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.

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.

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

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?

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.

375Short wrote: Tue Nov 25, 2025 2:47 pm 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

DAVIDMAGNUM wrote: Wed Nov 26, 2025 6:56 am 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.

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