H&R buffalo classic - Good buy?

[Shooter6br]

Saw a used H&R with checked stock for $269 Very good shape Is this a good buy?

[pietro]

Yes - Outstanding.

[Shooter]

+1 good deal.

[skimmerhead]

i have been a little interrested in the h&r buffalo classic. the 45-70 is a round that i'm not familiar with, only a little of what iv'e read on this forum which is not much. what is the range of the 45-70 and what powder do you load it with ? anyone care to shed some light on this ?

skimmerhead

[nicholst55]

i have been a little interrested in the h&r buffalo classic. the 45-70 is a round that i'm not familiar with, only a little of what iv'e read on this forum which is not much. what is the range of the 45-70 and what powder do you load it with ? anyone care to shed some light on this ?

skimmerhead

Range: 1,000 yards or thereabouts.
Powder: 1.5F Swiss, 2F Goex, or any number of different smokeless powders. I only use Black.

For normal hunting use, 1,000 yards is pretty optimistic. You won't get anywhere near that range with the factory rear sight on a Buffalo Classic, either - it hasn't got adequate elevation adjustment.

[725]

With that rifle and a 420 cast boolit, I use 40 gr or 3031. Nice and mild and I go to 200 yards with it. Very repeatable performance at all ranges. I'm on the low end of power. Refer to a good manual for all your load data. If you care to hold on to it, I believe you can load to modern lever action levels and still be very safe. Don't know why anybody would as light as my load is, it's a DRT, bang-flop load.

[Olevern]

I recently saw one in a shop used for $395.00 (I passed)

[Lead Fred]

Can buy them new for under $400
269 was a steal

[SP101GUY]

That is a good deal. Picked mine up 2 weeks ago new for $325. Cast up some 405g Lee RF's to shoot over "the load" and see how it goes. It must be a newer model as it has the extractor and not the ejector.

AJ

[Texantothecore]

That is highway robbery. My Buffalo classic is the most accurate rifle I've ever shot and I have shot some extremely pricey Italian custom jobs. It is a legitimate 1,000 yard rifle.

Rounds vary from 144 grn roundball to 600 grn cruise missiles and you can use it as a shotgun (48 gauge) by loading previously shot brass with shot and powder (no shot cup).

These rifles are the most fun you can have with a rifle. They are endlessly entertaining.

[skimmerhead]

i didn't think they'd reach out that far. now i'm interested, i like long range target shooting and this sounds like with a proper site it could be a lot of fun. i have a few 45-70 brass cases laying around that i don't know how they came in my possesion but i have one on the shelf of my reloading desk and every once in awhile i look at. never had much time to mess with it, to busy with all my handguns. i think its time to figure out how to explain to my wife why i would need a new rifle. maybe carpal tunnell syndrome ? honey i can't shoot my handguns because of my wrist. wifes responce, well i thought you said you had to give up rifle's because of your shoulder! but honey i'm gonna use my other sholder. well i thought you said both sholders hurt? i don't think that one's gonna work, i'll have to give this more thought.

skimmerhead

[Buddy]

I p/u a Wesson & Harrington 1871 BC last week. $300 tax free for mine. You got a deal for sure. This one is 14yrs old and unfired. Not for long though. Need to get some brass and a mold.

[PanaDP]

Apparently I'm the dissenting vote here. I had a buffalo classic and thought it was a piece of ****. The lockup became loose very quickly and the barrel was always prone to warping with heat so if I shot more than one shot every 5 minutes, POI would be different. It also had one of the roughest bores I've ever seen from the factory and H&R refused to even take a look, claiming that it must somehow be my fault. I sold it with about 300 rounds downrange, none of them in groups any better than about 9" at 100yds. I won't ever buy anything of that make again, but clearly other people have had different experiences.

[gandydancer]

I have that rifle in 38/55 and its a lot of fun and will not beat you up. I like it.

[725]

Careful skimmerhead, you're going to have to start mowing the lawn again if all your "ailments" are explained away.

[skimmerhead]

Careful skimmerhead, you're going to have to start mowing the lawn again if all your "ailments" are explained away.

aledged ailments

[calkar]

I just had a great time at the range with mine today (45-70), shot it out to the turkey bank (385m) chippin at rocks offhand. I shot all 50 rnds. that I had loaded, before I knew it. Best load so far has been the RD 425gc/42/3031. I should be able to use my arm again by monday, LOL!

[nicholst55]

i didn't think they'd reach out that far. now i'm interested, i like long range target shooting and this sounds like with a proper site it could be a lot of fun.

skimmerhead

Good quality target sights will cost you roughly twice the price of the gun. Bear that in mind, because it turns a lot of people off. Note that none of the Italian target sights that I have seen fit into the category of 'good quality.'

[Texantothecore]

The Marbles Improved sights work well. The Improved version will go out a long ways.

[WinMike]

the 45-70 is a round that i'm not familiar with, only a little of what iv'e read on this forum which is not much. what is the range of the 45-70 and what powder do you load it with ? anyone care to shed some light on this ?

Not to make light of an inquiry, but I'm guessing maybe the 45-70 has had more written about it than any other caliber (the '06 the lone exception?)......