Gun Porn: Browning BL-22

Browning BL-22, Grade I. This lever-action .22 caliber carbine is probably my favorite gun. The gloss American walnut stock is beautiful, as is the deep blued steel. The Grade II upgrades the looks with checkered grips, fancy engraving and a gold-colored trigger. It is also available with an octagonal barrel and a silver-finished receiver in the “FLD” models. However, I personally find the no-nonsense look of the Grade I to be the most attractive of the line. No doubt, it is the prettiest of my guns (click for full-sized pics):

The 20″ barrel is matched by a full-length tube magazine which holds 15 .22 Long Rifle, 17 .22 Long, or 22 .22 Short rounds. Reloading is accomplished by depressing the button on the end cap, sliding the magazine rod and spring assembly out of the magazine tube, and dropping in the ammo either from the end or a cutout on the bottom of the tube. It is probably possible to load a round by hand into the receiver, but it would require some precision maneuvering, as there is enough space inside the receiver for a round to get caught up between the guides and the side of the receiver. A misfeed of this sort can also happen if one is not careful to open the action all the way. But that’s probably the best part of this handy little rifle: to recharge, the lever must only be moved through 33 degrees of arc. That is not very much:

You’ll notice that the trigger moves down with the trigger guard, meaning no pinched fingers. The short-throw lever means that it is very easy to snap through a full magazine quickly without taking the gun off-target or losing your cheek weld. There is no safety, although there is a half-cock notch. The trigger must be depressed in order to lower the hammer.

Without a doubt, this high-capacity, quick-firing assault lever rifle is enough to strike fear into the hearts of rabbits, squirrels, and tin cans everywhere. Maybe Browning should rename it the ALR-22

Browning’s product page for the BL-22, Grade I. The MSRP is around $500, and street prices are at best about $450. Yes, it’s pricey for a .22 levergun, but I feel that it is worth it. For some reason, it is very hard to find one of these guns — maybe they are snatched up quickly, or perhaps the Miroku plant in Japan is just not making very many of them. None of the local Browning dealers had one in stock, and they were even doubtful about their ability to get one in anytime soon through special-order, so I bought mine online and had it shipped to a local FFL.

Browning also sold a slightly altered model chambered in .17HM2 for a couple of years, dubbed the BL-17. There appears to be a few of those still available through various outlets.

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