Which caliber?

[gustmouse]

Hello,
This is my first post on this great forum.

What caliber is your favorite in the handi. I was shooting my friends 306 and 223 this past weekend. Nice little rifles and they shoot great. He says his 223 always shot good right out of the box but the 306 took about a 100 rounds to shoot well. Is this common for the 306. If so, is it common for other calibers. I'm going to buy a handi in one of the following caliber 243, 30/30, 270 or 45/70. I would like to use it on deer size and coyote sized animals. I also need a back up rifle for our next years barren land caribou hunt in northern Quebec. We plan to hunt them with the TC omega muzzleloaders but want to bring a backup rifle. I have a BAR 306, but don't really want to bring it. The 243 is legal  to use and I don't plan on shooting past 200 yards. That caliber could also be used for varmints at other times. So I'm kind of leaning there. I believe the 30/30 might also be usable. The 45/70 would sure be fun and the 270 is good choice on caribou. My buddy hand loads so any loads could be made. Any thoughts would be great!

Thanks

[knight0334]

Mine is tied between my 45-70 and me .225 Win (22 hornet rechamber).

[stimpylu32]

Of the 4 you listed i'd go with the 270 , now the why , the 223 is a fine varment round but way to small for a back-up , the 45/70 is a great deer and up round but too much for varments [ trust me , i've tried it ] .

The 30/30 is an ok choice but don't know about using them on Boos , were as the 270 can be loaded from 90 grain to 150 grain and have taken just about anything in North America .

just my .02 worth

[MSP Ret]

out of the ones you mentioned I also would go with the .270 first and then the 30-30. In a Handi the 30-30 can be loaded with Spitzer bullets and becomes another gun entirely rather than a lever gun loaded with round nose bullets. You could also just shoot the new Hornady Evoloution bullets in the 30-30 and boost it's down range performance. I do think that perhaps you are missing a great choice by limiting yourself to those you have mentioned. The .280 Remington would also be a great choice, especially if you reload. There are so many good .284 diameter bullets out there you could use that gun (.280 Handi) to shoot just about anything....<><....

[ncpreacherboy1]

not one that you mentioned but a 25-06 is really good for varmints up to deer and caribou. factory loads can be had from 80-85 grain ballistic tip all the way up to 120 grain nosler partition with lots of good bullet selections in between.

[myarmor]

A 25-06 sounds like it would fit the bill best in my opinion.

But with your picks and shot's with in 200yards, I would take a 243.

-Aaron

[gustmouse]

You know I didn’t even think of the 25-06, I also believe that one of the guys is taking a rifle in that caliber up to Quebec.
I had a rifle in 280 Remington for a short while some years back, but never shot any game with it. Never had a 243 that’s why it made the list.
I always liked the 30/30 for the type of hunting I mostly do. Most of my ranges are short, hunting in the northeast. So the barren or open land
Is going to be something new. Ok, thanks, this should help. But I think in the long run I’ll have more then one caliber! My wife is buying the rifle for Christmas. So maybe in the mean time I can sneak a couple more into the house!

[quickdtoo]

I'll stick with my usual answer for questions like this......get ALL of em mentioned!!

Tim

[Datil]

 Do as Quick said all them Welcome to wonderful world of Handis I see the making another
 handi-holic MHO marv.

[quickdtoo]

Yup, there's only one answer for a true Handi-holic, all of em!! But you do need to start somewhere, so the .25-06 would be a good one for anything from varmints to moose, Fred took his moose last year with his .257Roberts Ultra, so the .25-06 would be fine for them smaller critters like caribou with good bullets and proper shot placement!!

Tim

[MSP Ret]

Welcome aboard gustmouse (I forgot that when I first replied to your post), since you are eventually going to be getting more guns or barrels in different calibers I say of the calibers in your original list go for the tried and true 30-30. It can be loaded many different ways in a Handi and will do anything you ask of it. Factory ammo is inexpensive, plentiful, and available everywhere. Go with the old reliable, it is a good starting platform and it will not let you down!!!....<><....

[gustmouse]

Well I ordered a 243 model SB2243 It should be at the gun store by Friday.
The 243 has many different factory loads from a 55 grain to a 100grain bullet. It should serve me well from coyotes to mid size large game.
I’m hoping it shoots accurately. If the handi 223 that I shot is any indication, I’m thinking it will. Since it is a gift from my wife, I won’t get to shoot it until after Christmas. Oh well, I should be busy hunting until then anyhow! Thanks again guys, I’ll let you know how it shoots! I also have a feeling It won't be my only caliber in a handi rifle. My buddy says I should trade my BAR for a bunch of them!