On the Range with the Winchester Ranger

Certain firearms make you smile every time you reach for them, and the new Ranger from Winchester is undoubtedly one of them. Despite its modest price tag, the Ranger shares the DNA of great lever actions from Winchester's past: Guns like the 1894, 1886, and 1873.

The new Ranger offers many hallmark design elements that made those other guns legends. It's incredibly reliable, for one thing. You can top off its 15-round tubular magazine and punch paper or steel targets quickly. When fall rolls around, it's an ideal squirrel and cottontail rifle.

Bushytails and bunnies don't make very big targets, and shots at stationary animals are the exception, not the rule. To bag a limit of either of the animals, you must have a rifle that points naturally and shoots accurately. The Ranger's balance point lies right at the front of the precision-machined receiver, which means it sits between the hands like a fine upland gun. The receiver is machined from billet aluminum and has a black anodized finish. The aluminum receiver keeps weight to a manageable 5.25 pounds. I'm glad they elected for a grade I wood stock with satin oil finish — a classic touch befitting a classic rifle design.

I'm also impressed that Winchester Repeating Arms engineered the Ranger so that it could be easily disassembled for cleaning, storage, or transport. Remove a single screw, and the Ranger can be separated into two parts that easily fit in a backpack or bug-out kit. With its lightweight and impressive capacity, the Ranger ranks among the best .22 survival rifles. The overall length of the assembled Ranger rifle is 37.75 inches, and with a length of pull of 13 inches, both large and small-statured shooters will be able to handle the Winchester.

It's not hard to fall in love with the Ranger. The action is quite smooth, and that's because it was engineered with what Winchester refers to as "Light Operating Forces." In short, the lever has been specifically designed to keep the operation light and smooth. Not surprisingly, the action is also swift. If you've spent time behind a lever gun, you can operate this rifle quickly. That's part of the Ranger's charm — with some practice, you can empty that magazine into targets with outstanding speed and accuracy.

Lever-action rifles aren't known for having great triggers, but the Ranger's trigger is quite good.

Iron sights come standard on this rifle; if you've shot lever guns before, the Ranger's sight layout will seem familiar. The rear sight sits on a stepped ramp, allowing you to adjust for elevation. Raising the rear sight one or more "steps" will also raise the rifle's point of impact.

The front bead sight is a traditional touch; it even comes with a hood to cut glare on sunny days. Incidentally, the Ranger's button-rifled barrel is made in the same factory as Winchester's Wildcat and Xpert rimfire barrels.

One of my favorite features on the Ranger is the three-position hammer. With lowered, half-cock and full-cock positions, you have complete control over the conditions of the rifle, and it's easy to verify the hammer position with just a single glance. The hammer can be cocked silently — an essential consideration on any small-game gun — and the Ranger's accuracy is sufficient for shooting squirrels and cottontails to the .22 LR's practical range limits.

With an MSRP of $429.99, the Ranger is poised to introduce a new generation of shooters to the simple joys of lever-action rimfires. After spending some time with this rifle, I promise you will enjoy shooting it, and if you have any reservations about parting with $429, I wouldn't even pick up a Ranger. The plinker is just too sweet and holding it will likely trigger a purchase. It's one rifle that will always leave you with a smile.