Hi
what is your opinion bout these rifles or ?
regards
yes

Relatively inexpensive but solid performer.
They may not be the most accurate rifle made but they do run in the 1MOA or less category in my experience.

I own two and love them as an all around easy packing reliable weapon.

If your looking for benchrest accuracy then you may want to try looking at someting else.

You can trick these rifles out to some extent. The trigger pull (factory) can be easily reduced to a more normal/better condition within a few minutes. Some have bedded them and tightened up groups some. With mine I have done nothing but reduce the trigger pull on each. Makes a huge difference in improving accuracy.

Hope this helps
Eric

I have an ultra varmint 223 and a handi 22 hornet, the 223 will shoot 5 shot dime sized groups at 100 yards and the hornet will shoot quarter sized groups.

I've got a couple of them, one is a 357 Max rechamber from a 357 mag that my daughter uses to good effect in our cast bullet silhouette match. It's scoped, and you do need to use extra high rings to clear the hammer. This weekend I got a buffalo classic 45-70 at a gun show, and it's a real blast. The previous owner fitted a Williams target peep sight in place of the factory one, and it had no problem shooting fist sized groups on our 300M swinger with the RCBS 300gr. bullets and Goex CTG black powder. They're not the prettiest things (though the buff classic is way better finished than the regular ones) but they work, are light to carry, and easy to buy.

They are a very good Rifle.Bed the Stock,tune the Trigger ,and they shoot right along side some very much more expensive Rifles!!!

They're fine if you want something new and different to play with. But if you want to go hunting, they're not worth much. Locally, NEF's are $225 at Wally-World and a stevens model 200 is about $280 at Sportsman's Warehouse. They'll both need a scope and the Stevens will need $6 worth of bases while the NEF comes with them already there.
Maybe you'll never need a second shot, but, for me, the magazine on the Stevens is worth well more than the $ difference.

I got one in 45/70 for $100 at the gun show.

Kicks like a mule.

Surprisingly accurate and strong.

I hear they get the barrels from Green Mountain.

But break action is not as nice as falling block, from the bags.

I have a couple, both rimfires...

Sythetic stocks.. heavy barrels...chambered in 22 Win Mag and 17 HMR.. both are very very accurate.. make great truck guns...

Would like to get one with a 30/30 barrel on it just to play with...

solid reliable little performers....

The real beauty of these rifles is the barrel buy program that allows you to have multiple barrels for one frame. My son's has a 20 Ga modified, a 12 Ga slug (very acccurate but kicks like two mules!), a 50 cal muzzle loader, a 270 and a 45-70. He can hunt anything in the country with less than the cost of one nice rifle invested, not bad for a starter setup I think. All the rifle barrels are more than acceptably accurate and you can swap them out in less than a minute with a screw driver. Glad they weren't available when I was starting out, I'd have a lot fewer guns.

quote:

Originally posted by 50 Calshtr:
Glad they weren't available when I was starting out, I'd have a lot fewer guns.

Dunno bout that!!

I have two Handi's.. A 243 and a 223. The 243 has been with now for 12 years. I did a trigger job to get a 2.5 pound trigger. It has been dependable but not very accurate. I just recently started playing around with some hand loads but about the same crappy accuracy it always gets. 2.5" to 3.5" groups. I have played with the forend but had little change.

The 223 is new. I know screw me once shame on them screw me twice shame on me. But I got a really good deal because he had sat on it for over a year. The jury is out but I have little faith. Factory ammo, three brands of 55 grain averaged the same bad 2" to 3" groups as the 243. This little handi has the same 1:12 twist as my Winchester model 70 Sporter Varmint. But it doesn't shoot the 1/2" groups the Winchester does. I will play some with reloads, but don't know if I can overcome such bad accuracy.

So my suggestion would be to spend more money and get a better rifle. Hard to beat a Savage. You can by a magazine block to make it a singe shot or keep it as a repeater.

For DRIEAD
Are you cleaning them each time you fire them?I have purchased 3 for my grandkids. Started with 2 first both youth models in 223. Both shot great. Sent one back to the factory and had a 25-06 barrel fitted. Would not shoot well,sent it back barrel replaced but syill would not shoot. Bought 3rd in 25-06 for 3rd grandson. It shot well from the first. took it home and cleaned it . took it back to the range 5 inch groups. tried several other brands still large groops until we had put about 20 rounds thru it after the cleaning. It is now shooting 1 inch groups atr 100 yards. Started shooting otner 25-06 and after about 10 rounds after cleaning it is now shooting 1 inch groups. It seams that at least mine don't like to shoot well after cleaning

quote:

Originally posted by driead:
I have two Handi's.. A 243 and a 223. The 243 has been with now for 12 years. I did a trigger job to get a 2.5 pound trigger. It has been dependable but not very accurate. I just recently started playing around with some hand loads but about the same crappy accuracy it always gets. 2.5" to 3.5" groups. I have played with the forend but had little change.

The 223 is new. I know screw me once shame on them screw me twice shame on me. But I got a really good deal because he had sat on it for over a year. The jury is out but I have little faith. Factory ammo, three brands of 55 grain averaged the same bad 2" to 3" groups as the 243. This little handi has the same 1:12 twist as my Winchester model 70 Sporter Varmint. But it doesn't shoot the 1/2" groups the Winchester does. I will play some with reloads, but don't know if I can overcome such bad accuracy.

So my suggestion would be to spend more money and get a better rifle. Hard to beat a Savage. You can by a magazine block to make it a singe shot or keep it as a repeater.

You didn't answer my question in your other thread, what's the barrel length, 20" or 22"? Read the Handi 101 tips and FAQs at GBO, your answers are there, they've helped hundreds of H&R owners and are the culmination of thousands of posts. I have over 30 H&R rifles, NONE of em shoot that bad or I wouldn't keep em.

Charles, I have a very bad habbit of cleaning my rifles. I haven't tried the dirty bore trick. I have shot 60 to 80 rounds in a day before with the 243. At the present time, it likes the federal classic with 80 grain Sierra prohunters the best. I did play with some Speer 90 grain hot cores on top of IMR 4064 last week end. It shot the 36 grain load the best. But that was still only 1.25" groups at 50 yards with a red dot. I will live with that for a 100 yard or less deer rifle for my 10 year old.

Wrongtarget, both rifles have the 22" standard barrels. The 243 started life as a adult wood stocked NEF before I recently installed a plastic NEF youth stock. I free floated the barrel from the retaining screw forward. The 223 is new, only 60 rounds to date. I free floated its barrel and adjusted the trigger to 2.5 pounds..

Not being Superlights simplifies the issue, synthetic stocks don't help, they aren't as user friendly as the wood stocks since they have no spacer to adjust how tight they are. I find most rifles respond well to mild uplift at the forend tip, on a wood stock, a piece of refrigerator magnet place about 1" from the forend tip will help. The forend should slip on the barrel and stud with little force, if it's tight it's not good, usually.

A new barrel may take upwards of 200 rounds to settle down, you can decrease range time by a simple polishing of the bore with JB, Flitz or any fine metal polish, break-in time will be reduced to 60-80 rounds, my 223 Ultra didn't shoot well at first either, so it's become SOP to do the bore polishing. I use the Varmint Al technique, sans the moly bullets.

http://www.varmintal.com/ashot.htm#Break

None of my rifle shoot well from a clean bore, foul it with a couple rounds first, then shoot for score, I hunt with em fouled too, always have with all my rifles for the 50yrs+ I've been hunting, nothing new there.

Read the Handi Basic 101 tips are GBO, there's a multitude of sins than you can't get away with in a break barrel, shooting with the front rest under the forend is one of em unless you fully bed the forend which doesn't always work, it's best to shoot with the rest under the hinge, even Encores benefit from this, I have one so I know!

Catchya on GBO hopefully,

Tim

A lot of attention is placed on bedding the forearm.The buttstock needs to be bedded also.Use a metallic based epoxy to do this.Make sure reciever and through bolt are covered with
a release agent. Let it dry over night,before pulling apart.let cure for another 24 hours beofre assembly and shooting.You can but a cheap borescope through Grizzley.They work very good.Check your bore.Firelapp if needed.Screw that break in, its a waste of time and money.When done correctly these Rifles shoot embarrassing well.Go Buy Accurizing The Factory Rifle.It gives in detail how to do these procedures.Once you have done it once it is easy and will work beyond your wildest dreams.Of course your rifle wont say Dakota or Blaser on them.It will just out shoot them!!!!!!!!!

Here is thread where someone did some serious gunsmithing on the Handi rifle action.
The conversion to 257 Roberts is more than reaming the chamber a little larger and grinding a little on the extractor:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=370107895#370107895

quote:

Originally posted by Chop901:
They're fine if you want something new and different to play with. But if you want to go hunting, they're not worth much. Locally, NEF's are $225 at Wally-World and a stevens model 200 is about $280 at Sportsman's Warehouse. They'll both need a scope and the Stevens will need $6 worth of bases while the NEF comes with them already there.
Maybe you'll never need a second shot, but, for me, the magazine on the Stevens is worth well more than the $ difference.

You just need to learn how to hunt with a single[lol] I carry a couple shell between my fingers on my weak hand hit the release on my handi drop shell in bring the barrel back up with weak hand gun never leave you shoulder. we were playing after a hunters saftety couse at the club a couple years back shooting claybirds se had 2 cheap thrower they were releasing the second bird at the report of the gun I took the single 20 and was busting 70% of the second birds with itafter the guys saw how I as reloading they could do it too
Roy

Hi Yes,
I have two Handi's in .223 and .243 in the SB2 Ultra Barrels. Ive found a round in my .243 that shoots less than a dime sized group at 100 yards. Make sure your barrel is extremely clean. No Copper fouling. Try this load:
WW Brass
Fed 210m PrimerIMR 4060 Powder
35.0GR Powder
Hornady Bullets
100GR
PN2453
.010 off the rifling
COAL 3.352. This measurement is using a Stoney Point OAL length guage in MY rifle. Your rifle will probably differ. Try .010 off the lands.
Do not neck size more than 2 times as the case will stick in the chamber. You should probably bump the shoulder back a couple of thousands when reloading. Once you have sized your brass, MAKE SURE YOUR BRASS FITS FLUSH WITH THE BREACH. MAKE SURE THERE IS NO PROTRUSION OF THE CASE FROM THE BREECH OR THE CASE WILL STICK IN THE BREECH WHEN FIRED. My rounds shoot less than a dime at 100 yards. Your may vary. It is about getting the harmonics of the cartridge and the barrel in synch.

Hope this helps,
TONY

I hunt only with single shot rifles, for deer
my custom 257 Roberts or several of my Ruger #1's. I never ever wory about a scond shot never needed one, only to shoot another deer.

That Handi 257R is an absolute joy to hunt with and it will outshoot a lot of expensive rifles.

You can't have much confidence in your shooting if worry about a second shot. Also I do not hunt dangerous game where a SXS big bore is a wise decision.

Got a 50S&W Handi Rifle! WOW! Quite a handful, but the Indiana DNR says rifles are legal for deer hunting as long as they are in pistol calibers of sufficient energy. Should work just fine! Cheers

Bigluke,

Does it bite as bad as them Indiana Dobsonfly larvae (hellgrammites)?

quote:

Originally posted by bigluke:
Got a 50S&W Handi Rifle! WOW! Quite a handful, but the Indiana DNR says rifles are legal for deer hunting as long as they are in pistol calibers of sufficient energy. Should work just fine! Cheers

Indiana regs mention no energy requirements, just .357" or larger and minimim and maximum case length, see page 16 in their Hunting Guide. If a minimum energy requirement was the case, the 460 S&W would be legal, but it's not.

quote:

Rifles with pistol cartridges that fire a bullet of .357-inch diameter or larger; have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches; and have a maximum case length of 1.625 inches are legal to use only during the deer firearms season. Some cartridges legal for deer hunting include the 357 Magnum, 38-40 Winchester, 41 Magnum, 41 Special, 44 Magnum, 44 Special, 44-40 Winchester, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger, 50 Action Express, and 500 S&W.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/huntguide1/0708_HG/0708_hg_generalinfo.pdf

Have one in 500 S&W and its a very fun gun, especially at the price! Be forewarned though, with factory ammo this combo makes for punishing recoil lol. Hunt America's recoil calculator put it at 44 ft-lbs of recoil, which puts it into the lighter side of DG rifles lmao

Wrongtarget is correct about the nonmention of energy figures in the Indiana Regs. I was talking from memory, and erred! If that's the worst thing that happens to me, then I've got 'er made! Cheers!

And as for you OLD GUY, you know how bad them helgramity"s bite!!!!!!!!!!! So do I, but hopefully not too often! Don't kick yer minner bucket over----ye mite lose all yer helgramity's and they are too hard to collect! See you in the spring! It's tooooocooooold up there willlllburrrrrrrr!!!