7-08 range report

[Flashole]

 This was the first time out.  Every thing was brand spanking new.  I took 5 different loads.  Two were terrible, one was fair and the two best are posted.  I did some thing a little different.  I took an infrared thermometer.  I haven't been shooting Handis a lot. What I have read is these things do not like to get hot.
  The barrel started off  cold at 62.8 and went up 4 degrees on the first shot and pretty close 4 degrees for each shot tell it reached a max of 79.8.  The time between 1st and 2nd was about as fast as I could go and still shoot well.  Every other shot was a good three to four minutes apart.  The pattern seemed to have no difference at this pace and I would call this very slow from what I do with other fire arms.
  With the last five rounds I was hitting them off 15 second intervals and never got the barrel past 88 degrees.   The pattern was less than I thought it might be.
I realize I'm reading the out side surface and the spread could be greater on the bore.   My first Handi was a disaster and could not get rid of it fast enough.  My second is a 45LC and is a blast to shoot.  So I had to try one more time on some thing a little faster.  An other thing I did different than any rifle (16) that I own,  is hand lap the bore.  I must have spent more than an hour try to make the bore shine like a mirror.
 
So at the end of all this babel I have discovered that Handis a just a bunch of FUN to shoot.
 
=FLASH=
 

[tacklebury]

Sweet man.  I've never lapped a bore personally, but I do note that they all seem to tighten up after 100-500 rounds.  I love my 45LC also and took a little buck this year with it.  7mm-08 and a 30-30 and a .500 S&W and a short .45-70 are in my future and at the top of my list barrels to get.  hehe 

[Flashole]

Tack  with the out come like this I'm sure my next few purchases will be Handis also.  Your wish list could be covered by the price of just one hi-end gun in one of your choices, not including the 30-30.   I'm thinking 44 mag reamed to 445 SM , have a contender in that one,  or 444.   
 
 The bore sight on the 7-08 was dead on horizontally and about 4-5 high. I glad it turned out this way. I let a 204 Ultra go and I'm sure in part it was me just feeding countless loads and hoping one would group like this one did.
 
 Missed the hunting season completely this year.  There have been a few times when any buck is a good buck.

[demented]

tacklebury, when you get that 30-30 barrrel, you gotta give the new LVR powder and Nosler Ballistic Tips a try.   I'm using just 36 grains with a 150, 2300 fps by chrono, deadly on deer to at least 200 yards.  I dropped one in its tracks at 165 this past season, the NBT bullet seems perfect for 30-30 velocities.

[44 Man]

I was given some 7-08 components from a friend of mine reciently.  There were some 120 gr NBT's and they really shoot well in mine 7-08 also!  I also was given a bunch of 150 gr 7mm coreloc bullets also that they shoot very well also.  I think I'm pretty well set with those two.  I've been running 125 gr Sierria Pro Hunter bullets through my 30-30 and they shoot great also.  I'm liking those lighter wt bullets for deer hunting.  You will find the Handi's very addicting and you have already discovered that they are lot's of fun!  44 Man

[Dinny]

Flash,
  It looks like you have a keeper there. We look forward to seeing some game harvest reports with this rifle in the future.


Good Shooting!


Thanks, Dinny

[tacklebury]

tacklebury, when you get that 30-30 barrrel, you gotta give the new LVR powder and Nosler Ballistic Tips a try.   I'm using just 36 grains with a 150, 2300 fps by chrono, deadly on deer to at least 200 yards.  I dropped one in its tracks at 165 this past season, the NBT bullet seems perfect for 30-30 velocities.

Good to hear.  I just got 80 FTX bullets for my .32 Win. Special on a PIF trade and looking to see what it'll do in my 1926.  She's been pretty particular on bullets and these appear made for these lower velocities.  I didn't love em (except for accuracy) in my .45-70 Buffalo Classic, but at these speeds I'm thinking they will be pretty good.