H & R Gun Issues

[Randy Morring]

I'm new here and been reading as much info as I can. I'm looking for a short/med. range deer rifle for me and my step daughter to use. I'm looking at a 30-30, or after more info from my hunting buddy possibly a .44 mag. Now after reading some of the current issues people are having with accurracy, oversized bores,etc., i'm concidering going to another brand of rifle. Are the new rifles coming from factory with this many issues? I know these are not target grade rifles, but shouldnt the quality be a little better ? I'm not bashing H&R, I wished I still had the 20 ga. topper I grew up with....Please give all the input you can.
 
Randy

[tacklebury]

I can only comment on the 2 I have and they both shot great outta the box.  I use mainly jacketed bullets though and if you're going to do cast, it can be more fun to try to get a load they like.  The carbine does ok with my target level leads. 

[Deerhunter#1]

Well I guess you can say there are better rifles out there. And as you know you will pay for them. That being said I have never had a handi that out of the box didnt shoot 2 1/2 100 yard groups or better. I know that isnt great but in all but one instance with hand loads and a little work they are all moa rifles now. I love my 30-30 the most. With Spire point bullets in the 125-130 grain area this is a great gun for kids to learn with and more than enough medicine for any deer within 15o yards with manageable recoil for a kid. my friends 8 year old shoots it and will use it this year for his first deer hunt in PA.

[petemi]

The .30-30, .44 mag, .45LC and .357 will work fine for you.  I have all three and all shoot well.  My .44 is one of the old over bored ones and it shoots great.  The pistol calibers all seem to like a fairly hot load.  Stick with H&R and good luck.

Pete

[gendoc]

any gun, no matter what the brand is..... only shoots as good as you make it shoot.

[Randy Morring]

I hear what you say guys, just some of the post as of late has had me worried about getting the Handi, and as I said i'm not bashing them. I do not reload, but may in the future. I've read great post on most of the 30-30's and some of the .44's. I know quick said the 30-30's was probably their most reliable and accurate rifle out of the box with factory ammo. I have always like the H&R's,grew up with the Topper jr. hunting rabbit,squirrel,quail,and dove before moving to my fathers 12ga., which i received as a gift before he passed. It is a Winchester model 50 with all 3 barrels (26 imp., 28 mod., 30 full) and it will stay in the safe till time to pass it on. So now i'm back full circle at the H&R again. Hope they make'em like they used to....
 
Randy

[flinthead]

Randy, Get you a handi... these guns don't have any more problems then any other gun. I have five to include two .44's and never had a bit of trouble. One of my .44's shot a three shot 100 yard group of .75". I'm a big fan of the pistol rounds in the Handi... low recoil and deadly on most, if not all, North American game.

[OldSchoolRanger]

Randy buy the Handi.  You won't regret it. 

I have two 30-30's that I put together using barrels I purchased from this forum, and can't say a bad word about either one.  I tend to agree with Quick, when he said the 30-30 barrels are probably the best NEF barrels made, with IMHO the 45-70's next.
The only problem I've had with a Handi-rifles accuracy is with a 7mm-08, but I haven't had much time to play with it yet.

Most problems that you read about regarding the Handi's are usually with reloads.  I'm not knocking reloads, as I also reload.  If you stick with factory ammo, mostly likely you won't regret it.  Then there is the bonus of being able to switch calibers.  The only proviso regarding this is that if you plan on firing high pressure calibers in the future, you have to plan for it in advance.  This means you have to purchase a rifle with an SB2 frame, then your good to go on just about all the calibers offered, by NEF.

Another bonus is that if you buy a Handi, you get to pick the brains of the Handi gurus on this forum (BTW I'm not one of them).

If you feel more comfortable with a Topper type slug gun, Gander Mtn, currently has the H&R Ultra slug hunter on sale in 12/20 Ga. for $179.99. (Online #GM420166, GM420167).  Best of luck on whatever you choose.

[mechanic]

I've got a closet full, and looking for more.  I don't buy / own junk.   
 
Ben

[jeepmann1948]

There is one major problem with Handi Rifles....................
They are habit forming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jump in with the rest of of addicts , You will not regret it (but your wife might)
 

[Buckwheat Jack]

I think it depends on what kind of shooting you enjoy. I don't do much  pin-point shooting at 100 yds. I am happy to ring the gong at that range or better yet at 200. I don't car where they hit the target as long as they hit. I also shoot iron sights and basically offhand, so go figure.

[Ranger J]

I've had six of them and passed four of them on for someone else to 'play' with.  The two I have kept are one of the 'new' 44 mags and the 45/70.  The 45/70 is my favorite of all my guns to shoot.  It has never given me a minutes worth of trouble and will accurately shoot just about anything I stuff in it.  The same can be said for the new model 44, I just don't get the kick out of shooting it as much.  Maybe it is because of the big long cartridge of the 45/70.  The 45/70 can be loaded down until it only kills on one end.  I have loads   that I wouldn't hesitate to have a six year shoot.

RJ

[Old Fart]

Now after reading some of the current issues people are having with accurracy, oversized bores,etc., i'm concidering going to another brand of rifle.

One thing you should take into consideration Randy. H&R sells tons of these little rifles. What you see here are the few that have problems. Why? Because of the wealth of knowledge here. Someone has a problem and they are sent here in short order to find a solution.
 
My first handi was a topper. Still have it, although it's been chopped down for my kiddo's. What got me hooked was a 45-70 BC I stumbled onto real cheap. I love that gun and it is a real shooter with absolutely no effort on my part. I've had a couple I needed to play with a bit, but they flat shoot also.
 
Handi's are a slightly different breed of guns. After reading the FAQ's I eliminated 95% of the problems I was having.

[Singlebarrel]

I have two handis in 45-70 that shot great out of the box.  I ordered accessory barrels for one of them.  One shot great, the other was terrible and I sold it.  I purchased a 44 Mag in 2009 that H & R replaced last month after three trips back to the factory.  The replacement rifle is headed back, also.  After a couple of hundred rounds and a lot of tinkering the best I can get out of it is 5 inch groups at 50 yards.  H & R is sending a mailing label so I can send it back.  I do not expect stellar accuracy, although I do get very good accuracy from the 2 45-70s and the 223 barrel I purchased and am very happy with them. If I could get it down to 1.5 to 2 inches or so at 50 yards with the 44 Mag I would be OK with that as it is a short range gun, anyway.   
 
The dealer where I purchased the 44 Mag said he has sold them by the hundreds and, to his knowledge, mine is the only one from his store to have issues.  I will say that H & R appears willing to fix the problem and I believe that I will eventually get one that works.  It is just that I am out the purchase price of a gun that I have not been able to hunt with for over two years now.
 
That is my experience.  Bad Luck on my part?  Quality control issues on H & Rs part?  You pays your money and you takes your choice.
 
 

[ratdog]

the 30-30 is a good choice light recoil and accurate.

[jparedes]

Randy Morring,

Think about how many thousands of Handi-Rifles are sold every year and compare against the number of complaints.  They are few, but of course it biases people on thinking that problems happen every time.

I participate in other forums and I was amazed that S&W has about the same number of complaints that the Handi-Rifles get in this forum, and if you ask your local gun shop which guns get returned the most for repairs, you will be surprised.

The most important thing is that H&R will fix any problem you might have.  It might take a couple of tries, but at the end you are pretty much guaranteed to end up with a little inexpensive rifle that shoots about the same as the big expensive names.  H&R's client services is so good that it makes up any problems they might have somewhere else.

[av-doctor]

Randy don't let the forum scare you !  as for the 44 overbore, you see alot of posts regarding this, as i've stated before THEY WERE NOT OVERBORE (sry for caps) check the saami specs for a 44magnum rifle it is different than the specs for a 44magnum pistol. H&R built to rifle specs! after (what i imagine) years of complaints they changed them to pistol specs. The 30-30 is another great option.

[revbc]

Randy here's one I have had a little problem with.  The ultra 45/70's had a little problem with misfires, however; H&R via Brian56 have sent me all the parts to resolve the issue.  They would have fixed it free if I had wanted to send it to them.

As you can see...............I'll deal with a small problem any day for chooten like this.