort of custom jobs built off of a Nylon 66!!! Another
Rare (I Think) lever action was the Ithaca (Not Sure of the model)
But it had a tube magazine under the barrel. (Not the Martini style model 49) That was one of the smoothest lever-guns I have ever seen!

jh45gun · « **Reply #11 on:** December 16, 2003, 04:03:01 PM »

S. Summer, The Ithica you are talking about is the same rifle that the Henry is now. the guy that designed the gun had Erma make it for sale and for Ithica and for Iver Johnson when these folks took over the Iver Johnson Company so the Henry as you see it now has been around for a while in different names but still the same form. :grin: Gerry as you stated those groups can be tightened up with a scope I bet. and like you noticed a lot of 10/22's shoot no better. I bet the right ammo combo and a scope and you will notice a difference yea I know scopes on levers are not the greatest but I bet even a peep and a better front sight would make a difference. Jim

Stock02 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 21, 2004, 10:29:20 AM »

From 62-65 Remmy made a lever Nylon mdl76, according to their history site they only produced approx 25,000 or so.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** February 21, 2004, 10:56:45 AM »

How about d. None of the above? I prefer the Browning lever to all of them.

GB

JohnClif · « **Reply #14 on:** February 21, 2004, 01:01:07 PM »

I would have to rate the Browning and Winchester as qualitatively superior to the Marlin. All three are MUCH better than the Henry. I do not like the Ruger 96/22 lever gun... basically a 10/22 with a geared bolt and lever. I have owned and/or extensively shot all of these rifles.

The Browning is a little trimmer and lighter than the Winchester, and of course has that short lever stroke. The disadvantage of the short stroke is that it takes more effort to get everything moving... just something you have to get used to. The Browning is the prettiest of the lot.

The Winchester has a smooth action and in my opinion just has the nicest 'feel' of any rimfire lever action. I really like the weight and balance also... not too light and not too heavy.

The Marlin is a solidly built gun (I like the pre-button safety versions) but the design of the action leads to more inherent friction. I prefer the 39M version with the straight stock and shorter barrel.

The Henry? It is an adequate shooter, with a very smooth action which is a result of the material used. I do not like the plastic and pot metal accoutrements. For the price I'd rather have a 10/22 or a CZ 452 Trainer... but I have never let price influence me when buying a gun. I buy quality and if you have all four guns in the same shop at the same time (as I have had) then it's easy to separate the winners from the also-rans.

My personal favorite is the Winchester 9422 20" version... holds a lot of shells, shoots everything accurately and reliably, holds steady, and is reliable and rugged. My personal rifle is hard chromed and looks really sweet... and it is the gun I grab when I'm heading out to the boonies and want to play.

VictorLouis · « **Reply #15 on:** March 03, 2004, 08:13:49 AM »

Quote

The Browning is a little trimmer and lighter than the Winchester, and of course has that short lever stroke. The disadvantage of the short stroke is that it takes more effort to get everything moving... just something you have to get used to. The Browning is the prettiest of the lot.

The Winchester has a smooth action and in my opinion just has the nicest 'feel' of any rimfire lever action. I really like the weight and balance also... not too light and not too heavy.

The Marlin is a solidly built gun (I like the pre-button safety versions) but the design of the action leads to more inherent friction. I prefer the 39M version with the straight stock and shorter barrel.

I agree with you pretty much across the board. I'm just not averse to defending the Henry. :grin: Folks ought to consider it the levergun alternative to the 10/22, 597, or 795 semi-autos and NOT the comparison to the Big-3 you mentioned. Life would be a lot easier that way.

22shooter · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2004, 05:28:41 AM »

The Ruger Model 96 lever actions were inspired by the Savage Model 99.

If you look at the lever and the circular magazine you will see the similarity. I have a Model 96 44 Magnum and it is a nice shooting rifle.

44 Man · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2004, 04:46:41 AM »

I've owned 3 10/22s and none would shoot any better than gerry's Henry! I prefer the feel and balance of the 9422 Winchester. The Marlin 39 is a nice gun, but heavier than the Winchester. I don't care for the Ruger at all as the wrist area is much to thick making it feel like a 2x4. I have not had the opportunity to handle the Browning, but it looks very nice. 44 Man

Questor · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2004, 07:49:45 AM »

None of the above. Browning would be my first choice, then Marlin.

gerry@fundy.net · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2004, 10:10:12 AM »

Since my last post, I have put several hundred more rounds through my Henry. It no longer feeds properly nor cycles as smoothly as it did a few months ago. A member of our gun club showed upat a recent shoot with a used laminated heavy barrel Remington 597. That thing could shoot! Has anyone had experience with a 597? I was really impressed.
Gerry

gilly · « **Reply #20 on:** April 09, 2004, 04:53:53 PM »

i just used the browning not loaded i was at the store but it was the best i think. it had a very quick and easy lever. i have put the buying on hold for a while until september. if i remember right the browning was 300+- wasn't it.

gerry@fundy.net · « **Reply #21 on:** April 09, 2004, 11:18:30 PM »

I had my Henry to the range again today to sight in a new (to me) Bushnell Banner 4x scope. I was using Dynapoint and got my best groups ever with the Henry. Now I'll have to go back and try all the other brands again to see if it's the ammo or the scope that is responsible for the improvement.
Gerry