Photo courtesy of Winchester
February 10, 2025
By Adam Heggenstaller
The same qualities that endear lever-action rifles to whitetail hunters make rimfire versions of lever guns favored for small game. Lever-action rimfires are wonderful to carry, come nimbly to the shoulder and cycle quickly for follow-up shots. Opportunities at stationary squirrels and rabbits are often fleeting, and a rifle that gets on target immediately will help put skittish game in the bag.
Winchester has long extolled the advantages offered by a lever-action rifle and has most likely brought them to more big-game hunters than any other manufacturer over the course of 150-some years. The company continues that tradition with the Ranger, only this time offering hunters a slick .22 LR that is eminently suited for small game. The Ranger’s receiver is machined from aluminum-alloy billet, has a black anodized finish and includes grooves for mounting an optic. Machining and anodizing aluminum allows Winchester to keep the price of the Ranger at around $400 while still building a rifle that will last for generations. The action has been engineered to ensure smooth cycling with minimal force—a characteristic that will be appreciated by hunters both young and old.
Bringing the hammer to the full-cock position and then pressing the trigger causes the hammer to fall and contact an inertia striker at the rear of the bolt. The Ranger relies on a half-cock safety like conventional lever guns; there is no additional crossbolt safety. The trigger is adjustable for overtravel by a qualified gunsmith.
Measuring 20 1/2 inches long, the Ranger’s button-rifled barrel has a recessed target-style crown and a matte-black finish that nicely matches the receiver’s anodizing. In classic fashion, the barrel is equipped with a fully adjustable semi-buckhorn rear sight and a hooded front sight.
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Paralleling the barrel, the full-length magazine tube holds 15 rounds. Two barrel bands, one that wraps around the fore-end and another adjacent to the front sight, secures the magazine tube. Notably, the receiver, barrel, magazine tube and fore-end are easily separated from the action as a single unit by removing just one action screw, which not only permits cleaning the barrel from the breech but also facilitates storage and transport.
The lure of lever-action rifles is only partly due to their handling qualities; the rest of the attraction simply stems from lever guns being fun to hunt with and shoot. There’s no doubt the rimfire Ranger checks both of those boxes. (winchester.com )
SPECIFICATIONS: Caliber: .22 LR Capacity: 15 rounds; tubular magazine Barrel: 20 1/2”; chromoly steel; button rifled Overall Length: 37 3/4” Weight: 5 1/4 lb. Stock: Satin-finished walnut Sights: Semi-buckhorn rear, hooded post front Finish: Matte black MSRP: $419.99 This article was featured in the 2024 issue of Public Land Hunter magazine.
