NEF Handi Rifles

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EWaCoyoteHunter2

New member
I was considering buying one of these in probably .22-250 or .223, i will be using this for coyotes. Are single shot rifles good for coyote hunting? I know the follow up shots would be slow, but does anyone else use these? Also are they quality rifles for the money?
Thanks for any advice.
 
Usually only two lines of thought on these little rifles. There either great or junk with no in between. Lots of folks out there using them and finding they are either very accurate or not.

My suggestion is to do a search not only on this forum but go over and check out the Beartooth bullet forum. There's been a lot of discussion of them there.

I do use a single shot Ruger #1 for coyote hunting and find that it works well. My preference is for a bolt action for just the reasons you are worried about, that second fast followup shot.

You can get a quality bolt such as the Stevens 200 for a very reasonable price and they are very accurate.

Whichever you do get keep in mind that you still have to add the price of optics, callers, slings, camo and all the other odds and ends that make the extra hundred bucks for a good bolt action really not much money.
 
I just recently purchased a .223 Ultra Varmint Handi and I love it. It consitantly shoots under an 1" no matter what I feed it. Every one I have ever seen has, which is what promtped my purchase. As far as the follow up shot I've found that it takes some gettin' used too. However, if you get one of those neoprene shell holders for your buttstock. It's pretty simple and quick to hit the button to break the barrel and slide another cartridge in. You would be surprised at how fast you can do this. Less than a second. Anyhow I would not let that alone deter you from getting one because it isn't as bad as made out to be. I feared it at first but it's NOTHING to worry about. Another plus to the handi is even with their heavier barrels, they are still extremely light and easy to carry. They mount very nicely and are very easy to swing. Awesome little guns. I had my doubts but not anymore.
 
I have a regular .223 and it is an indestructible little gun. It is one of the most frustrating guns that I have ever owned, though. I have never seen a gun so touchy as to how you hold it on the bench. It does not like boat tail bullets. I have it shooting nearly one-hole groups with plain old Hornady 50 grain Spire Points pushed by 27.5 grains of Varget for 3206fps. It also liked Sierra 53 gr. hp pretty well and also their spitzers. I am going to try some Hornady 53 grain HP as soon as this weather breaks, but I doubt that I will beat the plain old cheap SP.
 
Generally you hear folks who either love these or hate them as they can be finicky and may need some tinkering with to get them to shoot well. But some shoot fine right out of the box. Check out the graybeardoutdoors forum which has lots of good info about setting these up so that they shoot well. Its a good value for the money. I have their muzzleloader which has been excellent and a 243WIN and frankly the gun can shoot better than I can shoot it!

Joe
 
for the price can't be beat
accuracy is there sometimes and some guns you may have to look a little more
what i like about them is basically a one rifle do anything gun you can have a predator rig then switch barrels and have a big game rifle
don't let the one shot throw ya besides thats all you need
 
that is the really nice part- you can change out the barrels easily and have various combinations on the same frame with a few exceptions. The barrels though have to be factory fitted when you want to buy a different one in most cases. Unless you find a used one and are handi yourself.

Joe
 
Quote:
I know the follow up shots would be slow,



The style with the ejector as opposed to extractor is much faster, but, they occasionally stick which slows your second shot to the point where it won't be happening. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Fast follow up with a handi requires practice and drill. I'd recommend that you use your left hand (if you are right handed) to do your reloading. You never remove your right hand from the wrist grip. You pop the barrel open and remove the spent case with your left hand if not an ejector style. Carry your spare ammo in a holder on the back of your right hand (never on one of those slip on cart holders that go on the butt). Pull the second round from the holder and place in chamber and then close the action.

Shooting off a bench or cross sticks can slow you down as can a bipod.

I'm with the others that recommended another choice. These rifles are a crap shoot on accuracy and so is what you get from the barrel accessory program. You might buy your .223 and get a good one and then later add another barrel that does not shoot for $*&^. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
I'd get one. Try it, if you don't like it (I suspect you will) you can always sell it for pretty much what you paid for it.

as far as reloading? it doesn't take as long as you think....
 
I have a friend that has one in .223 he loves it and it is pretty accurate also good luck. The .223 will be lots cheaper to shoot if money is an issue.
 
I have a HB NEF in .223 with a Choate stock and really like it. I had to do a little tweeking with the ejector because it would shoot the brass back about 20 ft after I opened it. I did notice that after the 3rd or 4th shooting with brass i had to full length resize because the brass would get stuck. It's a shooter and I like how short it is because it doesn't have an bolt which adds a few inches.
 
I got one in .204, I think it's great. The price can't be beat. They shoot good. I like em just cause they're a little different then bolt guns. The 2nd shot may be a little slower then bolts, but not much. They did stop making the ejectors, they are all extractors now. As far as money goes, I do also agree about the Stevens, you don't have to spend a ton to shoot good. Being able to switch barrels, pretty cheap I might add, can be a big plus, or maybe mean nothing to you. You may get a 50/50 response on this one. I think it gets talked about a fair amount, just like .204 is junk .22-250,.220,.223 rules.I guess I like being the minority on both parts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I say get one, try it. If you don't like it you can sell it and won't be out much.
 
The NEF .204 is my next rifle. Been over on the Greybeard forum reading for all I can get beforehand.

As for the second shot....saw Larry Weishun (the guy who does TC's Encore etc., exclusively) with a "butt cuff" that was made for the single shot and went around the receiver. The cuff held two rounds on each side of the receiver right there handy for the second shot....and he did pretty good, too.

Being a handloader this hot little round looks like a fun one to work with. Not to mention velocity in the freak zone.
 
Dads NEF Handi Rifle in .223 is as good and accurate as my Encore. I carry extra rounds on the stock,I want my rounds where my hand is heading (rearward from pullin out the empty. I wouldn't want to pull it out, reach forward for another round, reach back and forward again to put the roundin the chamber. All I do is pull the emptyout and drop it while I'm, reaching for the stock to get another round. shaves a little time off the second shot.

t/c223encore.
 
i have an h&r in 25-06 and the wife has 243 they are both shooters. for the money you cant beat them. sometimes they do have ejector problems.
 
I got my first handi when i was 14 or so (.270) and it has been my deer rifle ever since than. I also have a h&r 22-250 that is really fun. and yesterday i just bought another NEF in 17 m2.

Like people have been saying they are a bit finicky about ammo, as I don't reload i hd to go through a few differnt brands to find what worked best.

The .270 will shoot right around 1" with hornady light magnums but with anything else it is right around 1.25. As I don't do to much high volume shooting with it so I'm not to concerned with the price.

The 22-250 shoots at about an inch with everything i had put through it, an then i tried the black hills match gold (55gr) and groups (5 shot) dropped down to .75".

Haven't been able to shoot the sportster yet but I've got faith in it.

As far as the follow up shot go I like to hold extra shells on the stock with a neoprene style holder, and then one in my hand holding the forearm. Shooting off of a bipod is difficult to get a 2nd shot off but I've found if you rotate the rifle instead of lifting it to work the action it works pretty decent.

H&R 22-250
Picture.jpg


NEF 17 m2
Picture179.jpg


Where at in EWA are you, N or S?
 
SavageRookie, how much does the 22-250 weigh as in the photo? Sharp looking. I'll probably put a bipod on mine. Do you like the feel of the stock with pistol grip?
 
The 22-250 is a solid 8-8.5 lbs with bipod (caldwell) and scope.

I really like the pistol grip, choate style, stock alot i feel like I have a better shooting grip than with a conventional style grip. Also I am able to grip on the bottem of the buttstock with my left hand giving me a very steady postion.

Just a couple of notes...the buttstock actually has an elevation (monopod) built in. I don't use it very much though. Also the forearm has an interrated accesory slide built in for lights, bipods, etc...(hmm that just got me to thinking....)

My one gripe with it is when switching back and forth between a conventional grip and the pistol grip, my hand naturally reaches for the pistol grip and it takes a second to switch back and forth. Not a big deal but takes some getting used to.
 
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If you need an accurate gun to shoot long range get the Stevens. The NEF most likely won't shoot as well, it may with a lot of tinkering. I use a NEF for 2 reason I hunt in heavy cover and I don't care if it gets banged up. I've never had a chance for a second shot in my hunting situation. I don't care if it can shoot .5" or 1.5" groups at a 100 yards from the bench, what counts is what it hits in the field. My NEF has a 223 and 357 barrel and I'm going to get the 24" turkey barrel for the real thick stuff. I get a kick out of reading post on another forum . It's amazing every year the groups shrink to almost unbelievable size. It's either pure fantasy or if you shoot enough groups sooner or later they all come together for that .325 group.
 


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