22 magnum rifle

[Spitpatch]

Try Bi-Mart Coop. They've generally got a good selection of Henry's and Savage bolt actions at reasonable prices. I own a 9422M, it's the crown jewel of my collection. Those are pretty hard to find and the last one I saw for sale locally (cabelas) was $1,100! Fortunately mine was a hand me down and it will be going to my kiddo in the future.

Cabelas is pretty reliable about pricing desirable used guns at inflated prices. A perfect (collector grade, box, papers) 9422M might even bring $1500. But $6-700 right now is moveable price at a gunshow for a decent one. There was never a smoother lever-action .22 WMR ever built. Fine barrels made them shoot straight too.

This gun was Winchester's Flagship in their 1972 overhaul in manufacturing. The motto: "Winchester The Way You Want It". It included a radical and beneficial re-vamp of the Model 94 itself (.30-30). Tighter, heavier lever mechanism, wonderful wood meld to metal, new barrel machinery, etc. All conveyed to the "brand new little brother" : the 9422 series.

 

[TurboV6]

I am in Salem Oregon...I have a nice Chuckster.

 

[MrTwentyTwo]

So tempted..., but I have heard too many stories of accuracy suffering, over the .22LR.

 

[Twodogs]

So tempted..., but I have heard too many stories of accuracy suffering, over the .22LR.

.22WMR is a hunting round there is no match grade ammo made for it, custom barrels and high end rifles shoot about the same as plan rugers and savages.

 

[AMT]

Just bought a single six convertible, three screw!! Now the search is on for a rifle, likely a bolt or lever action, automatic weapons generally don't work well in 22mag. Had a 640 mossberg (my first rifle) can't find one in decent shape now.

Any thoughts?

With a single six, ya gotta go lever action. A nice Henry Golden Boy is my vote.

 

[Spitpatch]

".22WMR is a hunting round there is no match grade ammo made for it "

This is true. Whether or not a custom barreled rifle will not shoot better than a run-of-the-mill big box rifle is a matter of debate. My only experience there is a 21" Bullberry of Utah barrel I ordered for my Contender. (.75" chamber to muzzle).

It WILL shoot under an inch at 100 yards rather reliably with favored ammo. (The old Winchester hollowpoint load). The superb trigger on the Contender may contribute to its success, but the other WMR rifles I have (including the 9422M) cannot do that well, and "rather reliably" for the Contender (struggling against hunter-grade ammo) does not mean without exception.

.17HMR "suffers" under the same burden of being a hunting cartridge that has had NONE of the attention toward match grade ammo as the .22lr has enjoyed. Long sessions at the bench with multiple rifles, multiple shooters, multiple brands/types of ammo and chronograph reveals the inconsistency in this ammo and not the guns. The threadbare phrase, "half-inch groups all day" is too easily assigned and boasted to this cartridge when the reality is more often that it will shoot a few half-inch groups once in a while. The ammunition simply does not allow the guns to do any better.

Both cartridges are wonderful hunting rounds. In my experience the WMR kills more reliably on any critter bigger than a beer bottle. The HMR allows the shooter to dispense with learning a portion of its trajectory.

 

[mag00]

I just picked up a Henry frontier in 22 mag yesterday at Cabela's, they seem to have production up and running again. Cabela's had several 22 mags in stock and all 3 BiMart's around me have several Henrys 22lrs but no 22mags in stock.

 

[WillametteWill]

Well, Pilgrim, ya gotta have a cowboy rifle ta go with yer cowboy pistol.

If I's you, I'd be lookin' fer a Winchester 9422M. Yep, prices are goin' up, but I found one in good shape 5 years ago for $400. Nice ones now are going for 600 or more.

Back in about 1976ish, my cousin and I stayed with friends of his family over Easter vacation, spending hours each day shooting. A friend of his dads loaned us a Winchester 22mag with a curved pistol grip, lever action. It was one of the nicest firearms I've ever shot but can't find what is was. Guessing they are now very spendy. Likely a 9422M variant? Gosh that was a sweet rifle. This was one of the most fondly memorable weeks of my life.

 

[Spitpatch]

Back in about 1976ish, my cousin and I stayed with friends of his family over Easter vacation, spending hours each day shooting. A friend of his dads loaned us a Winchester 22mag with a curved pistol grip, lever action. It was one of the nicest firearms I've ever shot but can't find what is was. Guessing they are now very spendy. Likely a 9422M variant? Gosh that was a sweet rifle. This was one of the most fondly memorable weeks of my life.

Indeed there was an XTR version of the 9422M (checkered but straight grip as the originals). Your memory is better than you credit, because I am nearly certain they also did a deluxe version with a pistol grip (and maybe a magazine not quite barrel length). Kind of a "Model 6422M". A holy grail for sure.

 

[WillametteWill]

Indeed there was an XTR version of the 9422M (checkered but straight grip as the originals). Your memory is better than you credit, because I am nearly certain they also did a deluxe version with a pistol grip (and maybe a magazine not quite barrel length). Kind of a "Model 6422M". A holy grail for sure.

Thanks! Hopefully I won't find one given the likely price. The memory is satisfying, I'll keep that.

 

[aflineman]

I have a Ruger 96/22M which is a real longer range "Grouse Getter". It takes the same rotory mags as most Ruger .22 mags, but I have not had any problem with the ones I own (older ones). They want an arm and a leg for these rifles. Not exactly sure why. It is fun and accurate though.