I was in Maine this weekend and stopped at Kittery Trading Post. I don't often find deals there, but today I did.

Found this BL-22 in mint condition. When I talked to the manager, he said this gun was from a group of guns they bought from Browning that the factory had used for display models. New in box with paper work. I didn't have any shorts to try, so added four 100 count boxes of CCI 27gr. hollow point shorts. Out the door for $562.00, rifle and ammo. Very happy with this one. I've been looking for a BL-22 at a price and condition that I was willing to pay.

I'm going to leave this one iron sights for awhile. I need to practice my iron sight skills and will use it to train grandsons.

They are great rifles. I picked one up when CDNN was blowing them out four or so years ago.

Very nice!

I bought my daughter one like new back around ‘82 ish. She (or her husband) traded it off for something along the lines of a $30 Montgomery Ward’s 22 semi-auto! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 memtb

My dad bought one for me around 1972. My first gun. Still have it.

Sweet. Have a grade II wife got for me 30 years ago.
Have fun with it

They're a kick in the azz with a reddot......

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to take it apart, or so I’m told…..

They're still in production, but all the new ones I see are youth models.

Ha!

Traveler,

Sorry 'bout your grade II wife.

I looked at dozens and dozens of them over a period of two years before I finally found one with a little figure in the butt stock.

LOL.
SHES AN A+

Pappy,

Along with this one, they had a youth and a Grade ll. My grandsons are swiftly blowing by the point of need for the youth model. I thought about the Grade ll, but decided to go with this one.

H22,

I remember your previous post about using the BL 22 with the Burris. I might be tempted to do something like that later on, but as I mentioned, iron sight training for now.

I like them, I ended up getting two of them.

Very nice rifle.

I belong to the crowd who prefer the traditional lever throw over the short stroke of the BL’s. I’ve had 2 and didn’t keep them. I couldn’t warm up to it. Beautiful guns though, and a nice find indeed.

Very nice pickup aboltfan! I haven't seen one around my area for < $600 in years. I traded into a grade I years ago for a sweet deal, and upgraded it to a grade II two years ago that was posted in my local gun club. I sold my grade I to my friend, I see it is his display case every time I visit him - both of us are happy.

I for one love the short lever throw. I am sure your grandkids will enjoy the heck out of it, especially with shorts!

I have a couple. Octagon barrel and a standard. Nice guns. They are not 9422's, however.

Instead of a class ring I got a BL22 for graduation from High school.

If you want to upgrade the factory sights, Skinner makes a great aperture sight for the BL22. You'll probably need the tallest post front they offer.

Great deal. I still have the BL-22 that I grew up shooting and now 35 years later my sons are shooting it. Its still one of my favorite 22lrs for squirrels and rabbits, I love the fine point of the front sight.

Got to the range today to try out the BL-22. I took four different loads to try. Fed. bulk 36gr. HP, Win. 40gr. PP, CCI Maxi-mag., and the CCI 27gr. Shorts I bought with the rifle. Pictured below are the two best groups. The Maxi-mags were not terribly worse than what is pictured. The shorts were terrible.

I came close to putting a scope on it for accuracy testing, but I bought it to shoot iron sights. So I shot irons at 50 yards. My best days of irons are behind me, but I'll keep practicing with it and hopefully get better.

You will get better.............

finally an HONEST range report!

I bought a Grade II for my wife, checkered and engraved from Stan's Gunshop in North Seattle in 1972, just back from salmon fishing in AK with a pocket full of $'s. My x-wife, who I hadn't seen for 30+ years gave it back to me in 2020. She had never shot it.
We are friends once again. Always was, and still is a fine shootin', good lookin' rimfire.
Colleen looks pretty good herself~~

Uh-oh. Careful there😜

Cisco1: I concur with your "honesty" posting 100%!
Some slow wits on this forum also do NOT include the ranges at which they shot the groups they post about - which renders them and their posts useless.
Puzzling that.

A-bolt fan: Thank you for posting your groups picture and the useful information thereon!
Keep up the good work.
And enjoy that nifty Browning lever gun.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

You might have better luck is you replace that barrel leaf with a Williams WDOS equipped with a peep instead of a regular notch or V. The aperture is available with and without fiber optic dots. I’ve done several like that.

Good Evening Varmint Guy,

I agree.

When I look at a range report ....if the yardage is not immediately listed I just move on .

Time is short . I don't need to see useless holes in paper.

Best,

Chuck

Pappy,

Thanks to you and everyone for your advice and comments. In all honesty, I felt like I was able to see the sights well enough for good shooting. I believe the main problems to be technique, concentration and trigger control. I found the 4 inch diamonds on these targets are big enough to see and I could put the bead of the front post in the center of the diamond.

I'd like to leave it factory for now. Iron sights not being properly zeroed irritate me, so I will work on dialing them in on the next range trip.

Whatever sighting system you choose, those BL-22s are fun little rifles!

I’ve had one for 40 years.
I received mine as a gift when I was around 10. Mid 1980’s. Still have it today and all my kids have learned to shoot rimfire on it. One of the kids will end up with it after I die.

I got a grade II from my parents as my second gun back in the early 70s but some damn thief made off with it in the mid 80s, along with my late father’s and grandfather’s guns that I had inherited along with almost everything I had. Anyway, when my grandson was born in 2002 I bought him one and stored it away for when he got old enough. Sadly we don’t have a relationship and it’s still in the box unfired. Damn shame huh?

It happens. I'd take it out and shoot the [bleep] out of it, or find a friend with a kid that likes shooting.

Cisco1: Well said!
I should do the same - just move on, if the poster is NOT smart enough to relay the most important information up front - then staying with that posting is a waste of time.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I got one in the early 70's and the first thing I did was strip that hideous high gloss finish and put a proper hand rubbed BLO finish on it. It looked good then! Then happily killed squirrels with it for the next 20 years. My oldest son, now 50, has been doing the same for about 20 years now. Good rifles and I'd do anything before I scoped it.

I like the high gloss finish!

Can't Stand the hideous BLO poorly executed finishes.