off center bore

[langcjl]

I just got my new sidekick in and am pleased overall with the quality, I have a few NEF shotguns so I knew i would be. The only real problem I see with the gun is that the bore is obviously off center. When I look down the barrel from the muzzle end(my mom told me never to do that) the bore is quite a bit off center. I dont really have anything to measure it with but it is easily seen by the eye. I have not shot it yet. Is this something to be concerned about or should I just wait to see if it shoots well?
    The other thing I noticed is that the ramrod is much better than I expected. I had prepared myself for the worst and was surprised that it wasnt bad. I really hate the wrong thread on the end though. Why do they do that? I cant find an adapter locally and I dont want to order a $2 piece online. I have never shot a muzzleloader before and I dont think I should go shoot this one until I have a cleaning jag and patch puller. So for the want of a stupid $2 adapter I am grounded for now. I will probably go get another ramrod but I will still need to fix the problem before hunting season. I have to order the scope mount from H&R so I will see if they have ramrod accessories.

[Keith Lewis]

It amazes me that H&R has not figured out that the thread is wrong. I finally ordered the Hubbardoutdoors replacement rod and it is great! It has the correct thread the rod is two inches longer than the stock one when extended and the end is relieved for pointed bullets. It is what they should be putting on the rifle in the first place. It works just like the original except that it is 200% stronger.  You should not need a patch puller for the inline since you can pull the breechplug if you need to remove a load or if the barrel needs to be cleared of something. I have never used one yet. Get a good piece of dowel from somewhere if you do not have a good strong range rod. It will allow you to drive anything out the barrel from the rear. I strongly suggest you get a good strong range rod to use when targeting the rifle. The stock rod is OK for hunting as you will not need to use it much. For range work I carry two range rods. One to clean and one to load with which saves a lot of time changing ends of the rod. Definately get the scope mount from H&R. Some aftermarket ones claim to fit but will not allow the scope to be mounted far enough to the rear. The one from H&R also comes with the hammer extension which you will need with a scope mounted.

[MSP Ret]

I suggest you call H&R, request a call tag and ask for a new barrel whos bore is centered. You have an option of shooting it first if you want to see if it shoots well, it may. I have a shortened .280 Remington barrel for my Handi that is off center at the muzzle but it shoots fine, I bought it used and already shortened so I would not attempt to return it to H&R. If yours shoots fine and you want to keep it is up to you, it may affect it's resale value a bit though if that is of interest to you. The barrel  should have been bored so the bore appears centered in the blank and I do not believe whatever quality control they have should not have allowed that barrel out. Good luck and please keep us updated on the barrel and what you do, also what H&R does if you decide to contact them....<><....

[langcjl]

I returned the gun to wal-mart and they are sending it back to NEF for repair. Their dime for shipping, not mine. I will post the result of that when I get it back. I think I might be in for a long wait. I also found a ramrod adapter on ebay for $3+$3.50 shipping, so I am ready when it comes back.

[langcjl]

I went to pick up my gun yesterday. It had been sent to the factory where a "head spacer" was put on. I looked at the receipt before I looked at the gun and I couldnt believe it! I told the guy that it wasnt fixed. We took it out and sure enough it had the same barrel on it. I think they must have sent it back to the factory without an explanation of the problem. The factory didnt notice that the bore was WAY off and fixed a problem that didnt even exist, this will probably cause more problems when I get it back. I dont know how that gun could have made it out of the factory TWO times with such an obvious flaw. It was sent to the factory one more time. We will see.

[chance_livewire]

I DO THEIR QUALITY CONTROL stinks IVE BOUGHT 2 OF THEIR 243'S WITH CHAMBERS SO SLOPPY THEY COULDNT BE REAMED OUT TO 6MM'S. SHOT 6 INCH GROUPS AT 50 YDS. ONE OF EM SHOT FINE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS THEN FORMED THE COLD SHOT FLIER SYNDROME.COLD BARRELL FIRST SHOT 6'' LOW 1'' TO THE LEFT. THEN THE REST OF EM WOULD SCARE THE BULLS-EYE

[langcjl]

I finally got my sidekick back with a new barrel. Five months after I bought it I will be able to shoot it this weekend. The factory put a new barrel on it and it looks good. They made me wait for a long time because they said they were backed up. You would think that because it was the second time back to the factory for such an obvious flaw that I would get a little speedier response. All seems to be good now though, we'll see how it shoots. I am sure it will be good. Even after this ordeal I will continue to buy their products because every one I have has been good.

[quickdtoo]

Glad you're back in business.  They may have been out of the barrel, they run out of barrels from time to time, they've been out of 357mag barrels now for a couple months.

Tim