By Damon Williams GSL Member
I’m probably dating myself, but back in the late ‘90s, Walmart offered an introductory price on a lever action 22 manufactured by an up-and-coming new firearms manufacturer by the name of Henry Repeating Arms. This introductory price was around $150. As the popularity of this rifle and the name of its manufacturer grew, so did the price.
My only real complaint about this new little rifle was that when I went to clean it with Gun Scrubber brand solvent, the paint on the aluminum receiver bubbled off. Oops. Eventually, I just went ahead and removed the rest of the paint and polished the receiver to a mirror finish.
Fast forward about a decade and a half, I traded my shiny silver rifle to a friend. While not displeased with my new acquisition, I kinda missed not having a lever .22 around.
Recently, YouTube suggested a video on the Rossi Gallery gun, a pump action 22. I was intrigued. When I spotted one in my local Vandalia Rural King, I was seriously considering it. When I told the salesman, John, that I needed to set aside another $100 to purchase it, John asked, “Are you familiar with the Rio Bravo?” as he pulled it down from the rack. “It’s about $100 cheaper than the Gallery gun”
I walked away skeptical. It was a lever action 22 with plastic furniture, but it sure seemed to handle nicely in the store, and I did like the fiber-optic sights. After returning home and completing my research on reviews for the Rio Bravo, I was sold. I made the purchase several days later.
Of the five maybe six of you readers who follow me in this publication, you can quote me that in the past I have stated that it is my opinion that tacticool accessories on a lever action is like wearing a tuxedo to a square dance. Considering that the plastic furniture of this Rio Bravo is about $80 cheaper than wooden furniture on the same model, and you get fiber-optic sights, I am willing to swallow my pride and look like a hypocrite.
The plastic fore end has slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. These look to be mounting points for accessories such as pic-rails. I have not tried to mount anything, but I am considering a pic rail for a flashlight next summer to dispatch some pesky raccoons. I imagine that longer screws will be necessary due to the thickness of the plastic furniture.
Like the Henry, the Rio Bravo is a side discharge, this design has a 22-dovetail rail at the top of the receiver allowing for optics.
The lighter plastic butt stock makes the rifle front heavy, but not unwieldy. The receiver is similar in size to the Rossi ’92, so an adult can wrap his hand around the receiver forward of the lever and carry it comfortably in one hand. While it does come with sling swivel studs on the forward barrel band and the butt stock, I cannot see any practicality in hanging a sling on such a small light-weight rifle.
I have never been a fan of manual safeties on a lever action; call me a traditionalist. Carry afield with an empty chamber, and lever in a round as you shoulder the weapon. The Rio Bravo has a cross-bolt push-button safety directly above the trigger. This feature allows the rifle to be carried cocked and locked like a semi-auto. I admit, that I am warming up to this feature as it is just that little bit faster than racking the lever. Regardless, you still have the option of carrying old-school.
With the butt stock planted into the shoulder, the forward weight allows for a steadier sight picture as the shooter manipulates the lever. This allows for faster follow-up shots. The action is smooth; just as smooth as a Henry. But speaking of manipulating the lever, if a 357 magnum has an overall length of 1.7 inches and a 22 long rifle 0.98 inches, why does the Rio Bravo have a lever throw the same distance as the model 92 of the same manufacturer? (Same question applies to the Henry 22 and the Henry Big Boy.)
Rossi is owned by Taurus. Taurus has a lifetime guarantee. This guarantee extends to the Rossi name as well.
If I have one complaint about the Rio Bravo, it would be the 6lb trigger pull. This is about twice the weight that I believe a lever action should have. But for $250 out the door including tax, and ISP telephone call, I am not about to invest another $125 in a trigger job. Of course, even with the extra $80 for wood furniture, the Rio Bravo still comes in at about $75 cheaper ($150 cheaper with plastic furniture) than its Henry counterpart. I’ll live with the stiff trigger.