An intro and a few questions

[audrey1216]

I have lurked here a while and wanted to say hi and ask for some suggestions.  I have a handi rifle with two barrels - a 243 and a 308.   They shoot well but are very sensitive to how tight the screw on the lug is.  I very rarely shoot the 243 barrel as it is hard to seat bullets close to the lands and it has been a little more problematic to get to shoot well.  I am thinking I may never hunt with either barrel as I won't have the degree of confidence in them as I have with several bolt rifles and lever rifles.   My son and I like to tinker and have made a 257 Roberts on a commercial bolt action, which was a lot of fun to do together.  The Handi rifle is fun to shoot at the range, but if that is all I will do with it, I am starting to think that instead of the 308 and 243 I should instead get a barrel to tinker with that might be fun to shoot at the range.  I have been thinking along the lines of rechambering the 243 win barrel to 6 Rem AI, but I am generally not a big  fan of AI cartridges.   I have also thought about getting a 30-30 barrel to shoot as is, or to change to 307 win or 30-40 krag.  I know that doesn't make sense as I have a 308, but again I am just wanting something a little different and something my son and I can do together.  I have also been thinking about the 38-55 but the recent thread on that makes me hesitate.  Anyway, sorry to babble but I would like to hear about any success or failures anyone has had taking a 243 barrel with a long throat and making it a 6 Rem AI or if anyone can describe the level of difficulty on working with the extractor on a 30-30 barrel to get it to work on a 30-40 case.  Thanks! 

[LaOtto222]

Welcome to GBO. Before you do anything else, please read and study the FAQ section. There are a lot of good ideas to improve your accuracy. Most have found that the long throats are not much of a hindrance to accuracy in these rifles. Do some searches in this forum on the 243 and 308. You will find that folks have been able to get very good accuracy out of their 308's and 243's. You said you like to tinker, so start with what you have. If afterward you still want to convert one of these barrels to another case or get another barrel, you will know more of what you really want. Keep in mind that a re-chamber will be close to the cost of a new barrel. I am willing to bet that after you get your barrels shooting the way you want, you will be satisfied with them. Just my 2 cents on that.

[McLernon]

Welcome to GBO.

Mc

[myarmor]

Same here welcome to GBO.  From the sounds of it you might want to try Macs method of bedding the forearm to make for consistent pressure on the barrel. Check out the FAQs for more info there. If you are going for a bencher, then how about some of the small bores like the 204 or 223. These can shoot some tiny groups as many can attest too.


-Aaron

[EVOC ONE]

Welcome! 

LaOtto made a good point regarding the long throats.  Have you tried shooting ammo at its recommended OAL or factory ammo?  I've not loaded any ammo to seat just off the lands.  I either use factory ammo or what the load manual lists as OAL.

These neat little rifles can be very temperamental.  When I get a new or used Handi, the most I do to it before shooting is give it a good cleaning.  I will not even polish the chamber or bore until I've fired it.  All but one of my Handi's have shot very well without any tuning.  If it shoots well enough for me at the factory or recommended OAL, I leave it as is.

As far as having a different caliber(s) for tinkering, I suggest the .357 Mag, .44 Mag. or the .30-30.  All are rimmed cases, which seem to be the least problematic in Handi's.  The pistol cartridges allow the firing of other calibers.  The single shot design permits the .30-30 to be loaded with an array of bullet types and loads.  All are easy on the wallet and shoulder. 

  

[audrey1216]

Thanks for the replies.  I guess I am thinking that if it is just going to be a rifle I will shoot for fun, I would be more likely to do so if it is a little less common cartridge than the 243 or the 308.  I have nothing against them and they shoot fine for that purpose.  I know the 30-30 certainly is common but it allows the possibility of doing an AI, or re-chambering to the other cartridges I mentioned.  If there was a 25-20 or 25-35 or several other barrels available, I would go that route in a heart beat.  The 38-55 kind of falls in line with that thought.    Maybe it is a little human nature to want barrel options that are not available.  I will keep thinking.  Thanks again for the replies.

[ro]

audrey1216 welcome to gbo, i have a 308 handi-rifle i don't hunt alot with it but it shoots the best with winchester 150 gr. power-points.