Henry Golden Boy 22 vs 22 mag

[Daddy Mac]

Hey folks. I've got the itch for a lever gun. Looking at the Henry Golden Boy and trying to decide caliber. The 22 version will fire any 22, short, long, or long rifle, pretty versatile and I own a couple of 22 long rifle guns already. The 22 mag has a bit more punch and may make a decent small game rifle. Does anyone have experience with either of these two choices? Moderately priced and reviews on quality seem to be positive.

 

[ToddDubya]

I can't speak to the 22 mag, but the 22 lr is fantastic. Worth every penny.

Cons: the sights are not great. Skinner peep sights look like a worthwhile upgrade, though I've never tried them myself.

I've always wanted something in .17HMR so that might be a fun choice too.

 

[Zappa]

Hey folks. I've got the itch for a lever gun. Looking at the Henry Golden Boy and trying to decide caliber. The 22 version will fire any 22, short, long, or long rifle, pretty versatile and I own a couple of 22 long rifle guns already. The 22 mag has a bit more punch and may make a decent small game rifle. Does anyone have experience with either of these two choices? Moderately priced and reviews on quality seem to be positive.

Henry makes some sweet lever guns, I own a few myself, and their smoothness is unmatched.
I also own a bunch of other lever guns in .22LR, many of which are long out of production, so I'm pretty familiar with the breed. For new current production lever rifles, I'd rate the Henry line #2.
IMHO, the best on the market right now is the Browning BL-22.
Although not quite as smooth cycling as the Henry's, the Browning has other attributes that make it tough to beat. The short throw action, slim receiver profile, fine metalwork, sharp lines, great bluing and wood finish give it a real quality look and feel. Not to say the Henry isn't also a quality gun, they're very nice, but when you get down to nitpicking, I think the Browning comes out a notch ahead.
If you're sold on the Henry, don't let me stop you, but since you're already looking in that price range, check out the Browning before you decide.

As for caliber choice, how much do you plan to shoot it ???
If only occasionally, and maybe for popping a few woodchucks, get the .22 Mag.
But if you want to shoot it often, get the .22LR, because the ammo cost savings will be huge.
Right now you can find .22LR for 5 cents a round, while the cheapest .22 WMR costs 4-5 times that.
Myself, if I'm paying 20-25 cents a round, I'd rather shoot centerfire such as 9mm.
Also, .22 WMR isn't known for great accuracy, the .22LR will usually outshoot it every day of the week.
I've owned a few .22 WMR guns in the past, although they were nice guns and fun to shoot (especially the Winchester 255), I got rid of them. The only two I kept were the NAA mini revolver and High Standard O/U Derringer, and I really only use those for mouse and snake control, firing shotshell cartridges at a range of three-four feet.

BTW, I see this is your first post, welcome to NES.

 

[Spanz]

22 mag is great for 300 yard shots for Prairie Dogs. But...you would be using a bolt action for that.

Do you have a prairie dog problem in your back yard?

So...get the .22. They make these stinger cartridges that put a little more omph in the standard .22lr

and if you need more convincing....look at the cost difference in the ammo!

 

[EddieA]

I have the Small Game Rifle version, comes with Skinner sights, octagonal barrrel, and large loop lever. I love it, lots of fun.
Zappa is right, the Browning is shinier, I've owned two, but I like my Henry better.

 

[BigAl23]

Unless you need the velocity of the 22 Mag, I'd agree with Zappa about the cost.

 

[ToddDubya]

22 mag is great for 300 yard shots for Prairie Dogs. But...you would be using a bolt action for that.

Do you have a prairie dog problem in your back yard?

So...get the .22. They make these stinger cartridges that put a little more omph in the standard .22lr

and if you need more convincing....look at the cost difference in the ammo!

"Stayngers"

 

[Spanz]

"Stayngers"

Exactly!

 

[Matt_SERE]

Henry makes some sweet lever guns, I own a few myself, and their smoothness is unmatched.
I also own a bunch of other lever guns in .22LR, many of which are long out of production, so I'm pretty familiar with the breed. For new current production lever rifles, I'd rate the Henry line #2.
IMHO, the best on the market right now is the Browning BL-22.
Although not quite as smooth cycling as the Henry's, the Browning has other attributes that make it tough to beat. The short throw action, slim receiver profile, fine metalwork, sharp lines, great bluing and wood finish give it a real quality look and feel. Not to say the Henry isn't also a quality gun, they're very nice, but when you get down to nitpicking, I think the Browning comes out a notch ahead.
If you're sold on the Henry, don't let me stop you, but since you're already looking in that price range, check out the Browning before you decide.

As for caliber choice, how much do you plan to shoot it ???
If only occasionally, and maybe for popping a few woodchucks, get the .22 Mag.
But if you want to shoot it often, get the .22LR, because the ammo cost savings will be huge.
Right now you can find .22LR for 5 cents a round, while the cheapest .22 WMR costs 4-5 times that.
Myself, if I'm paying 20-25 cents a round, I'd rather shoot centerfire such as 9mm.
Also, .22 WMR isn't known for great accuracy, the .22LR will usually outshoot it every day of the week.
I've owned a few .22 WMR guns in the past, although they were nice guns and fun to shoot (especially the Winchester 255), I got rid of them. The only two I kept were the NAA mini revolver and High Standard O/U Derringer, and I really only use those for mouse and snake control, firing shotshell cartridges at a range of three-four feet.

BTW, I see this is your first post, welcome to NES.

Wow, IMHO great post. I own the Browning BL .22 and a Henry.

The action on my Browning is almost as smooth as the Henry, but I have been shooting it for almost 30 years. I bought that and many other 22's to teach new, young, shooters. E.g. bolt, lever, semi rifles and single and double action revolvers. Then if they liked it we could shoot as long as they liked. I have a 9-1/2" barrel single-six and it is a blast with new shooters. For fun I could throw in the 22mag cylinder in the revolver but I never felt the need to buy a 22 mag rifle. As Zappa wrote, welcome and keep shooting.

 

[ToddDubya]

I must have been tired last night. The obvious choice is "both". Welcome aboard and make sure to report back with whichever you get. I don't think you'll be disappointed either way.

 

[tuna]

No one needs a .22 Magnum. What are you, Dirty Harry?

I don't have a Henry, but I've got a BL-22 and if the Henry is half as much fun as the Browning, you'll be happy to have the .22LR.

 

[Daddy Mac]

Thanks for the replies. A local shop has a pre owned rifle in 22 that I may take a look at. I've never seen the Browning but certainly something to think about before I pull the trigger. 22 probably makes more sense to me as I already have a 10/22 and a revolver that use it. My only small game has been limited to rodent control and 22 is fine for that.

 

[JNewell]

As for caliber choice, how much do you plan to shoot it ???
If only occasionally, and maybe for popping a few woodchucks, get the .22 Mag.
But if you want to shoot it often, get the .22LR, because the ammo cost savings will be huge.
Right now you can find .22LR for 5 cents a round, while the cheapest .22 WMR costs 4-5 times that.
Myself, if I'm paying 20-25 cents a round, I'd rather shoot centerfire such as 9mm.
Also, .22 WMR isn't known for great accuracy, the .22LR will usually outshoot it every day of the week.
I've owned a few .22 WMR guns in the past, although they were nice guns and fun to shoot (especially the Winchester 255), I got rid of them. The only two I kept were the NAA mini revolver and High Standard O/U Derringer, and I really only use those for mouse and snake control, firing shotshell cartridges at a range of three-four feet.

BTW, I see this is your first post, welcome to NES.

I was going to type up a long reply but this really captures my points. Back in the early 1970s when Winchester introduced the 9422, one of my buddies got the .22LR and I got the .22WRM. The .22WRM is much more expensive, louder, much more expensive, less accurate, and much more expensive. The other thing is that .22WRM is much more expensive. At times I've paid almost centerfire prices. Buy the .22LR and never look back!

 

[Daddy Mac]

Well alrighty then. I looked at a couple of used rifles, BL-22 and Henry Golden Boy. The Golden Boy has the retro look I'm after but the used gun had some minor rust issues. I will most likely get a new Golden Boy and keep it bright. Thanks for the advice all.

 

[wahsben]

I purchased a Golden Boy 22 during one of the group buys and it's a fine gun and fun to shoot and as others mentioned the cost of the 22 is much less than the 22mag. so you can shoot a lot more for a lot less!

 

[Caveman]

I picked up a Henry in 22mag but I got it for yotes on the farm. packs just as little more punch. Cant go wrong with either but ammo is a lot cheaper on the 22lr. at the least get that one first, put it in your car and then go back and get the 22mag.