Hello from Georgia,
I have recently been working on a few handloads for my 45/70 Handi and they are really starting to come around. The best groups so far have been just a bit over an inch at 100 yards, which we all know is good enough for deer and the like.
The best part is that this can be done with a rifle that costs about half the price of most other "deer rifles". Now about the boat paddle reference. I have a 500 yard range here at home and there is an unending parade or rifles, pistols, shotguns and muzzle loaders that are brought over by folks that like to shoot at my private facility. One guy in particular is a good fellow but does get caught up in all the media and manufacturer hype about high doller guns. He thinks that if it does not have a golden buck head it is not worthy of owning. So, he comes over recently with this new X-Bolt and Zeiss to zero up before hunting season. After a few 3 round groups, he is satisfied as well as I would be, shooting about 1 1/4 groups off the sand bags. I say that I am going to send a few downrange "just to check" knowing full well that my Handi is dead on. I pull it out of the soft case and he smugly says that he thought we were shooting, not going out to "paddle a boat". " I have better looking boat paddles" he ads as i shove in one of my 405gr. hotloads and set up on the bench. "Do you actually trust that thing ?" he continues. After 3 quick shots, we go to check the paper only to find that my groups easily matched the best he had produced. " well, guess it's on after all, huh? " I ask as we walk back, his head hanging, and back all slouched over. "Hey, I said, that new gun of yours really does look and shoot well, a real nice choice, but it is just not neccessary for me to spend $2000 to get small groups"
After loading his gear, he eased down my driveway back to his high class world leaving me to relish another display of what a budget priced " boat paddle" can do. This is not the first time that one of my many Handis has outshot or at least equalled the performance of rifles costing many, many times as much. I have often thought of all the extra barrells we could have for the price of one of the other high end guns. In closing I must say, to each his own.
Georgia Dave
