NEF 243 rifle

R

rascals

New member
I have a chance to buy a nef 243 from a guy at work for $150. which includes a redfield scope.Anybody out there have input on these guns? Good shooters? What kind of groups can be expected from this gun? Can triggers be worked? Any input would be appreciated.
 
greybeardoutdoors.com has all the info you need on NEF rifles. I had the 243 and couldn't get it to group for me but there are others on that forum that love their 243's.

I do have the nef 20 gauge USH and love it.

my 2 pennies

chris from nv.
 
As Chris said, GBO has the best NEF/H&R forum on the net, you can find answers to any of your questions there. Triggers can be dealt with by either your gunsmith, your own trigger job which there are links in the FAQ to help, or have it lightened for free when you send your frame in for an extra barrel or 3!! Current production rifles have 3 to 4lb triggers out of the box. The .243 Handi shoots very good, unless you get the superlight which can be finicky due to the thin contour of the barrel, but even they can be very accurate. I have the Ultra Varmint model with the 24" bull barrel, it will keep 3 shots of 95gr Fusions or 100gr Power-shoks inside an inch.... or much less on my good days!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

$150 is a good price without the scope and rings.

Tim

NEF/H&R Forum

243UVGroup.jpg
 
I use an NEF .223 with 22" bull bbl and I'm very happy with it. It shoots good groups. Someday I'll spend the $ for a bolt action gun but for now my NEF is OK. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

 
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wrongtarget- Have you used or owned one of their superlights before? What are they capable of with a little trigger work? I've always thought that would be a good truck gun. My 92 Toyota pickup isn't very big. Ryan
 
Quote:
wrongtarget- Have you used or owned one of their superlights before? What are they capable of with a little trigger work? I've always thought that would be a good truck gun. My 92 Toyota pickup isn't very big. Ryan



Nope, never thought I had the patience to deal with em, but there are several Superlight .243 shooters at GBO that love em. Perklo has a thread in the FAQ and Help sticky on his trials and tribulations with his wood stocked .243 SL. Howard NZ loves his, he's killed a bunch of critters in New Zealand with his. I think if you work up a handload for it and keep the barrel cool while doing so, you're good to go, but the thin barrel really heats up fast from everything that's been reported there. The Hornet and .223 SLs are different, they have a great track record, but the .243 doesn't due to the barrel heat issue. For a quick shot as a truck gun, it should work great once the load work is done. The wood forend is easier to work with to adjust forend pressure and group size, the syn stock that comes on the superlight isn't as easy, but can be fixed if tuning is needed which is more than likely.

Tim

Howard NZ's .243SL
 
I just bought my son a .223 youth model this week. I was IMPRESSED with this little gun. Right out of the box it will shoot 1" groups. I can just imagine what a reload will shoot. I am definately going to be buying some more of them.
 
I used to have a Stainless-Synthetic NEF Handi Rifle in .243. I had the Scope Mount Bedded to the Barrel (the area that hangs out in mid air where the barrel tapers). I free floated the forend by sanding in out some and then added a shim of rubber (cut from an old tractor tire inner tube). I placed the rubber shim between the stock and forend at the point where the forend attaches to the stock.

I mainly shot Federal 100gr. Hi Shok Factory Ammo through this Rifle. While it shot OK (1 to 1 1/2" 5 shot groups) it never did impress me too much. A neighbor saw it one day and just had to have it so I sold it to him. He went out and bought a bunch of 80gr. Remington Pointed Soft Point Ammo that Cabelas had on sale. Man did that NEF come to life and shoot with that 80gr. Ammo. 5 shot 100 yard groups from the bench were between 1/2" to 3/4" most of the time. Occasionally there'd be a 1" group which is still quite good.

Currently Gordy doesn't shoot the .243 NEF any more after buying a .204 Encore and I might just have to buy it back from him.

Larry
 
Go ahead roll the dice maybe you will get a good one. I had a 243 NEF but I traded it due to the groups sizes( more of a pattern) and the problems I had with it ejecting spent shells. Some guys have had great luck with these little guns but I did not. For me I would buy a Stevens/Savage bolt gun for $250 instead of the handi.
 
I've had pretty good luck with my NEF in .223. I had a little problem with the shells not ejecting but I started full-length resizing and haven't had a problem since. I did modify the ejector so that it doesn't launch the shells way over my head. I have been very happy with my NEF. I am actually thinking about getting a .243 barrel for it.
 
Curent production H&R/NEFs have mechanical extractors instead of the weak spring driven ejectors, but even ejectors work well and most hunters prefer them over extractors. With a little cleaning and polishing of the ejector and housing, and a BB placed ahead of the ejector spring, they can be made to work very well, too well sometimes!!

Ejectors can also be converted to spring driven extractors to avoid brass chasing if desired.

Conversion to Extractor

A good chamber polish and keeping the chamber and ammo clean and dry will prevent FTEs, the only time I have stuck brass is if I load too hot handloads and that's always near max loads, well after I've found an accurate load. Of my 30 barrels, only 2 are extractor equipped.

I have 25 complete H&R/NEF rifles with number 26 on the way, a few custom calibers included including a .280 rechamber to .280AII at my smith right now, stuck brass isn't a problem and neither is accuracy with any of them.

For a problem rifle, a little help from those that know these rifles, they can become excellent shooters, and if there's a problem that we can't fix, H&R customer service is second to none at fixing them promptly, they have an excellent track record. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Tim
 
Hey wrongtarget,went to greybeardoutdoors,couldnt find NEF info,just lots of shopping info? Were do i look? Thanks all who replied to my post!
 
I gave you a direct link in my first reply, it's just above the pic of the .243 group. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Tim
 
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