Options for .22 WMR Lever Rifles?

[Jetmugg]

I recently purchased a Henry Frontier 24" barrel .22 WMR rifle intending to use it for Pistol Cartridge matches.

I'm disappointed with the quality of this Henry - as it shoots so far to the right that I can't get a usable zero with a receiver sight (runs out of travel). The rifle is going back to Henry for a warranty repair, but the experience got me thinking about other options...

I have a Marlin 57M from the '60's that still shoots well, but those rifles are finicky in terms of feeding and ejecting at times, and have rather complex mechanisms. I'd like to relegate the 57M to "backup" status, and shoot something a little simpler and more robust for the typical matches.

What are the currently manufactured .22 WMR rifle options that are good candidates for silhouette matches? I can't think of any suitable lever rifles other than the Henry in .22 WMR that have long barrels.

Thanks,

Steve.

[375Short]

It’s a short list. The Henry you mention and your 57m. On the used and hard to find market are a few Marlin 1894’s (I haven’t seen a 24” model) and a few Winchester variants that do have 24” barrels. Rarely imported and in low numbers are some Uberti made 1866’s. I have one and like its weight and balance a lot but it’s certainly nothing special in the accuracy department. If a heavy 24” barrel is your desire it’s the one choice that I know of. It is the single Uberti 66 in my possession that didn’t have a list of issues to resolve before putting in service. That was likely just random luck. The 22mag is sure an attractive choice for PC other than its limited rifle choices.

[Jetmugg]

Wayne:

Thank you - I'm going to keep my faith up that Henry will "make good" on the 24" barreled Frontier that I sent back to them today for a warranty claim. I have a 24" Henry in .22 lr that I use for smallbore, and it shoots great and was very predictable to sight in.

The .22 WMR was a real challenge just to get on paper. By the time I got a decent 50 yard zero established, my Williams rear sight was cranked all the way to the left, which placed it outside the actual dovetail of the receiver cover. I attempted with a Gehmann 590 rear sight that I also own, and that rear sight ran out of travel before getting to a good zero point. Both attepmts were with the front sight centered. I was unpleasantly surprised at how far off this rifle shot - brand new out of the box.

I'm remaining positive that Henry will get it fixed and returned.

Steve

[375Short]

Henry has a good reputation for making things right and they certainly have supported our sport with generous numbers of rifles as prizes over the years. May not hurt to let the service department know you’re a Silhouette shooter and appreciate their support. A little honey may make your repair issue seem deserving of a little special attention. I noticed I wrote 1894 marlin should be 1884.

I know there are a lot of Henry 22 mags in use. I also know 22 mag can be a struggle at times for repeatable accuracy from lot to lot or box to box. That said has anyone formed an opinion that X ammo is a good place to start and seems to more often than not shoot well in Henry’s?

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

Is the Henry you mentioned new or new to you ?
Henry had a problem with the bore in the receiver being canted to the right/off axis with the receiver. I had one of those rifles and I know two other shooters that had the same problem. With the affected rifles the barrels were going to the right so much that it was easily visible. The only repair possible was a new rifle.
I thought Henry had corrected this issue.

If they replace your rifle you may find that the new one meets your needs.

[Jetmugg]

Henry has a good reputation for making things right and they certainly have supported our sport with generous numbers of rifles as prizes over the years. May not hurt to let the service department know you’re a Silhouette shooter and appreciate their support. A little honey may make your repair issue seem deserving of a little special attention. I noticed I wrote 1894 marlin should be 1884.

I know there are a lot of Henry 22 mags in use. I also know 22 mag can be a struggle at times for repeatable accuracy from lot to lot or box to box. That said has anyone formed an opinion that X ammo is a good place to start and seems to more often than not shoot well in Henry’s?

Absolutely - I wrote a letter describing my involvement in lever action silhouette shooting, and the fact that I own a .22LR Henry Frontier used for the same purpose, and which shot to a good centerline point-of-aim right out of the box. My goal is to have a "matched set" of smallbore and lever action rifles in .22LR and .22WMR.

I've been shooting CCI Maxi Mags with both their hollow point and TMJ bullets. That ammo shoots well in my Marlin, but don't have enough experience with this Henry to make much of a claim. I have a stash of Federal, some Winchester, and some Hornady ammo "in stock" also for future testing. In general, the ammo hasn't been the limiting factor in my shooting performance, so I have a long way to go.

I do have a nearly matched set of Marlin 57 and 57M. The issues (although not major issues) with those rifles is the operation of the complex mechanisms associated with the Levermatic design, combined with the fact that both rifles are 60-ish years old or older.

Steve

[Jetmugg]

Is the Henry you mentioned new or new to you ?
Henry had a problem with the bore in the receiver being canted to the right/off axis with the receiver. I had one of those rifles and I know two other shooters that had the same problem. With the affected rifles the barrels were going to the right so much that it was easily visible. The only repair possible was a new rifle.
I thought Henry had corrected this issue.

If they replace your rifle you may find that the new one meets your needs.

I bought this rifle brand-new in October of 2025. If I understand the markings inside the box correctly, this rifle was manufactured in September 2025. (there's a date-stamped marking on the owner's manual).

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of other shooters who have experienced similar issues with barrel / receiver misalignment. I suspect that's the same condition I'm experiencing. The misalignment isn't immediately visible to my eyes, but it's clealy enough to prevent me from getting a good zero at 50 Yards.

Based on my observations, it appears that the barrels are pressed into the receiver and then pinned in place at the factory. I agree that there aren't any straightforward ways to "straighten" that alignment without replacement. A new rifle from Henry (that shoots straight) will be a perfectly acceptable solution. I've heard nothing but good things about Henry's warranty service, so I have faith in them. As long as I have a rifle that shoots straight and can be set up with typical receiver sights and globe type front sight, I'll be happy as a clam.

Steve.

[TheBugFather]

Steve, let me know if you ever what to get rid of the 57m.

I started shooting lever action with one of those.

Thanks, Dennis Ostler

[Jetmugg]

Steve, let me know if you ever what to get rid of the 57m.

I started shooting lever action with one of those.

Thanks, Dennis Ostler

Will do, Dennis. That rifle shoots great, but has a few little quirks I'd like to get worked out. I made a new inner magazine feed tube, which helped a lot with the feeding issues I used to have with this rifle. It's still a bit finicky about extracting and ejecting. I should disassemble, clean, lube, and inspect all the relevant bits. These rifles are relatively complex compared to something like a Henry or a Marlin 39A.

Steve.

[Jetmugg]

A brief update: Henry has received my rifle with a warranty claim at their Wisconsin plant. I'll share how the rest of this process plays out.

In the meantime, I'll have to maintain my vision of a matching pair of 24" Octagon barreled Henry Frontier rifles in .22lr and .22WMR.

My goal is to get the same front and rear sight setups on each rifle, attempting to make them as similar as possible.

Steve

[375Short]

You have an excellent goal. I bet they get you fixed up.

I have a matched set of 66’s, One in .22 and one in .22mag. The triggers are the same weight, front and rear sights identical. At 100y they have about equal accuracy. The end result is I have never matched my scores. The .22LR is always better. I guess the tremendous recoil or just magnum in the name gets me rattled.

[Jetmugg]

I just received email notification from Henry that they will be replacing my rifle with one from their next production run, scheduled to be produced within the next 2 weeks. Apparently, they were not able to get the original rifle to shoot straight either.

Maybe I'll have a new .22 Mag Henry rifle under the Christmas tree.....

Steve.

[Jetmugg]

Savage is now offering a "Revel" lever action rifle in .22 WMR. It is currently available with an 18" barrel, which is not ideal for silhouette shooting, but may show some promise....

https://savagearms.com/firearms/model/revel-dlx

[TheBugFather]

Steve, let me know if you ever what to get rid of the 57m.

I started shooting lever action with one of those.

Thanks, Dennis Ostler

Will do, Dennis. That rifle shoots great, but has a few little quirks I'd like to get worked out. I made a new inner magazine feed tube, which helped a lot with the feeding issues I used to have with this rifle. It's still a bit finicky about extracting and ejecting. I should disassemble, clean, lube, and inspect all the relevant bits. These rifles are relatively complex compared to something like a Henry or a Marlin 39A.

Steve.

Steve, I have a lot of experience with the 57m rifle and a bunch of spare parts.

Just think of me around the x-mas season

Are you going to the AZ state match in February or the Raton Nationals in July?

I have two 44-40's I'm selling, maybe a trade?

Thanks, Dennis

[Jetmugg]

Dennis:

Thank you for the consideration. I purchased both the Marlin 57 and 57M from a well-known, "big name" shooter in AZ who is active on this forum. He had the triggers worked by someone who knew what they were doing. Both rifles are accurate and hold well. There is understandably a good amount of wear in the mechanical assemblies. Some of that I've corrected with self-made bushings and related fitments.

I doubt that I'll make it to AZ or the Nationals in 2026. I have other interests pulling at my schedule. Namely - preparing my racing vehicle for Bonneville Speed Week in August 2026. That takes a lot of resources and time away from my day job, so I have to be careful with allocating my spare time. I'll mostly be shooting local matches in STL, in regular smallbore silhouette (scoped), smallbore lever action, and lever action PC matches.

I like both rifles very much, and maintain the long term vision of sorting out the various minor issues with each of them. I'll keep the dream alive for both the 57 and 57M, while recognizing the challenges of keeping two Marlin rifles from the 1960's performing and shooting their best. I now have a modest collection of spare parts (hammer springs, firing pins, extractors, magazine tube stock, etc).

I have resisted the urge to purhase a centerfire lever action rifle other than the Winchester model 94 30-30 that mostly sits in my gun safe. I need another expensive distraction like I need another hole in my head.

Best,

Steve.