Got my 44 Mag barrel

[KenSel]

I mailed my frame out on the 5th of August to be fitted with a 44 Mag barrel.  I just got the barrel this evening.  I cleaned it up a little and played around some to see how it felt.  I noticed that the open sights line up perfect for me with the monte carlo stock.  I figured the stock would be to high for proper eye alignment but it lines up perfect for me.  I also noticed that the barrel sticks sometimes when I attempt to break it open and I have to pull down on it pretty hard to open it.  It's not bad though and I figure after a little break-in it should work just fine.  I'm hoping to take it to the range tomorrow and run some 240, and 300gr Hornadys' through it and see how it performs.   I'll let you guys know how everything turns out.

Ken

[quickdtoo]

Congrats!! They can be stiff due to the forend being too tight also, but shoot it first and see how it does before making any changes. Since it's stiff, be sure to close it with some force for a while until the latch parts get mated well.

Not all H&R monte carlo stocks are created equal, if you had several to line up next to each other, you'd see that as I have, the comb height varies quite a bit, but so do our faces, some fellas like Lik2hunt like a low comb stock even with a scope!!!

Tim

[RickC.]

Glad you got yours, congrats!


             Rick

[KenSel]

Wow this barrel can shoot!  Well at least at 50 yards.  I used 3 different factory loads and all of them would put 5 shots into a 1" to 1 1/2" group at 50yds.  The barrel averaged about 1/4" to 1/2" MOA.  The loads used were American Eagle 240gr JHP, Hornady 240gr XTP, and Hornady 300gr. XTP.   I'm hoping to take it back out tomorrow and see what it does at 100 yards.  I feel pretty confident that it'll be MOD (Minute Of Deer)

Ken

[RickC.]

Sounds good!

 It'll be interesting to see how that shakes out since XTPs are .430 whereas most jacketed .44 bullets are .429.  May not make any difference, but in my mid-80's Marlin with Microgroove, the Hornadys are the most accurate of any jacketed bullets.



                                                        Rick

[Graybeard]

Wow this barrel can shoot!  Well at least at 50 yards.  I used 3 different factory loads and all of them would put 5 shots into a 1" to 1 1/2" group at 50yds.  The barrel averaged about 1/4" to 1/2" MOA.  The loads used were American Eagle 240gr JHP, Hornady 240gr XTP, and Hornady 300gr. XTP.   I'm hoping to take it back out tomorrow and see what it does at 100 yards.  I feel pretty confident that it'll be MOD (Minute Of Deer)

Ken

Explain please. Your post is rather contridictary. You say you got 1" to 1.5" groups at 50 yards. That translates to 2 to 3 MOA but you say in same sentence you got 1/4 to 1/2 MOA. To my poor mind this does not compute.

[KenSel]

Graybeard,  all of my shots at 50 yards were within 1/4" to 1/2" from each other or less.  I was implying the MOA for 50yards,  I'll find out how it shoots at 100 today.

Ken

[murphdog]

KenSel,
I  might be wrong, but I thought 1 MOA equaled 1 inch at 100 yards, or 1/2 inch at 50, or 2 inches at 200, etc. 
The groups you are getting are similar to the groups I'm now getting from my 44 magnum barrel (after compensating for a poor barrel/receiver fit).  Your experience seems to confirm that H&R is now producing some very nice 44 magnum barrels. 
Unlike the barrels H&R used to produce, my new barrel slugged out at about .429 inches.  With this tighter bore, these barrels may not need the wider XTP bullets to shoot well.  But the XTP's still seem to shoot just fine in them.  In my gun, the XTP's shoot about the same as winchester partition golds and remington JHP's. 
Duane

[KenSel]

murph, you and Gray are probably right about the MOA.  I just use the term loosely.  I shot the 44 today at 100 yds and 5 shots with Hornady 300gr XTPs' measured 3 1/2"; 5 shots with American Eagle 240gr JHPs' measured 2".  It won't win any medals, but if I do my part it'll fill my freezer up.  I'm gonna try some more loads and see if it get's better but I may just use the AE 240gr.  My only complaint with the AE is that it was pretty dirty compared to the Hornady but for the price I don't mind cause' I gotta clean my gun when I'm done anyway.  Well I just thought I would share with everyone how the new barrel shoots.  Oh and I almost forgot;  The action broke open on about 5 of my shots.  It broke open just like I had pushed the release button.  Not sure if I didn't completely lock it up or what but out of 50 rounds it happened 5 times.  Has anyone else had this happen?

Ken

[quickdtoo]

Read the Handi Basics 101 and the pop open medicine link in the FAQs, it's shooter error that causes it if it doesn't do it all the time.

Tim