Greetings. Just picked up my first Handi rifle, a .308 Survivor. Friend of mine was in need of some cash, and needed to move some merchandise. Picked up the rifle, Leupold scope rings, a Sightron 3-9x40 scope, and 3 boxes of ammo for $330. (The ammo alone was purchased for about $115).
Not real thrilled about the stock on this thing, but it may be growing on me. I think it looks kind of goofy, but feels pretty good when shouldered. I may end up picking up a wood stock set for this, and selling the Survivor stock that came with it, but we'll see.
Looking forward to cleaning this and shooting it. By the way, it has never been shot, all this stuff was still in its original packaging. Serial number starts with NW, so it was made in 2006.
I am thinking about getting some different barrels for it, maybe a .357 mag (I assume you can shoot .38 spcl from that barrel). My 10 year old son likes to accompany me to the range, and loves to shoot, but is still pretty recoil sensitive, so .38 spcl may be just the ticket for him.
I plan on going through all the FAQ's and making sure I am familiar with all the 'quirks', for lack of a better term, before shooting.
Not sure I need another sickness to contend with (Handi-holic), as I already am addicted to Mosin Nagant rifles (Mosinitus). Of course, there are far worse things to do than spenmd time shooting with my son, so in my mind all this is justified.
One thing I did notice is the serial number ends in 315, but the electropenciled number on the lug is 316. is this just a mistake from the factory? The barrel seems to lock up quite solid, no play when closed. When the action is closed, the release lever on the side is loose, which according to the FAQ's, is normal. I know that this is the original barrel from the factory, as my friend brought this gun to my house when he bought it, and it has not been out of the box since.
Let me know what you think of the price I paid, as well as the .357 Mag barrel (not looking to buy a barrel at this time, just looking for opinions).
Thanks.
Tim