Wow hard to pick which one i prefer. I don't have the browning so can't help there, but as far as the marlin and winchester they are so close in quality. If i have to pick i guess i would choose the marlin. I just like how it feels in my hands. But i'm glad i don't have to make a decision on which one i can only keep.Love them both. I also have a henry goldenboy, but it is way down in quality compared to the marlin and winchester.

 

I’ve owned all 6.
The Marlin 39A, the Marlin 39-M The Browning BL 22. The Winchester 9422 LR, also the 9422-M. The Browning SA-22.
The Browning was the most accurate.
The Marlin & Winchester were close.
The Winchester is the better fit & finish.
The Marlin will be easier to clean because all you have to do is unscrew the Thumb screw, tap the Receiver and it comes apart.
They are all very good quality.
I would try to decide between the Marlin 39 M & the Winchester 9422 LR.
TheMarlin is heavier and maybe more Robust.
The Marlin 39-M would be my Choice. I’ll be honest.
The Marlin 39-M is my favorite. I Foolishly Sold it.
My Winchester 9422-Magnum is New with the Box. My Browning SA-22 made in Belgium, 1959 is New with the Box.
I hope this helps.
It’s your Money. You will be happy with either one.
Please remember the BL-22 is new, 2023 , with Very Little Resale value.
The Marlin or Winchester you will see an increase in Value almost every year you own it.
Good Luck.

 

Yep, hard to choose, that's how good they really are. I'd agree "pick what feels good to you", that would make more difference then having to choose one based off of an objective standard.

 

First of all excellent post. I have never even held a Browning but have owned a 9422 and several 39A's. I agree that the fit and finish on the 9422 is top notch, however I think the 39A is more accurate and as you said feels better in my hands. I have a particular like for the 39A Mounty and that is what I currently have and use.

 

I had both a 39A and Winchester 9422 in the past and, like a dummy, sold both.
Unlike the majority who have owned both, I liked my 39A much better.
It was much more accurate and looked better, jmo.

 

Well you did say you weren’t too smart😇

 

All three go "bang" when you pull the trigger. All three are accurate. Cosmetics are the only variable. I prefer pistol grips on my firearms.

 

I currently own all three and have for a while. I always seem to end up with the 9422 in my hands when I go shooting. Each has there pluses.

 

The 39A is my choice of the three. Like you mentioned, it has history!! More so than that, it is deadly accurate! Head shots on squirrels all day long! Very smooth and accurate rifle. And the fit and finish is great!!!

 

Another vote for the marlin. For a collector, it would be a tough call between the winchester and the marlin, but as a shooter my 39's were preferred over the 9422 I used to have... yes I sold it. The marlins are easier to clean and were a little more accurate, plus the trigger was easier to get to a nice clean 1 1/2lb pull weight. Ok, now all the winchester fans can pounce.

 

I've got four 39's and two 9422's and no BL22's, so I think you can see that I prefer the Marlins. That being said, I am a Marlin junky so my opinion may be tainted

 

The Marlin 39, time tested and traditional design. Counting the earlier Marlins it was derived from its over 100yrs old. A classic. The Win and Brn are nice guns but not what I call traditional design.

 

My first gun was a BL-22, I was 14 at the time. My brother had a Rem 581 that was more accurate than my Browning. Next I got the 9422 when my brother sold it to me to raise money to get married. That became my go to gun for pests, it was accurate and I never missed with it. 40 some years would pass before I got a 39A Golden as I gave the Winchester back to my brother’s wife as a present. I told her that he had given it up for her back then 35 years ago. The Marlin is my favorite of them all, although I miss the Winchester at times.

 

Sav93,
You are a very good person.
👍👍👍👍👍

 

I had a Winchester 9422M in high school, and bought a .22 LR one a few years ago. A few months later someone offered me nearly twice what I paid for the 9422, so I sold it.
As I have a 1956 Mountie and a 1980's BL-22, I am covered in the lever department, but at times I miss the Winchester.

There's a lot to like about my Marlin, slick, accurate, beautiful and loaded with history compared to all the rivals.
But I'm keeping the BL-22, it will be just right for my two grandsons when they get old enough.

 

My Marlin 39A and why it’s my favorite.

Tested several different rounds looking for most accurate.

 

I've owned the a BL-22 and a 39A; no experience with the Winchester. I shopped a lot before buying the BL-22 and bought the snazzy version new. I shot it briefly, very briefly, and couldn't wait to get rid of it. That trigger mechanism is the worst. What a POS! It's like finding a really great looking woman, marrying her; only to discover that she is a moron. Fortunately, the gun problem was much easier to solve than a bad marriage. I sold it cheap, then took a shower and moved on. The 39A was a dream lever action .22. I can't imagine how it could be better. Built like a real rifle, it is rugged, beautifully constructed and cycled everything I put in it.....accurately. I shot a squirrel with it at 50 yds, propped on a sand bag for stability, with iron sights...a perfect head shot. Sadly, I couldn't resist the $1,000 offer to buy it from me. Sold it. Oh well....may buy another one some day.

 

I’ve owned them all. The 39 was my favorite. I’ve sold about half my horde of 22 rifles but the one that gets passed down is my 1897 Marlin. Forerunner of the 39, my old man bought it for me back in 55’.
The one lever I always wanted was a 1873 Win in 22. I’ve only see 2 in my life and besides being crazy price they weren’t good enough to be practical shooters.

 

I’ve owned them all. The 39 was my favorite. I’ve sold about half my horde of 22 rifles but the one that gets passed down is my 1897 Marlin. Forerunner of the 39, my old man bought it for me back in 55’.
The one lever I always wanted was a 1873 Win in 22. I’ve only see 2 in my life and besides being crazy price they weren’t good enough to be practical shooters.


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A friend bought an incomplete Winchester 1873 chambered in .22 long. I took on the project and got it shooting. It is a large rifle for a small round. I had a pre-war 39a, it is currently on sale on a large auction site. I am keeping my 9422, it looks like a Winchester and that made the difference to me, I'm just partial to them. I do like the 1873s, I have three, an old original in 38-40, and two Ubertis in .45 Colt. One standard rifle and one short rifle with a half octagonal/half round barrel, that one is a looker.

 

I really like my 39A but it is long, heavy and really too pretty to carry around on my property. I never had a 9422, but I regularly carry a model 94 in 3030. I like the Winchester lever guns a lot. My BL22 is the one near the back door that goes out for pest control. Browning BL22 is the best 22LR rifle for me.

 

But that length and weight is why the Marlin is so great to shoot offhand.....

 

I have all three also and would rank them as Winchester the prettiest, the Marlin the most durable and accurate and the Browning the funnest to shoot and carry.

 

I had a Win. 9422 for over 40 yrs.
Befor purchasing it, I compared it to the Browning ,then bought the Win.
Felt just right in my hands, beautiful bluing & wood,very smooth action. It was maybe the most beautiful looking rifle I've owned.
I rarely shot it, afraid it'd get beat up, and my bolt action Savage was more accurate, with my shooting.
Saw a WTB a 9422 ad on local gunsite, and sold it for $900 last year, as I realized I wasn't shooting it much.
Realized I probably should've asked for more, it was in like-new condition.
Thought I'd have seller's remorse, and I was right.

 

Just wanted to get people's thoughts on the different forums as to which they prefer. I'm going to post this in the Winchester and Browning forums as well to get different perspectives (if that's allowed, if not, my bad, please delete.) I just know this is a common question and one I asked when I started researching these three rimfire rifles. I hope these pics and my input can help others looking at these rifles.

Winchester 9422 XTR kin .22LR from 1980
Marlin 39A Mountie from 1966
Browning BL-22 Grade II from 2023

I've listed them in the order in which I believe is the "Quality" of the rifles. I think most who have owned and/handled these would probably agree with that. I don't necessarily rank them as favorites in the same order however.

The Winchester is, IMO, the highest quality rifle in regards to fit and finish and the action itself. Hard to find fault with anything about it other than the magazine tube can come out when walking around with an unloaded tube. Nothing a small o-ring can't fix.

The Marlin 39A is a very close 2nd to the Winchester and it has something the Winchester doesn't, history, lots of it. The Marlin comes with so much history that it makes the 9422 feel sort of soul-less. Again, just my opinion. I do like to put a lower powered hammer spring on these as I think it really smooths up the action. The action tends to be a bit "clunky" when compared to the Winchester which is almost effortless. This is nitpicking BTW, and not a flaw at all, but just in comparison.

The Browning BL-22 is the only one of these still made today. The short 33 degree throw makes this one very unique and arguably the most fun to shoot fast. For me, on the newer guns that I have at least, they absolutely need a lightened hammer spring to bring the trigger pull down from 5-6lbs to 3.5ish. It also makes it easier to flick the lever. I probably shoot these the most because they are so fun to shoot.
I should note that the BL-22 is the only one here that uses anything other than "Walnut and Steel". It uses a "pot metal" shell (it may be aluminum I really don't know) to hold the internals but the outer sleeve is steel. However, it's done so well it's hardly noticeable and it makes it extremely light to carry.

I'll say again that you can't go wrong with any of them. I'm happy to answer any questions but I'm not an expert on any of these and just learning myself. I enjoy seeing pictures and posts of other people's guns so I thought I'd try and contribute a bit.

So what's your perspective as a Marlin forum viewer?

I'm not sure I'd agree with your "order of quality." I'm not one of those "everything Winchester made after 1964 is junk" people, but I would say the fit and finish of the Miroku-built Brownings is better. That's actually a minus in my book, as their typical glossy finish clashes with my preference for a satin finish on my guns, but they clearly put a lot of work into it and just as clearly a lot of people like it. The short throw of the action is a plus, but the trigger is generally lacking. That's not so much workmanship as the design that has the trigger moving with the finger lever, and it's a weakness of all the Browning lever actions. The trigger on my BLR was pretty horrible. A gunsmith friend was able to improve it considerably, but he explained that the design, which does a great job of eliminating the tendency of lever guns to bite fingers, also makes it impossible to completely eliminate creep and overtravel without compromising safety.
I've never really been impressed by the 9422. Yes, it has that iconic '94 look, but again, that's something of a minus in my book. That's because where I live, Winchester '94s are like noses and Ford F150s; just about everybody's got one. I have three myself, plus the F150.
My hands-down favorite is the Marlin, in either the Mountie or the pistol grip version. The takedown mechanism is simpler than that of the 9422, and the trigger is usually exceptional for a lever action. Accuracy is generally also exceptional, much better than most people expect from a lever action 22. There are a lot of nice little design touches, like the little turnbutton, often mistaken for a retaining screw, that locks the ejector down out of the way of a cleaning rod. Just don't forget to unlock it before you go to the range, or you're in for an embarrassing FTE problem. For my money, it's about as close to perfect as you can make a lever action rimfire rifle. A lot of people seem to agree with that, enough to keep prices for decent specimens at an eyewatering level. I'd love to see Ruger bring this gun back along with the Marlin 1894 and the 336.

 

I'm not sure I'd agree with your "order of quality." I'm not one of those "everything Winchester made after 1964 is junk" people, but I would say the fit and finish of the Miroku-built Brownings is better. That's actually a minus in my book, as their typical glossy finish clashes with my preference for a satin finish on my guns, but they clearly put a lot of work into it and just as clearly a lot of people like it. The short throw of the action is a plus, but the trigger is generally lacking. That's not so much workmanship as the design that has the trigger moving with the finger lever, and it's a weakness of all the Browning lever actions. The trigger on my BLR was pretty horrible. A gunsmith friend was able to improve it considerably, but he explained that the design, which does a great job of eliminating the tendency of lever guns to bite fingers, also makes it impossible to completely eliminate creep and overtravel without compromising safety.
I've never really been impressed by the 9422. Yes, it has that iconic '94 look, but again, that's something of a minus in my book. That's because where I live, Winchester '94s are like noses and Ford F150s; just about everybody's got one. I have three myself, plus the F150.
My hands-down favorite is the Marlin, in either the Mountie or the pistol grip version. The takedown mechanism is simpler than that of the 9422, and the trigger is usually exceptional for a lever action. Accuracy is generally also exceptional, much better than most people expect from a lever action 22. There are a lot of nice little design touches, like the little turnbutton, often mistaken for a retaining screw, that locks the ejector down out of the way of a cleaning rod. Just don't forget to unlock it before you go to the range, or you're in for an embarrassing FTE problem. For my money, it's about as close to perfect as you can make a lever action rimfire rifle. A lot of people seem to agree with that, enough to keep prices for decent specimens at an eyewatering level. I'd love to see Ruger bring this gun back along with the Marlin 1894 and the 336.

Hard to argue with any of that! Excellent points.

When I say that the overall quality of the 9422 is “better” than the BL-22 I’m including materials as well as fit and finish.
So for fit an finish I do think the BL-22 has a slight edge. The Miroku factory is making some of the nicest guns in the world right now and the BL-22 is no exception. Not that the aluminum receiver insert makes the gun “cheap” or from a practicality standpoint less durable, it does use, IMO, inferior materials.

I say this because I’ve had the crinkle paint flake off quite easily on a brand new gun. It was a small spot behind the hammer, but it did happen with normal (and very minimal) use. This crinkle paint on the exposed aluminum alloy isn’t going hold up like a good blued steel in those same locations.

This, and the aluminum barrel bands, are the only things I’d change. I wish someone made upgrades for these, especially the aluminum receiver insert as these have actually broken in the past (there are posts here on RFC showing this.). I’d buy a blued steel replacement in a heartbeat, not that it would change the usability of the gun at all.

I own more BL-22’s than 9422’s, so I love the BL-22, and while the fit and finish are so very close, I think the BL-22’s use of aluminum alloys is a concession to the 9422’s all steel parts in those same areas.

However, the BL-22 has the advantage (for many users) of its short throw lever. Add to that the fact you can actually buy a new BL-22 today and it’s surely a tough decision. And I’m glad we have the options to buy all three of these! I wish there were more great options to argue about!

 

Interesting observations from other lever owners here.
I too, find the pistol gripped, 24 inch barreled 39A to be overly long and heavy as well.
A Winchester 1873 clone in .22 LR would be even heavier, no thanks !
The Mountie (along with the Winchester 9422) is just right, not too heavy to pack for hours but heavy enough to hold steady.



The BL-22 is a joy to carry but a bit light to hold steady. A couple of the Brownings passed through my hands before the one I currently have. The triggers on all of them were/are fine, I've never given them a second thought, as in I HAVE to do something about the trigger.
While not as good as the 9422 or 39A Mountie, the triggers are plenty good for a plinking/small game gun.
I can hit just as well with the Browning as I can with the Marlin provided I do my part.
The lighter weight combined with a bad trigger would suck, sorry you got a bad BL-22, tbates66.
The Browning triggers do get better after some use.

Of the three levers, the Marlin gives the complete "real rifle" experience.
The Winchester also feels like a "real" rifle, but feeds so smooth it cheapens the experience, if that makes any sense.
With the Marlin, when working the lever I can "feel" the empty leaving the chamber, and the new round being lifted and chambered, for some reason I like that hands on touch better than the butter smooth cycling of a 9422 or Henry.

 

In terms of overall build quality, I rank the Winchester and Marlin way ahead of the Browning. As between the Marlin and the Winchester, it is a personal choice. I prefer the Marlin as the Winchester feels a bit petite for my tastes. Beauty wise, the Winchester wins every time!

 

When I was 5yr old and got my Marlin 1897, I couldn’t hold it up. My old man made me Buffalo Stix to prop it up. I was 8 or 9 before I could handle it myself. Got a Steven 94 12gauge when I was 6 and also my first hunting license. At 12 got a Remington #8 .35cal as my 1st deer rifle. Probably only went 100lb on the hoof then. Being raised with the Boy Named Sue Syndrome of firearms never paid much attention to weight. I drug some stupid heavy rifles around the woods because they were deadly accurate.

 

Weight is relative to function and experience. When some body mentions it, that’s when I notice it or ignore it. Toss up between 9422 and 39A with a nod toward the Marlin as it was my first love in Montgomery Wards catalog but my paper route afforded the Browning. Now years later I notice how stiff the trigger is on the BL-22 compared to the 39A.

 

I have had several of each. I like them all. I agree the OP that the Win. has the best fit and finish and smoothest action. The 39A is a very rugged, dependable rifle. The Browning is a great little rifle.
Accuracy is my focus in life. The Winchesters I've had only one had decent accuracy. The 39A is a consistent rifle, Better in accuracy than the Win. But the Browning is an accurate rifle right out of the box. It is light and finish is good. I still have my 39A because it was the first rifle I bought on my own in 1975 when I turned 18. It is the most accurate 39A that I have had. I have had probably 12 to 15 39's over the years looking for the better than average accuracy. None were as good as my first one. I did have a 70's made 39A that was as accurate as my first one but I sold it to a friend. The shorter the barrel on the 39's the less accurate it was.

 

I bought a 9422 back around 1987. It was a good gun with good balance, but it didn't have a whole lot of personality. Many years later I got an early 1900s 97 Marlin, and am enamored of it. It has wonderful balance, points very naturally and is reasonably accurate for a gun that's more than 100 years old.

And it's good company for my Stevens 414. I just need to get a tang sight for it.

 

9422 for me; then again I have never shot a Marlin 39 or a Browning BL-22.

But I tend to stick with something when I like it and avoid doing the firearm 'merry go round' of trying everything out there and buying - selling - rebuying - reselling ad infinitum. Plus it's easier to have spare parts on hand for things you keep.

My kids also love the 9422, so I have a couple of them now.