You know how that goes. Yup, couldn't pass up this 9422, made in 1975, just like our other 9422, also, by coincidence, made in 1975. The difference, with this new one, is its condition. It is truly mint all the way. For the $500 we paid for it, we could turn right around and sell not for a profit, but, of course, we won't. I enjoy shooting 9422s too much and they are getting harder and harder to find.
So what's the big deal about the Winchester 9422? One, is construction quality. All walnut and steel, no plastic or alloy anything. It rivals the Marlin 39 in that respect. Moreover, the wood to metal fit on this gun rivals any lever gun I've ever owned.
Another is the butter smooth action. The action is much easier to cycle than a Marlin 39. I'd rate it's ease of operation right there with a Henry.
Last is accuracy. Haven't shot this one, yet, but I have no doubt it will shoot with our other 9422, which, is right there with our Marlin 39s.
Another plus for this gun is its early vintage. In the early days of the 9422 (the first 9422 was made in '72), Winchester spent a lot of money on an ad campaign to explain why they were charging so much for the 9422. Their competition was the Marlin 39, also a very expensive gun for a 22. Winchester went to great lengths, then, to turn out a quality product.
In the last years of the 9422, in the 90s, Winchester was struggling and, to keep the price competitive on the 9422, that made some changes. The biggest one was to start using the larger 22 mag receivers for both the 22 LR versions and the 22 mag versions. When using the 22 mag receiver on the 22 LR guns, they discovered that the gun would not reliably cycle 22 Shorts, however. These later guns will be stamped 22 S - L - LR with the S stamped over or just 22 L - LR with no S. Not a big deal, perhaps, but 9422 fans do prefer the correct sized receiver on the earlier 22 LR versions, not to mention that it is nice to be able to shoot 22 Shorts, now and then. I may do that with this one, just for fun.
click image uploadOur weather will be warming up, later this week, so I will report back on how this nice 9422 shoots, as well as a report or two on some other guns. In the meantime, will have to decide what I'll do for sights on this one. Nice thing to think about on such a fine 22 lever gun.
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