EDIT .44 mag trapper Handi rifle arrived. Pics inside.

[koolaid39]

I just ordered a TALO exclusive .44 mag trapper today. The $240 price tag was too nice to pass on. I have a few questions for owners of the current special run guns.

-What kind of sights are factory installed on this gun? Ultimately they will be replaces with Skinner sights, or the NODAK peep sight. If the factory sights are adequate I will use them for a while.

-Barrel contour? What does the barrel look like.

Thanks in advance.
Mike

[LilHog]

The front sight is a steel blade and the rear sight is a williams adjustable sight. I have the talo 44mag with the 18" barrel and the sights work well for me. The break/hinge was very stiff from the factory and the gun was loaded with heavy greas/oil after a good cleaning and lube its much better. My sights were set at100 yards from the factory and the rifle is very accurate. Im very happy with it.

[OSOK]

I bought my grandaughter the .357 mag TALO Trapper when they first came out. It and the BC are my favorite Handi's. As noted above, blade front, leaf rear, mounted mid barrel. Very accurate with the factory sights. I mounted a low power scope, but if I were to change back to sights it would be the Skinner, I reqally like the look of them.

[LilHog]

Koolaid, Did you get the Talo yet? Keep us updated on your opinion of it.

[koolaid39]

All right, my gun arrived on Friday. I finally was able to take some pictures. Overall, I love this gun. There is one issue however and the following pictures will show it.

Here is one of the gun in its current state.



Now the one and only issue I have. The stock looks like a five year old fit it. For $257.99 out the door I can't complain too much. Is it really too much to ask for a stock to at least roughly fit the metal?


and the other side of the gun.


I plan to correct the bad stock fit. First strip the finish, then re-profile the stock with a rasp and file. When I like the result, it will get stain and finish. Hopefully I can get the profile similar to my Gardener, MA H&R that I purchased last fall. Apparently quality has slipped since production moved to Ilion NY.

Overall, this gun will work great for my needs but it needs a little work. The end use will a truck gun and for tight cover hunting. I have a beautiful Marlin 1894C but I don't want to leave a $850 gun/scope combo in my truck.

[Antietamgw]

I haven't seen any of the newest production rifles but that's not what I'm are used to seeing as far as fit. I believe I'd talk to the CS folks and send them an email along with those pics, asking for a replacement. Maybe they have some old production stuff left.

How do you like the way it handles? Does it balance well? I like a little muzzle weight. BTW, by the time you get all those extra barrels, it will be an $850 gun 

[bigvarmnt]

I'd send that back. You got one of those undersized frames

Yes, how does it balance?

I'd put a syn. stock on it for a truck gun, may not be for you though.

I've never seen a wood stock that far off of fitting, put a groove in your palm

[geezer56]

I looked at a half dozen in the rack at a local gun shop, just a couple of days ago.  They were all like that one, really fat in the wrist area.  I have one that was similar, til it met up with Mr Wood Rasp, now it is the best fitting wood stock I have.  Go for it, you can't hurt anything, and you can make it fit your hand just the way you want it to.

[gcrank1]

WOW!
You got a lot of wood for your money!
I thought past stocks were heavy, but........
In this day there is no reason that stock making machinery needs to be that far off!

[koolaid39]

The gun handles good now. It has a some weight in the barrel but I wouldn't call it muzzle heavy.

After the stock is thinned out some, I think it will balance better. Right now it balances between the hinge and trigger guard. The balance will be more barrel heavy when I am done with my rasp.

We are currently dealing with a pesky little flood, so I might not get to shoot it for a month or so.

[LilHog]

The stock on my 44mag is slightly larger than the receiver, but it is tapered in a way so it looks good. In your pics it looks as though yours has no taper. Someone screwed up and missed a finishing step before it left the factory, somethings not right there. I wouldn't send it back, I would try and fix it myself but it's your rifle and your choice. Anyway I hope it's a good shooter and you get it sorted out.

[rdlange]

Too much wood is better than not enough.  If it fits tight to the action you're good.  I am (slowly, one by one) reshaping and refinishing all my stocks except the BC carbine because I don't like the profile or finish.  Have to shorten them a bit and install good recoil pad.  Wood work I seem to be handi at...

Be Well.

[koolaid39]

I won't send a $250 gun back to the factory because of bad stock fitting as long as the gun works. I never expected this gun to have the same level of stock fitting as my $600 Marlin. The gun will function as it is so I will fix this myself.

The main gripe I have is with the QC at the new plant. My two H&R guns are less then 18 months apart in age, yet the quality is terribly different. I am 27 years old and have worked in a window and door manufacturing since I was 18. The company I work for is highly devoted to product quality so this bothers me. You can't tell the difference from a double hung window made at my plant and one made 2000 miles away at the other plant. I assume this is a "Friday gun" or a "Hungover Monday gun". At any rate, the QC inspectors need to get their eyes checked.

At any rate, I am just happy I could get a gun in the configuration I was looking for. Aesthetic concerns are less important to me then the factory barrel and sight options. Don't get me wrong, I love this little gun.My disappointment is merely the ramblings of somebody who was expecting a consistent product.

Mike

[bigvarmnt]

"Got a lot of wood for your money".
Best one I've heard in a while. Thanks
Can't believe there isn't any stain on it.
I think there are people out there that don't think others have enough to do.
Good Luck

[Spanky]

It definitely looks like that one slipped past QC somehow. The good thing is that it's an easy fix and you can make it fit you perfectly.
I had a 44 mag that was cut and crowned at 18" and it made a great woods gun.



Spanky

[cwlongshot]

  Unfortunately this is becoming more common..... 
  I have bought a couple new guns in the last couple months and in looking at them see this ALLOT!! One of the stocks, (a camo syn, if it matters) is off center by more than 1/8"!!! It's nearly flush on the right but hanging off by almost a 1/4" on the left!!!  REALLY bad, but as I'm right handed, it "feels" fine. Just looks like hell...

I have also overlooked it and tell myself it keeps the costs down and doesn't really hurt anything. But its going too far. They are getting lax and seeing just how far they can go until sales drop off... Kinda stinks...

CW