H&R handi rifles good or junk?

[MBTcustom]

I have kicked around the idea of buying an H&R rifle in 45/70 or .444 marlin for a while. The main things that worried me are
1. does it eject the spent shell or do you have to pull it out?
2. is the action strong enough to stand up to years of shooting a lot of boolits through it? (I have this addiction to single shot .22s, you see, and I end up shooting more out of the slow single shot than I do out of the auto loader, and I fear that the H&R would be no different.)
and most importantly,
3. Is the handi rifle, or buffalo rifle design accurate? Or does it take a lot of fussing to get a semi decent group at say 200yards.
I am, of course, looking for info regarding rifles that have already been broke in. Assuming that I buy one in 45/70 and shoot 100 PP boolits through it, what kind of accuracy can I most likely expect from GG GC or PP?

[mattbowen]

goodsteel;

All I have is one word to describe the Handi, and all you have to do is look at your user name.

I have one in 45/70 and I shoot it open sights and can hit a 32oz gatorade bottle at 100 yards, I love mine..

Matt

[camaro1st]

i have a stainless 243 and love it. 1 the ejector will hit me in the chest with the empty. 2 i think the action is plenty strong. 3 the gas check will fire out fine 5 shot at 1/2inch group

[troyboy]

You can get a barrel that is an ejector but all the current manufactured barrels are extractor. The extractor is a better option IMO. The sb2 frame that is currently made is strong enough for any level load that your shoulder can handle. The older ones that were on cast frames are trapdoor level only. Yes they are accurate, in fact they are held in high regard. Go here (http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php?board=126.0).

[Swampman]

I've had several Handis and I love them.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d34/Woodsman1956/NEF/100_1690.jpg

[geargnasher]

I have a Classic Carbine in .45 Colt, it's neat as heck. I'm in the middle of working up a heavy, 340-grain load for it for deer season. Mine is an SB2 with extractor, good setup that works flawlessly even with hot loads. Onandaga has a .500 S&W Magnum that he's killed deer with, he seems to like his. It's a light gun that will hammer you with hot loads, but mine's holding up just fine. My only complaints are the plastic forend cap and trigger guard, and the exterior fit-finish is rough, but what do you want for a $200 shooter? The quality of the working parts and internal machining is very good.

Gear

[onondaga]

My SB2 Ultra Handi in .500 S&W has been a great performer. I had first shot high problems with it when new but a bore polishing with a Hoppe's Bore Snake and Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover cured that completely.. These Handi barrels are not super honed match barrels, I would polish every one. I had the factory reduce the trigger pull when getting an accessory barrel and they did a super job for free.

I addressed the recoil problem by cutting a piece of 1/2 inch copper plumbing pipe to fit the butt stock hole for the receiver bolt in the standard stock. I filled the pipe with lead. With a scope and the weight, my all up weight is 9.5 lbs and recoil is not a problem even with hot loads.. The bullet I use is the Lee R.E.A.L. 250 grain sized to .501 and pushed to 1885fps. I like the light boolit and really 250 grains is not light for deer and bear. I use WC820 or H110 powder and BPI Original Ballistic filler to get 105% compressed loads. The rifle groups less than 1 inch at 50 yards for my grandson or myself. Accuracy with that bevel base bullet in Lyman #2 tumble lubed falls off over 1885 fps.

I am currently using an aftermarket stock instead of the gaudy striped laminated Monti Carlo stock that was standard. The composite stock has a butt compartment I filled with bird-shot and topped with Silly Putty. It weighs 10 pounds even with this stock all up.

A gas checked boolit could be pushed a lot harder and there are molds for the .500 up to 700 grains. I have also tried saboted 45 Cal pistol bullets to 2350 fps but accuracy better than 1.2 inches at 50 yards didn't happen and I require less than 1 inch at 50 yards for hunting.

I enjoy the versatility of the .500 S&W and personally consider it superior to the 45-70 for the modern shooter.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c338/rhymeswithwhat/09deer.jpg
It works for me.

Gary

[JIMinPHX]

They have a few idiosyncrasies & the bore quality does vary a bit, but in general, I like them. I probably hunt with a Handi more than anything else. I think that for the price, they can't be beat. I'd rather have a TC, but for the price of a TC with 1 barrel, I can have a Handi with 3 or 4 barrels.

There are 3 different versions of the receiver. They vary by pressure rating. You can usually tell them apart by looking up the serial number. The one to get is the high pressure rifle cartridge version because you can fit any barrel on that one. Below that is the low pressure rifle version, that you can get some rifle barrels for & also shotgun or black powder barrels. The bottom level is the shotgun receiver. You can't get any rifle barrel put on that one.

Some of the barrels have ejectors that throw the spent shells & others have extractors that just pull the shell up so that you can pull it out by hand. People have been known to convert one type to the other. There are instructions posted on the internet that explain how to do it, but I haven't looked them up in several years, so I forget where I found them.

The down side to the Handi is that you need to send it back to the factory to get a new barrel fitted & headspaced. You can't just buy a barrel off the shelf at your local store & drop it right on like you can with a TC. Some guys over on the Grey Beard board swap barrels around between different guns & have ways of adjusting the headspace, but their methods make me shudder. Anyone with your mechanical skills & access to equipment should be able to do a proper job of it & not fool around with drill bits & Coke can shims like they do.

These guns need a little extra special handling to get the very best accuracy out of them. Resting on the receiver rather than the fore end & not over tightening the fore end screw are two of the biggies. On a gun with a good bore, I've managed to get down to a 3/8" group @ 100 yards with more than 1 type of bullet in my hand loads.

Those inexpensive little rifles are not junk.

[wellfedirishman]

They are great little guns for the money. I have a Buffalo Classic Carbine in 45 Colt and love it.

Here's a range report I did on it:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=99213

[MBTcustom]

500 S&W. kinda has a ring to it that gives me goose bumps:bigsmyl2:

Anyone with your mechanical skills & access to equipment should be able to do a proper job of it & not fool around with drill bits & Coke can shims like they do.:shock::holysheep:holysheep

Sounds like an interesting rifle! I may have to check 'er out.

[Taylor]

I have 3,Buffalo Classic-45/70,Buffalo Classic Carbine 45 colt and a handi in .223.I have nothing bad to say about them.Real fun to shoot.Good triggers and are quite accurate.

[Mk42gunner]

Has anybody had trouble with the transfer bar breaking on the newer H&R 1871 or NEF versions? The reason I ask is that I have been around three of the original H&R model 158's Two in .30-30 and one in .22 Hornet that all had the transfer bar break. My best friend had one of the .30-30s that broke when attempting to shoot a fairly good buck, of course this was thirty years ago.

This may be a thing of the past, my SB-1 N*** 3 1/2" 12 ga hasn't broken yet, but I always wonder...

Robert

[JIMinPHX]

About 10 years ago, I helped my brother replace a transfer bar in an older topper. It was a B-I-Itch to get back together until I figured out that I had to make up a little assembly aid pin.

That was a common problem in the old days. Some people tell me that dry firing caused it to happen. I haven't seen a whole lot of that sort of thing lately, but someone did recently tell me that some part that moves the transfer bar wears out on the Remington made guns after a few thousand shots. Apparently, they changed the geometry of something in there & now a hole is not where it used to be & that leaves less meat on the part to allow for wear. That was just one incident that I am aware of & I don't have all the details on it.

In general, I think that they are fairly reliable guns as long as they aren't horribly abused.

[Mk42gunner]

About 10 years ago, I helped my brother replace a transfer bar in an older topper. It was a B-I-Itch to get back together until I figured out that I had to make up a little assembly aid pin.

That was a common problem in the old days. Some people tell me that dry firing caused it to happen. I haven't seen a whole lot of that sort of thing lately, but someone did recently tell me that some part that moves the transfer bar wears out on the Remington made guns after a few thousand shots. Apparently, they changed the geometry of something in there & now a hole is not where it used to be & that leaves less meat on the part to allow for wear. That was just one incident that I am aware of & I don't have all the details on it.

In general, I think that they are fairly reliable guns as long as they aren't horribly abused.

Reassembling an H&R can be quite fun, I have found that it is easier if you have another gun there to look at.

Like I said, I was curious about the transfer bar because of past experience. All told the cost of the parts to fix it is less than ten dollars from Brownell's, unless you lose a shot at a deer like my friend did.

I never really understood why the original H&R came up with the transfer bar anyway. My very first shotgun was an H&R model 58 that didn't have one, seems like it had a rebounding hammer, but I can't be sure. I carried that gun a jillion miles when I was a kid with no problems as long as I kept my head down on the stock.

Robert

[Jal5]

Jim hit the nail on the head:
"They have a few idiosyncrasies & the bore quality does vary a bit, but in general, I like them. I probably hunt with a Handi more than anything else. I think that for the price, they can't be beat. I'd rather have a TC, but for the price of a TC with 1 barrel, I can have a Handi with 3 or 4 barrels. "

I have 5 now and started out because of the simplicity of the single shot and the price I could afford- 16 and 20 ga. shot guns, 50 cal. ML, 243 and 270 Win. I have taken deer with both the ML and 20 ga. slugs so far. The 243 is for targets, coyotes, etc. and the 270 will be used on my elk trip if that ever happens! Would like to find a 357mag barrel and 45-70 to complete my collection. I keep checking local pawn shops and LGS- the Handirifles appear there with some regularity. The 20 ga. and 270 barrels I picked up used on the GBO forum and fitted them to those receivers- the 270 is made up of a variety of parts purchased here and there online.

Joe

[Catshooter]

Like any gun, they vary.

The very first load I tried in my 45-70 Handi put three shots into an inch and an eigth at one hundred. Boolit, of course.


Cat

[Good Cheer]

And I sure do wish they made a .41 Mag.

[white eagle]

I have one
a 12 ga USH and it is a blast
relatively and figuratively
the utmost respect for the H&R Handi line
inexpensive,accurate and fun

[Hammerhead]

I have a 10-12 year old Handi in .357/30-30/.410 bore and a new classic carbine in .45 Colt.
The older Handi is all EJECTORS! I write 'EJECTORS!' because you had better be ready when it EJECTS!
The .30-30 is a real sweet gun for cast boolits because it has a very short leade. I can load right up to the lands with 115 LRN or 150 LFP. Cast boolit accuracy is fantastic.
The classic is an extractor model of course. I haven't put it through it's paces yet. Initial loads are shooting 1 to 1-1/2 inches at 50 yards with .45 auto SWC's and Trail Boss.

[cdet69]

What size o ring did you use to free float the barrel Onandaga?

[onondaga]

The "O" ring size is not critical. I like one that has the inside hole similar to the screw size but I have also used a cut slice from Neoprene or soft plastic tubing. 1/16 inch thick is fine, just enough to keep the barrel out of contact with the stock.

Gary

[Catshooter]

I like Handi's, my brother loves them.

He wanted a bear defense gun. So what we ended up with is a Handi rifle action and one of their Ultra Slug Hunter barrels in 20 gauge.

Using Mag-Tec all brass shells we send three .626 balls out the tube at just about 1,000 fps. Prints a lovely inch and a quarter to inch and a half triangle at 25 yards. Recoil isn't bad as the rifle weighs about eleven and a half pounds. Closest thing to a .600 Nitro that he could afford.


Cat

[NickSS]

I have several and extra barrels for a couple of frames and I think that they are excellent for the buck. My first one was a 223 bull barrel ultra hunter and I was so pleased with its accuracy that I bought more of them. I have one in 45-70 and picked up a 357 mag barrel fro the same frame. My ultra hunter also has a 308 bull barrel fiit to it. Besides those I have one in 243 and a target rifle Buffalo classic in 38-55. The only one that had less than exceptable accuracy at first was the feather weight 243 that came in a plastic stock. I got it shooting acceptabley by puttling rubber washers under the fore end at the attachment screw. Now it shoots into under an inch at 100 Yards.

[nanuk]

Where would you find a .626 ball mould?

I"ve got a Handi 20ga barrel coming, and would like to try something like that.

[Catshooter]

nanuk,

I bought it here. Never seen another, and I've been looking too.

The bore of his rifle is .626. But the inside diameter of the Mag-Tec brass is .646 so we had to make a paper wrap to keep the balls centered.

Worked fine, but it was just another step to the process. So when I found a .646 mould on ebay I snapped it up. Eliminates that step and the balls just size down nicely when fired.

Is your Handi barrel an Ultra Slug Hunter barrel? That's what we are using, it's danged heavy. But he's glad as there is a bit of recoil. His total payload out the muzzle is just about three ounces as each ball is 392 grains.

You should see his smile every time he fires it.


Cat

[curiousgeorge]

I have owned several rifles and even more barrels. Traded several off but kept the old set of .22 Jet, .30-30, .410, and 20 guage made for the snap on forearm.

I also have a .357 Maximum and yes I have had to replace the transfer bar. A buddy picked it up and before I could stop him he had dry fired it several times. Two piece transfer bar.

I have also had the .22 hornet, .44 mag, and a .45-70. Wish I had them all back now. The .30-30 is my favorite followed by the .357 Max. Great little guns for the money.

Steve

[telebasher]

Where would you find a .626 ball mould?

I"ve got a Handi 20ga barrel coming, and would like to try something like that.

There is a .600 and a .610 on E-bay right now FWIW.

[hunter2]

Have a 444 and 357. The 357 has a looong throat and is almost a smooth bore. Have to use jacketed to get it anywhere near the target. Remington is furnishing the barrels and having them to make some 300 blackout rifles. 16" barrel threaded with a shorter stock and open sights. If they are ok - will be sold through them, AAC etc.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I tried sighting in 2 handi H&R`s. Both were in .308 Win. and had scopes mounted. At my 100 yd. range they both gave minute-of- bushel basket accuracy using 3 different makes of ammo and some of my hand loads that are nail drivers in my M-1A. Possibly other calibers are better shooters in this rifle, but not the 2 I tried to sight in.Robert

[Prairiewolf]

I bought a Buffalo Classic in 45-70 a few months ago, just because. Turns out it's a lot better gun than I expected. The very first group I shot with it was a little cloverleaf at 50 yards. With a 32" barrel I'm not sure I'd want to pack it around much hunting all day, but it's a hoot for shooting the gongs at 100 plus yards.

[dangerranger]

Heres most of mine, 2 shotguns, 6 rifles. I was cleaning my safe and saw them all together, I thought Id get a family pic. DR
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p345/dangerranger60/targets031.jpg

[Phat Man Mike]

got one with the camo stock and scope! it's a 47-70 and shoots way better than I can. and the other barrels are the best!

[Swede44mag]

H&R Handi rifle a poor man's Browning.

I had one in .44mag it was real fun to shoot it got ripped off with all the rest of the guns I had at my Dad's house when I was in my Early 20's never did replace it.
I bought the boys 2 twenty gage New England single shots they both went back to Wal-Mart with the same problem. They would pop open when fired.

Bought two new Steven's single shots no problems with either of them other than the plastic barrel release broke on one.
I made a replacement out of aluminum they still work great but haven't been shot in more than 10 yrs.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I bought a 50 Nef huntsman that is an SB1 frame I had the problem with it opening when fired also , took it back were i bought if from the gun smith there probably spent 2 minutes with a file takeing .020 off the latch and it has locked up tight ever since , bought it in about 2004

unfortunatly NEF customer service won't let me get a 44mag barrel , cause it is a muzzle loader , but I explained it was sold as a real gun and I had to fill out a 4473 for it , no matter they won't hear of a cartridge barrel on a muzzle loader frame even though it was sold as a real gun

I have heard of people making a replacement breach plug that screws in and is the 50 cal chamber not sure what they use I think they may be making a 50-90 out of them

[GunnyJohn]

And I sure do wish they made a .41 Mag.

I totally agree with this, love the .41. I have a 223 handi. I can put shot after shot through it and she just keeps hitting what I shoot at. I've been tempted to send it in for another barrel, but am having a hard time deciding on a caliber. Plus I really hate to be with out it. I will probably have to buy another one. Would also like to see one in 358 winny.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Tim,
see the various threads in here on the buffalo classic.
I got one this month and the first 3 shots I fired out of it where touching at 50 yards with
a load I pulled outta the manual.
From what I've read about Handi's and my own experience:
Rimmed cartridges all seem to be easy to tune and get great results.
Rimeless can be hit or miss. Lots of great results out there and a few
that are a PIA to get to shoot. I had a 25-06, didnt take much to get it to shoot
J-words. I have a 7mm-08 that has been a royal PIA with cast and marginal w/ J-words.
My definition of marginal is, the best I've gotten with condoms is about 1-1/4 inches at 100.
Acceptable? Yes, but not what I'm used to from my custom FN Mauser 280 Rem and CZ-527 in .223, or factory
Rem700 in 308. However- the Handi is WAY cheaper :)

I agree with Gunny john's above statement too. I want a 358winny, but- I want it in a rimmed cartridge.
My thought was starting with a 307 win case, & neck it up. But, if staying with strictly cast,
why not just use a 356 win case and be done with it? velocity loss by the 356 win case is pretty much negated
in the cast world and the slightly smaller case volume would likely be beneficial for cast

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

And I can not believe they dont make a 41 Mag barrel!
I want one of them too as I am going to own my dads
41 mag flat top 3 screw Blackhawk some day

[MBTcustom]

To the OP:
You have no idea how thoroughly educated you will become on this platform in the coming years.
In a few months, you are going to make a decision that will change your life forever, and make you more educated on the nitty gritty details of every rifle platform imaginable. This thread will someday be revived and remind you how far you have come since you posted this simplistic quarry.

Wow fellers. Talk about thread revival! I have been on this site for quite some time!
At the time I posted this, I had only ever fired a H&R shotgun. Now, I can strip one of these down to the last screw in 30 minutes, do a trigger job, and reassemble in an hour.

I was browsing through and thought, "oh brother, here we go! Another guy trying to get Ruger #1 performance out of a handi rifle." "Who posted this waste of bandwidth anyway?"................"oh".
ha ha! That's funny!

Seriously. If I had a brief glimpse of my avatar at the time I posted this, and had any idea what is in my hands, or what is behind me, I wouldn't have believed it!

[tacklebury]

Where would you find a .626 ball mould?

I"ve got a Handi 20ga barrel coming, and would like to try something like that.

Dixie has a few:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_101_283&products_id=15976

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_101_283&products_id=16377

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
:mrgreen:

[rexherring]

"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
"must learn to look at OP dates"
:mrgreen:

It's fun to see some old resurrected posts anyway.

[nanuk]

often the old ones have very good info, that is not wasted being recycled.

[Double B]

Since it has resurrected, thought I'd chime in. My first one was a 357 mag that got reamed to Max and with a Nikon 2-7 scope, is a deer slayer. Lately I picked up an old strainght stocked ('78) model in 22 hornet for a song. I have shot factory and reloads with 4227 and 2400 and it is more accurate than expected. For the money, they're hard to beat. Now i got the hots for an '83 nickel model in 30-30/20ga combo that's sitting at the lgs. I asked them for a trigger pull scale and couldn't believe it broke at just over 2 lbs and change. Resistance is futile!

[John Boy]

H&R handi rifles good or junk?

I have kicked around the idea of buying an H&R rifle in 45/70 or .444 marlin for a while. The main things that worried me are
1. does it eject the spent shell or do you have to pull it out?
2. is the action strong enough to stand up to years of shooting a lot of boolits through it? (I have this addiction to single shot .22s, you see, and I end up shooting more out of the slow single shot than I do out of the auto loader, and I fear that the H&R would be no different.)
and most importantly,
3. Is the handi rifle, or buffalo rifle design accurate? Or does it take a lot of fussing to get a semi decent group at say 200yards.
I am, of course, looking for info regarding rifles that have already been broke in. Assuming that I buy one in 45/70 and shoot 100 PP boolits through it, what kind of accuracy can I most likely expect from GG GC or PP?
Tim, your questions are posted to the bush league H&R owners. The 'H&R Experts' are on Graybeard Outdoors ... http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/hr-centerfire-rifles/

My H&R BC (45-70) shot a 600yd 5 shot group with Triple Seven ... 2 1/2" x 7 1/4" with 3 holes that could have been covered by a silver dollar [smilie=1: And don't remember the number of times the 10" bullseye had lead splashes at 1000yds. Get the picture? They "shoot" with a good reload

[craig61a]

I had one a number of years ago in 50 cal BP, a spare for muzzleloader season. Gave it to my brother in law. I never did get around to having other barrels made for it - I just bought more guns ;P

[jason f]

Be careful. Handi rifles are like potato chip. You cant just have one.

[3leggedturtle]

They are junk, that is why I buy every cheap one I see; so as to save others from the disappointment of owning it :kidding: Only thing I wish was' they all were d+t'ed or dovetailed for iron sights.

[tacklebury]

++++1 to that. ;)

[JimA]

Crazy how the pistol calibers are set up for scope only (except the .45 Colt Classic Carbine). They make great plinkers and irons are fun for that. I can't use the standard rear sights because of old eyes but peeps work great.

[johnson1942]

my modified 45/70 buffalo classic shoots paperpatch and blackhorn 209 powder. it is almost a one hole gun and most definitely a 1 minute of angle gun. i cryod the barrel and a few other things but it is as leaste as reliable and accurate as anything out their or better. love it. been thinking about doing a post on it with pictures if i knew their was enough interest.

[StromBusa]

I'm all hot for the 300AAC version, I wonder if it is barrel swap ready, might speed up the decision.......