I have the Winchester 1873 in .357/.38 made in Moruko. It’s their 24” barrel grade 2. What a well done slick action. They’ve been making Browning rifles for a long time at a quality level. Known for their barrels. Japanese steel.
I’ve had mine for 45 years. The only time it jammed was when my dad tried to put a 22 magnum in it. He wanted to get a ground hog that was in Grandpap’s garden and thought it was a magnum gun, as I had just got it. Just an observation; I have a few Brownings that were manufactured in Japan. Each one is extremely well made. Great fit and finish, with superb reliability.
I bought mine in 73 and in the subsequent 20 years put about 50 bricks through it. Tried different ammo, and it prefers Remington hollow points. Mounted a full size 4 power optic and it works extremely well. Can shoot one ragged hole @ 25 yards. Taken many squirrel and rabbits, a few on the fly. Being able to leave your hand and finger in place and still operate the lever makes for incredible speed, especially after a few thousand rounds practice. Mine has been retired now for about 25 years but is in pristine condition. Same grade 1 as yours.. My son is anxiously awaiting.
Love my Browning BL 22. It was gifted to me when I graduated from high school in 1986 from my uncle. I love this rifle and it has never jammed on me or failed me once in 40 years; it’s fun to shoot and quick follow up shots. The only negative is you have to really learn how to keep the spring and extractor in place while you reinstall the receiver and bolt assembly. I’m a big fan of lever action rifles. I have a 1956 Marlin 336 30-30, that my father gifted to me before he passed away. A Henry Big Boy, 357 carbine with a color case, hardened finish. I love lever guns! I subbed your channel.
@superblackhawk my best advice is to make sure that after cleaning you reassemble it correctly; it’s not easy to do. There are several good videos on how to disassemble and reassemble this Browning rifle.
Barrels are measured to the face of the bolt when locked in battery. The official measurement would use a rod inserted down the bore until it rested on the boltface. But you can estimate where it is recessed into the receiver and you'll find this is closer to 20" than 19.5". I opted for the Grade II with the 24" octagon bbl. Love it.
Have a BL22 too. Such a wonderful little gun. Compact, ergonomic and light. Fast shooting rate. And mine's pretty accurate. Works good with lot of ammo, including CCI mini mag and subsonic. I have replaced the trigger springs to achieve 3.5 pound. Now I have the perfect 22 riffle ;-) Nice video and editing work by the way.
@@CP-pf6gx Thanks man! I’ll definitely be replacing the springs in my newest BL-22 bc the trigger is very heavy. Where did you get your springs and which ones did you replace?
Got one from 1972 and love it. But mine's not a Browning, no Browning logo anywhere. It was made by Miroku and imported to my country by a local gun maker and labeled with his name.
Nice rifle, but awesome kitty! I had a Henry Frontier, but got rid of it for a 70 year old 39a. It is a real shooter, but has enough honest wear to not make me afraid to enjoy it in the bush.
I’ve had my BL22 since the late seventies. Great handling gun, as well as great accuracy. My only complaint is a heavy trigger pull. I took a lot of small game with mine, and its stock is pretty beat up. I wish the new ones were threaded.
Love the BL-22 easily my favorite of the lever .22s. The magazine tube latch and the short throw are QoL features that stand out, and the compactness is handy for an actual field gun. About the only real downside I can find is the short receiver makes scope mounting an interesting adventure. The common 1” tubes look pretty goofy on such a cute little rifle as well, but there is something to be said for being able to see what your aiming at
It may be aecond to the grade II with the scrolls but I agree it is gorgeous. Got one, and she is a beautiful rifle. FYI, that cat is only considered small game in Ohio.
Marlin TDS 16.5" take down lever is very similar , check it out , I had the save version as you , but didn't like the short throw , I grew up on the standard lever angle . Nothing against it by any means , just doesn't feel right to me .
That pot metal receiver comment must have been a dig at Henry Firearms which employs Zamac-5 (a zinc alloy) in their .22 rifles. I chose the Golden Boy over the BL-22 for two reasons. One, that rear sight looks cheesy to me. The Henry's rear sight is more visible and looks more flexible. Two, five pounds for a rifle is TOO light for me. The Henry Golden Boy is a hefty 6.7 pounds. Made in Japan - I have no problem with that because the Japanese make fine products, from hifi equipment to rifles. What irks me about Henry is that they reserve blued steel for their center fire rifles only (their new 9mm camp carbine Homesteader uses anodized aluminum for the receiver). However, I defy anyone to show me a lever action .22 rifle, be it Browning or the older Winchester 9422 and Marlin 39-A, that eclipses the Henry's action in smoothness. Buttery smooth, as they say.
I had a Henry that I sold to my friend and I wish I had kept it bc like you say, super smooth action and I never had a malfunction with any ammo. I still love the Henry’s 👍🏻
Not sure if anyone said it before me as this video's been up awhile, but I believe they were made in Belgium originally. Mine's Japanese made and its spectacular, so nothing against the Japanese makers.
the internal frame on your BL-22 isn't steel, it's cast aluminum and not nearly as robust as a Marlin or Winchester. In addition, it probably has MIM parts, which aren't as robust either. If you'd like a reference I can post a thread to the rimfire central forum that explains this, but I don't want to post a link without your permission.
you don't have to dry fire the 22lr to test the trigger. Catch the hammer so it doesnt smack hard and you will be able to fire the trigger without damaging anything
So your serial is unique for a US gun (or it isn’t a US import). Was it imported to another country? Or Canada? Maybe bought by someone overseas? I collect these and I’m very familiar with them (I won’t be pedantic about the mistakes you made in your video, seems you did your best and 99% of people wouldn’t know or care.) But if I had to guess I’d say it was built in 75 as Browning would sometimes reverse the year code like that (or a 57 would be subtracted from 100 making it a 43) I don’t know what you mean by “I’m guessing this is a vintage browning.” That really doesn’t mean anything objectively, or at least to anyone who collects these. I’m not sure what meaning “vintage” would have in any context quite frankly, it’s a term people often use that just means “old.” There are more than two grades, Grade 1 and Grade 1, yes, but they have FLD grades as well and also do special productions. The FLD means “Full Line Dealership” and they are often special barrel configs or finishes, like the Octagon barreled 24” nickel plated one with a satin finish that is currently made. I did appreciate and enjoy the video, well done. Please don’t take this as criticism or negativity, just trying to add something to it you might not know. Also, people make comments here as though they are 100% statements of facts and they’re just completely wrong. I never understood the person who can speak so factually like an authority yet be so wrong. Couple of comments here are these guys.
Miroku, and Japanese manufacturing overall, doesn't play around. They do a exceptional job with this rifle and their centerfire guns for Winchester. I suppose they wouldn't want to cannibalize their own market but I would love to see them get the 9422 back under the Winchester name alongside it.
I have a BL 22 Grade 2 a beautiful gun but the trigger pull is atrocious and the lever is very hard to lever . It’s about Two years old and if it wasn’t a gift from my family I would have sold it.
Your old Marlin looks a lot like the new Chiappa LA322. I'm just wondering, I'm looking in to a new .22lr, to replace my Henry yellow boy. And I'm looking in to a Browning and a Chiappa. What are your thoughts on the Marlin system compared to the Browning when it comes to accuarcy and cleaning? What would you prefer?
The chiappa LA322 is junk in comparison to the Browning BL22, had endless issues with the chiappa going back for warranty and eventually got it replaced by the dealer with the Browning and couldn't be happier
I sold mine and bought a Winchester 9422 because it wasn't so accurate with any ammo I tried. It is a very well made and pretty rifle. I might have bought a lemon who knows.
The gloves? First thing that came to mind was "verrry Metrosexual"...........🤠 By the way - I still have my BL22 from 1969! 10th birthday present from my dad. One for my twin brother as well. Dad brought them back from Japan as he was an airline pilot from the 50's through the 80's with Braniff Int'l (remember them?) LOTS of rounds through that gun and lots of rabbits felt its sting, haha! It's in very good original condition and I've somehow resisted the urge to accessorize or modify it. It still wears the 4x Weaver scope added soon after I unwrapped it.
This is an ALUMINIUM receiver, only outside it's steel! I am therefore absolutely unhappy to have purchased it! Also it's got the worst trigger of all my rifles and it's sights are worse than anything.
I have had mine for nearly 40 years I love that little rifle
That’s awesome! Could you tell me what ammo yours like the most?
The craftsmen in Japan deserve our praise for their pride in their work. They're obviously some of the best we have left.
I have the Winchester 1873 in .357/.38 made in Moruko. It’s their 24” barrel grade 2. What a well done slick action. They’ve been making Browning rifles for a long time at a quality level. Known for their barrels. Japanese steel.
Love those Winchesters! Nice gun!
I bought mine in 1967. Still got the box and paperwork.
That’s awesome! They are so handy!
I’ve had mine for 45 years. The only time it jammed was when my dad tried to put a 22 magnum in it. He wanted to get a ground hog that was in Grandpap’s garden and thought it was a magnum gun, as I had just got it. Just an observation; I have a few Brownings that were manufactured in Japan. Each one is extremely well made. Great fit and finish, with superb reliability.
I bought mine in 73 and in the subsequent 20 years put about 50 bricks through it. Tried different ammo, and it prefers Remington hollow points. Mounted a full size 4 power optic and it works extremely well. Can shoot one ragged hole @ 25 yards. Taken many squirrel and rabbits, a few on the fly. Being able to leave your hand and finger in place and still operate the lever makes for incredible speed, especially after a few thousand rounds practice. Mine has been retired now for about 25 years but is in pristine condition. Same grade 1 as yours.. My son is anxiously awaiting.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Love this little rifle
Love my Browning BL 22. It was gifted to me when I graduated from high school in 1986 from my uncle. I love this rifle and it has never jammed on me or failed me once in 40 years; it’s fun to shoot and quick follow up shots. The only negative is you have to really learn how to keep the spring and extractor in place while you reinstall the receiver and bolt assembly. I’m a big fan of lever action rifles. I have a 1956 Marlin 336 30-30, that my father gifted to me before he passed away. A Henry Big Boy, 357 carbine with a color case, hardened finish. I love lever guns! I subbed your channel.
That’s great friend! Could you tell me which ammo types your likes?
@superblackhawk my best advice is to make sure that after cleaning you reassemble it correctly; it’s not easy to do. There are several good videos on how to disassemble and reassemble this Browning rifle.
We sell them all at works. The BL22 is the best made hands down…..except for the heavy trigger pull. My gunsmith dropped it to 3.5lbs :)
Same.
Barrels are measured to the face of the bolt when locked in battery. The official measurement would use a rod inserted down the bore until it rested on the boltface. But you can estimate where it is recessed into the receiver and you'll find this is closer to 20" than 19.5". I opted for the Grade II with the 24" octagon bbl. Love it.
Have a BL22 too. Such a wonderful little gun. Compact, ergonomic and light. Fast shooting rate. And mine's pretty accurate. Works good with lot of ammo, including CCI mini mag and subsonic. I have replaced the trigger springs to achieve 3.5 pound. Now I have the perfect 22 riffle ;-) Nice video and editing work by the way.
@@CP-pf6gx Thanks man! I’ll definitely be replacing the springs in my newest BL-22 bc the trigger is very heavy. Where did you get your springs and which ones did you replace?
Just for clarity, Browning contracts with the company Miroku Firearms. They are located, and manufacture in, Nankoku City, Kochi, Japan.
Got one from 1972 and love it. But mine's not a Browning, no Browning logo anywhere. It was made by Miroku and imported to my country by a local gun maker and labeled with his name.
Ahh interesting!
Nice rifle, but awesome kitty!
I had a Henry Frontier, but got rid of it for a 70 year old 39a. It is a real shooter, but has enough honest wear to not make me afraid to enjoy it in the bush.
@@kettlebellcarnivore-vr5cw Thanks man! Those 39as feel very good
I’ve had my BL22 since the late seventies. Great handling gun, as well as great accuracy. My only complaint is a heavy trigger pull. I took a lot of small game with mine, and its stock is pretty beat up. I wish the new ones were threaded.
Good to hear its still functioning!
Love the BL-22 easily my favorite of the lever .22s. The magazine tube latch and the short throw are QoL features that stand out, and the compactness is handy for an actual field gun.
About the only real downside I can find is the short receiver makes scope mounting an interesting adventure. The common 1” tubes look pretty goofy on such a cute little rifle as well, but there is something to be said for being able to see what your aiming at
It may be aecond to the grade II with the scrolls but I agree it is gorgeous. Got one, and she is a beautiful rifle. FYI, that cat is only considered small game in Ohio.
Marlin TDS 16.5" take down lever is very similar , check it out ,
I had the save version as you , but didn't like the short throw , I grew up on the standard lever angle .
Nothing against it by any means , just doesn't feel right to me .
It does feel very strange only throwing that lever the short distance. Ima try to adopt the finger open method and see how that works
Nice rifle. I have never used one, but own a few Henrys and a Marlin 39-A .
That pot metal receiver comment must have been a dig at Henry Firearms which employs Zamac-5 (a zinc alloy) in their .22 rifles. I chose the Golden Boy over the BL-22 for two reasons. One, that rear sight looks cheesy to me. The Henry's rear sight is more visible and looks more flexible. Two, five pounds for a rifle is TOO light for me. The Henry Golden Boy is a hefty 6.7 pounds. Made in Japan - I have no problem with that because the Japanese make fine products, from hifi equipment to rifles. What irks me about Henry is that they reserve blued steel for their center fire rifles only (their new 9mm camp carbine Homesteader uses anodized aluminum for the receiver). However, I defy anyone to show me a lever action .22 rifle, be it Browning or the older Winchester 9422 and Marlin 39-A, that eclipses the Henry's action in smoothness. Buttery smooth, as they say.
I had a Henry that I sold to my friend and I wish I had kept it bc like you say, super smooth action and I never had a malfunction with any ammo. I still love the Henry’s 👍🏻
Not sure if anyone said it before me as this video's been up awhile, but I believe they were made in Belgium originally. Mine's Japanese made and its spectacular, so nothing against the Japanese makers.
the internal frame on your BL-22 isn't steel, it's cast aluminum and not nearly as robust as a Marlin or Winchester. In addition, it probably has MIM parts, which aren't as robust either. If you'd like a reference I can post a thread to the rimfire central forum that explains this, but I don't want to post a link without your permission.
I checked this morning, all steel internals and receiver. Maby the older ones were differently made. Interesting!
I have a Marlin 39A and a BL 22. The Browning has been in the shop twice for firing pin issues. The Marlin has NEVER been in the shop for any reason.
you don't have to dry fire the 22lr to test the trigger. Catch the hammer so it doesnt smack hard and you will be able to fire the trigger without damaging anything
Thanks for the info! 👍🏻
So your serial is unique for a US gun (or it isn’t a US import). Was it imported to another country? Or Canada? Maybe bought by someone overseas?
I collect these and I’m very familiar with them (I won’t be pedantic about the mistakes you made in your video, seems you did your best and 99% of people wouldn’t know or care.)
But if I had to guess I’d say it was built in 75 as Browning would sometimes reverse the year code like that (or a 57 would be subtracted from 100 making it a 43)
I don’t know what you mean by “I’m guessing this is a vintage browning.” That really doesn’t mean anything objectively, or at least to anyone who collects these. I’m not sure what meaning “vintage” would have in any context quite frankly, it’s a term people often use that just means “old.”
There are more than two grades, Grade 1 and Grade 1, yes, but they have FLD grades as well and also do special productions. The FLD means “Full Line Dealership” and they are often special barrel configs or finishes, like the Octagon barreled 24” nickel plated one with a satin finish that is currently made.
I did appreciate and enjoy the video, well done. Please don’t take this as criticism or negativity, just trying to add something to it you might not know.
Also, people make comments here as though they are 100% statements of facts and they’re just completely wrong. I never understood the person who can speak so factually like an authority yet be so wrong. Couple of comments here are these guys.
Thank you for your feedback Brian! I did the best I could with what I knew but it’s nice to know the real facts
It's identicle to the Miroku ML22 that I own down here in Australia. Great little gun.
My only problem with these rifles is the trigger. It has the worst trigger among all my my .22 rifles.
This one had a good trigger but the newer one I just got has that heavy trigger
Keep em comin. Your videos don’t miss
Thanks man! I got a big list so more will be rolling out! 👍🏻
Well browning has always been a great firearm, but how about the price
You didn't mention the plastic barrel bands or the plastic in the receiver ! How about the heavy trigger pill ?
I did forget about the plastic pieces but this one right here did Not have a heavy trigger pull, I know they usually do.
Miroku, and Japanese manufacturing overall, doesn't play around. They do a exceptional job with this rifle and their centerfire guns for Winchester. I suppose they wouldn't want to cannibalize their own market but I would love to see them get the 9422 back under the Winchester name alongside it.
@@spartansfan1026 yeah I hear lots of good things about the 9422
I have a BL 22 Grade 2 a beautiful gun but the trigger pull is atrocious and the lever is very hard to lever . It’s about Two years old and if it wasn’t a gift from my family I would have sold it.
Damn man any cleaning make it better?
Does the trigger improve over time breaking it in?
sa22 thoughts?
I hear they are great!
I might have missed it. What was the price.
It was pricey 699$ but I got him down to 599$
Your old Marlin looks a lot like the new Chiappa LA322. I'm just wondering, I'm looking in to a new .22lr, to replace my Henry yellow boy. And I'm looking in to a Browning and a Chiappa. What are your thoughts on the Marlin system compared to the Browning when it comes to accuarcy and cleaning? What would you prefer?
The chiappa LA322 is junk in comparison to the Browning BL22, had endless issues with the chiappa going back for warranty and eventually got it replaced by the dealer with the Browning and couldn't be happier
The Chiappa breaks easy
I sold mine and bought a Winchester 9422 because it wasn't so accurate with any ammo I tried. It is a very well made and pretty rifle. I might have bought a lemon who knows.
It’s possible but I totally understand when it don’t shoot the ammo you have access to. I would of done the same
This is bees knees 🐝
Haha I’m glad you enjoyed friend ☺️
Thank you for this Video, you have a wonderfuel little rifle ❤ looks very very nice ,greetings from Germany.
Thank you my German friend!
The gloves? First thing that came to mind was "verrry Metrosexual"...........🤠 By the way - I still have my BL22 from 1969! 10th birthday present from my dad. One for my twin brother as well. Dad brought them back from Japan as he was an airline pilot from the 50's through the 80's with Braniff Int'l (remember them?) LOTS of rounds through that gun and lots of rabbits felt its sting, haha! It's in very good original condition and I've somehow resisted the urge to accessorize or modify it. It still wears the 4x Weaver scope added soon after I unwrapped it.
@@bjohnjunior I was going for the old cowboy look with gloves Lol Very nice story thanks for sharing!
Is it made in the U S A
Made in Japan. And they do a great job!
Good video bro.
@@FranciscoSanchez-yr4vd Thanks man!
It is - cousin had 1 in e. 70s.
That’s awesome man!
5 lbs is pretty damn heavy for a 22. a 30 m1 carbine is 5 lb
Henry pump is 6 pounds so why bitch?
I have a Henry H001 and it suck!
Can you own a rifle in Japan?
@@owenblake90 I’m betting you can’t.
No longer in production.
Im pretty sure they are
You lost me at “not no potmetal 👍🏻
This is an ALUMINIUM receiver, only outside it's steel! I am therefore absolutely unhappy to have purchased it! Also it's got the worst trigger of all my rifles and it's sights are worse than anything.
mine has a steel receiver. You should clean the internal, it helps.
This guy thinks Yellowstone is real
It is.