Rimfire rifles are a lot of fun to shoot, with minimal expense, recoil, and noise. As one of our testers said, we believe in recycling plastic water bottles, but only after they has been properly perforated. Banging away at filled water bottles with 22 rimfires offers some exciting impacts and a lot of fun for novice and experienced shooters. We’ve had quite a few email requests to test 22 rimfire rifles, and we were specifically asked to test a Henry Classic Lever 22 and Browning BL-22 head-to-head. We also threw in the mix a Taylor’s Scout. With this match-up of 22 rimfire lever actions, we held our own against those pesky polymer water containers and discovered the reason we have so little 22 rimfire ammo on hand. The ammo shortage is not because we can’t find ammo to buy, it’s because we use up so much ammo in testing.

Besides plinking and fun, we feel that any of these rifles would also make great small-game hunting rifles or pest-control choices. Common features of these rifles include straight-grip wood stocks, exposed hammers, 14- to 15-round-capacity tube magazines, adjustable open sights, the ability to mount an optic, plastic buttplates, and no manual safeties. The rifling twist rate in the three rifles was 1:16 inches, which is the typical 22 rimfire rifling rate. The Henry and Browning offer a bit more versatility because they are compatible with Short, Long, and Long Rifle 22 rimfire cartridges.

How We Tested

Besides shooting the aforementioned plastic bottles, we performed our accuracy testing on ultra-bright fluorescent-yellow-and-red bullseyes on Thompson Target paper targets set at 25 yards. The black open sights on the rifles are easier to see on these targets. Ammo used included Remington Thunderbolt with a 40-grain lead round-nose bullet (LRN), a CCI Blazer 38-grain LRN, plus Winchester Xpert high-velocity rounds loaded with a 36-grain HP bullet. The latter is a hunting round. Using our range bag as a rest, we were able to shoot some nice groups with these rifles. In some cases, the group were one ragged hole. For our speed-shooting test, we placed White Flyer clay trap/skeet targets in various spots on a dirt berm at 35+ yards. The intent was to fire offhand and see how fast we could fire follow-up shots to pulverize the clay pigeons. As far as speed is concerned, the Browning stole the show with its short-stroke lever. We did notice the Henry took a bit longer to cycle, but its silky-smooth lever was still fast. We also noticed that we short-stroked the Taylor’s in the beginning after shooting the Browning and initially thought it was dud ammo. More on that later.

Loading the tubular magazines on these rifles takes more time when compared to a box-magazine-fed rifle, but the tube magazines offer four to five extra rounds. When we load these rifles, we do not fully remove the inner brass magazine tube. We just extend it to open the loading port. This way it does not get handled, so it does not corrode or get dirty.

After all the plinking and target work, in our opinion, the Taylor’s Scout, Henry Classic Lever 22, and Browning BL-22 Grade I all check the boxes for a fun-to-shoot rimfire. Still, we started to favor one over the others during our range sessions.

Gun Tests Grade: A- (OUR PICK)

$700

The BL-22 is one of Browning’s most classic and iconic rifle designs. It was introduced in 1969, originally manufactured in Belgium. Production moved to Miroku in Japan in the 1970s. Our sample is a new model Grade I, which means it has a deeply polished blued metal finish and high-gloss stock — typical Browning aesthetics. You can shave in your reflection in the stock and receiver finishes. The trigger is blued — gold triggers and checkered stocks come with Grade II variants — and it has a tasteful Buckmark logo engraved on the lever. Over the years, Browning has offered a variety of blinged-out BL-22 models depending on the bulge in your wallet.

Out of the box, we saw that wood-to-metal fit was well executed. The rifle is lithe in hand. What sets the BL-22 apart from other lever-action rimfires is the short-throw lever. The BL-22’s lever arcs only 33 degrees to fully eject a spent shell, and the trigger pivots with the lever. Depending on your hand size and strength, you can cycle the action by opening your shooting hand and closing it. We found it super fast, and in fact, it spoiled us when we went back to the other lever actions. After using the BL-22 then the Henry or Taylor’s, we found we short-stroked the more traditional rifles. Because the trigger also travels with the lever, there is no fear of pinching your trigger finger during cycling.

The top of the receiver is grooved for mounting a scope. The iron sights are made of steel, and the front-sight base is dovetailed into the barrel. The rear sight has a notched insert that is adjustable for elevation with white-hashmark indicators. For windage adjustments, you need a hammer and punch to tap the sight over. Fortunately, the sights were dead on and did not need adjusting. The rear sight also folds to allow for scope clearance.

The Browning sports a 20-inch barrel — the longest in the match-up — but it was also the lightest rifle by nearly a quarter of a pound. The extra barrel provides slightly more velocity, though this wasn’t significant, and a slightly longer sight radius. The BL-22 is chambered for not only 22 LR but also 22 Short and 22 Long cartridges. We function-tested with these shorter cartridges, though we did not have enough of these ammo lengths on hand to collect data. We loaded an assortment of Long Rifle, Long, and Short cartridges and ran the rifle, encountering no jams. The only thing we noticed was the difference in recoil and report with the rounds. We like this multi-round ability because we can load 22 Shorts for novice shooters to acclimate them to operation and firing and not distract them with the reports. Please note that if you do use Long and Short cartridges often, carbon will build up at the end of the shorter cases. This can cause extraction problems with the longer Long Rifle cartridges. The fix is simple: Remember to clean the chamber after using shorter cartridges.

The hammer is wide, but smaller than the other rifles, and well textured. It also has a half-cock position and was easy to cock and uncock. The forend and barrel bands are polymer. Also, the interior of the receiver is polymer, to reduce weight and corrosion.

To load the BL-22, press the button on the inner magazine tube and withdraw it to open the loading port on the bottom side of the outer magazine tube. The loading port is shaped like a 22 rimfire cartridge to show the proper orientation to insert rounds. The end of the inner magazine tube is knurled so it is easy to withdraw it from the tube. We like the button that locks the inner tube in place. It is easier to snap the BL-22’s inner magazine tube in place than it is to twist the inner magazine tube on the Henry and Taylor’s.

The trigger has a two-stage pull, with the first stage being a bit of take-up then a clean break. The trigger-pull weight measured 5.8 pounds, and we thought that was way too much. Despite this, the Browning proved to be the most accurate of the rifles, but as we said, that is splitting hairs. We did shoot a group with Remington Thunderbolts that measured 0.48 inches. The Winchester and CCI Blazer ammo had best groups that measured 0.58 and 0.74 inches, respectively. Average groups measured 0.6 to 0.7 inches. While speed shooting, we noticed we needed to place the toe of the stock in our shoulder to more comfortably operate and fire the rifle. If we didn’t, we had to bend our necks down so we could view the sights.

We did need to work the lever smartly and vigorously to ensure proper loading. When we babied the lever, we did have a few jams. When we worked the lever fast, we had no jams, even with a mix of 22 Short and Long Rifle ammo.

Our Team Said: The BL-22 was the most accurate of the three rifles, though not by much. If you are a Browning fan, then the BL-22 is your lever gun. We liked the short-stroke lever, but didn’t care for the trigger pull, which cost it a half grade. The high price is reflected in the exceptional fit and finish.

22 LR Range Data

Value Guide: 22 Rifle Rankings