Barrel fitting question

[snakeskinner]

When I first came to this site I was suprised to see how many barrels were for sale. The reason I was surprised was because of the "fitting" that the factory says must be done in when adding a different barrel to a frame. What's the deal with this? I have a 243 ultra. If I find a 30-30 barrel, and buy it, will it work with my frame without being "fitted"?

[quickdtoo]

Maybe, maybe not, just depends, they aren't a one size fits all, tolerances aren't as precise as with the Encore/Contender, neither are the prices as high!! Most of us have multiple frames which makes the chance of having a frame that the used barrel fits much higher, but no guarantee. Barrel fitting instructions are in the FAQs and Help sticky.

Tim

[Pharmboy]

Hey Snakeskinner,
You came to the right site. If you hang around and read what these handi's are all about then you wouldn't need to send your receiver to the factory. But that said, the prices of the barrels are getting a little out of hand (no pun intended) to get off the internet (i.e. ebay). There are folks here that know alot about these rifles and also real life experiences. I can only speak for myself but I have come a long way in gunsmithing, reloading and ballistics since I started lurking on this site. They are a real group of honest to goodness people. I started off using my wife's emory board to fit the barrels and now can do it with a dremel.  You can learn alot from this forum, just don't be afraid to ask.

Pharmboy

[snakeskinner]

Barrel fitting instructions are in the FAQs and Help sticky.

Found it, thanks. Doesn't seem worth it when considering the cost of used barrels.

[quickdtoo]

Perhaps you need to look at the accessory barrel cost again, add $15 fitting per barrel, $10 return shipping per order, and the cost of shipping your frame to them, PLUS being without the rifle while they do the fitting, which can be a substantial amount of time. Those that sent frames in for barrels last October are just now getting them back, a wait of 2 months isn't out of the ordinary if the barrel is in stock, if it's not, it could be much longer, .30-30 barrels were out of stock for 6 months 2 yrs ago. Summer time wait is usually less, sometimes, depending on shipping time, turn around is only 2-3weeks.

Tim

[stimpylu32]

Deals can be found in all kinds of places , yes even e-bay if you just watch for the right deal , the guys here tend to want to trade or sell to other guys on this site , sorta keepen it in the family so to speak .

I have picked up barrels at gun shows as well as small gun shops , you just have to know what you want and need .

stimpy

[quickdtoo]

There are also a bunch of us that buy complete guns just for parts, stocks or frames, not just barrels, then sell the remaining parts to our friends here, makes everyone happy!! I've bought several used Handis/Ultras for the frames, then sold or traded the barrels if I didn't need em, usually keep the stock sets, but not always, sold one set to a fella in Canada cuz he couldn't order from H&R, he was happy and so was I.

Tim