The Best Lever Action .22LR Rifle

Want to buy a new rimfire lever gun? If you’re looking for the best lever action .22LR rifle, accept no substitutes; there is a clear answer. Sort of. It depends whether you’re looking to buy new or used, and get this—you won’t save much money if you’re buying second-hand, in this case. In fact, it might cost you more.

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Why a .22LR lever action?

The lever-action is just as American as apple pie, baseball and muscle cars. And while you could argue that .30-30, .30-06 or .223 are the all-American cartridges, you could say the same thing for .22LR—it’s the round that most Americans start their shooting career with. It’s affordable, and it’s fun to shoot at closer ranges of 50 yards or less. This makes it perfectly suited for a lever action, where most shooters enjoy blasting away like the cowboys in the old movies, with no optic, just a set of iron sights.

Considering how much the cost of centerfire cartridges of any caliber has risen in recent years, the .22LR looks even more attractive to a shooter who wants a little John Wayne-style action without breaking the bank.

The BL-22 has been in production since 1969, the longest run of any .22LR lever gun currently on the market. It has all the characteristics of a classic rimfire plinker; open buckhorn sights, an under-barrel tube magazine, and light weight.

But while rimfire plinkers typically cut corners somewhere to keep the cost down, the BL-22 has a Grade I black walnut stock on even the lowest-priced model in the series, the Micro Midas (MSRP $799). The receiver is made of steel, not aluminum or pot metal alloy, meaning it will retain its polished blue finish and should last the lifetime of the buyer, and their kids and grandkids.

The sights are fixed, although you can adjust for windage if you want to get out a drift, and a dovetail groove lets you install a scope.

For a long time, there was little choice in North America’s lever-action rimfire scene, but even as the number of options has expanded greatly in the past few years, the BL-22 remains atop the heap, with long-barreled Grade II models available for the shooter who wants an even finer fit and finish. Check out Browning’s site here for more details.

While Marlin did make finer-grade versions of the 39A and the 39 that preceded it, most of the guns in this series probably do not compete with the BL-22 or the Winchester 9422 (another fine, discontinued lever rimfire) on fit and finish. However, the Browning and Winchester are mostly not full-sized rifles, but carbine-length. The Marlin 39A mostly came with a full-sized stock and a full-length barrel, with ergonomics borrowed directly from the classic Marlin 336 deer rifle. The receiver came apart into two, leaving you holding one half attached to the stock and the other, separated half attached to the rifle. This takedown feature made transportation a bit easier and made it very easy to clean the gun’s internals.

You know that Marlin was doing something right to stay in production that long. The trouble is, if you want to see for yourself, you’ve got to pay to play. Used examples will generally cost you at least $350, but most of the examples I see are priced well above $600. A new-in-box Marlin 39A will probably cost you well over $1,000. With a rifle like this, you’re battling with collectors who specialize in vintage Marlins. And even if Ruger fires up production for this rimfire again, the price required to make an equivalent model will be so high that it’s unlikely used examples will see a drop in price anytime soon as a result. But that’s the way it is; when you want the best of anything, you’re going to have to pay more.