H&R Handi Rifle

T

tjf76

New member
Anyone do any big game hunting with them? I have bought 1 in 270 but have seen alot of bad reviews online. Can anyone give me some advice who has hunted with one? I have seen that alot of people cant hit the side of a barn with them. Should I just sell it and use my trused bolt gun?
 
Their quality is much better in recent years. Triggers used to be really heavy and gritty. I have had a couple over the years. Both were accurate eventually. The 7-08 was really sensitive to forearm pressure. Unless the forearm was tight, the groups were twice the normal size. Sometimes the brass might stick in the chamber after firing. I polished the chamber in mine and had no more problems. A friend had one in .243 that we never got to shoot well, but everything else has done well.

The .270 is generally one of their better barrels, so shoot it and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Go over to Graybeard's forums and you will find lots of Handi Rifle information.
 
Thanks for the info. We have such high fire restrictions right now I dont dare shoot till we get some rain
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Glad to hear 270 is one of their better barrels, I would like to use this rifle for deer season.
 
There will be a plethera along to tell you they are awful. I dont pay any attention to it. They have certain calibers known to be accurate such as their 30_30 and 45_70. I recrntly saw a disabled hunter on tv using one and he bagged a nice size elk.
 
I've had several over the years. The triggers were crappy and no gun smith around my parts would touch them. But they were pretty accurate.


Mark2
 
I like the idea of the single shot, simple. Hope I can get her to shoot. Thinking about send in the receiver to H&R to have a few more barrels fitted.
 
Have a couple of them and have no problems with them. Yes triger is not the greatest but I still kill deer and hogs with them. It all if from your prospective. A 270 bullet shot out of a $150 gun can kill the same animal that a $2500, 270 can it all depends on you and what you want. I own Rugar #1 in a 22-250 and a Thompson Encore in a 22 hornet and a 243 they are great guns but the H&R's kill the same amount of animals.
 
I had one in a 223 and I adjusted the trigger myself, which by the way sucked alot, I put a rubber o ring in the forearm that helped I lapped the barrel and that helped, with all that the best groups with handloads were in the 1 inch area. I sold it.
 
Originally Posted By: tjf76 We have such high fire restrictions right now I dont dare shoot till we get some rain
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Don't drink the koolaid pardner. The odds of starting a fire with a hunting type bullet is about the same as winning the lotto.

Go do some hunting/shooting.
 
I have a .223 H/R. I really like shooting songdogs and p-dogs with it. Accurate, light, Heck the wife-n-kids shoot it more then I do...Nice rifles IMO...
 
This is from my very small amount of experience with the few I have fired.

I like their shotguns I personally have two .410's and a 20 gauge they are awesome little truck guns. Nothing fancy but they can take bouncing around in the cab of a tractor and I dont cry if I forget them in the truck or on the fourwheeler overnight.

BUT the few rifles I have fired are another story.

My dad has one thats a .44 Mag and he had its barrel cut down to 18 inches or so, long story short its a nice little brush gun.
My grandfathers .223 that I borrowed from him for a few months for predator hunting, is a whole other story. It did have a cheap BSA scope on it but I was able to shoot minute of squirrel with Hornady ammo. Good enough for coyote hunting under 100 yards but I couldnt make shots much past that.
The last one I shot was a .243 win and it was OK, shot 2 inch groups at 100 yards with factory ammo, but it put meat on the table quite a few times for my buddy who didnt have the money for anything else.
 
If you like to tinker with a gun to get it to shoot accurately, then you picked the right one. How do I know this? I've got one in a .243. Couldn't hit the boadside of a barn from the inside. Now it shoots pretty darn good. half of the fun of it was getting it to shoot. Now that it shoots decently I don't shoot it as much as I used to. I still need to blood it though,

Tony
 
I have a 223 and a 35 Whelen , both shoot good but to get the best accuracy you need to tinker with them . They are good shooters and are good enough for any hunting I have done . I suggest you go to the H&R Forum on Graybeard Outdoors for all the information you need to tune them.

FYI , I use my 223 all the time because it is so easy to throw in and go for a quick yote calling session. The gun is only about 38" and is very nimble in the woods . I have got a Bushnell Trophy 3-9 in Weaver Tactical rings
 
I have one in .223 that I've had the barrel cut to 16.25" & shoot white box win. 45 gr. very well & makes a dandy truck gun. Good for groundhogs to 200 yds.
Factory adjusted trigger helps tremendously. Dont know if they still do that or not.
You can learn a lot at graybeard's site.
 
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I just bought a vintage one in 30-30 and had the barrel shortened and threaded. It makes a neat suppressor host, is accurate and the trigger is pretty sweet from so many years of trigger use. It is ugly though.
 
I will check out GBO site. I'm going to go shoot this weekend at the range and see what groups I can get. Thanks for all the great info. The trigger job is a great idea, if I do send it in for more barrels I will see if they will tune it for me.
 
I had a .243 a couple of years back with bench patterns that looked like a shotgun. It may have just been a bad rifle, but I bought a Rossi .223 when I sold it and it's still my go-to rifle.
 
Originally Posted By: mossyoak92I bought a Rossi .223 when I sold it and it's still my go-to rifle.

Wow, talk about NOT being the norm.

I had a Handi in .223 that I wish that I still had, called and killed my one and only triple with that rifle. Didn't load at the time, so mine lived on factory fodder, loved Black Hills blue box 52gr MHP's.


Chupa
 


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