Handi as an accurate fun range gun?

[JMcDonald]

I am looking for a single shot outdoor rifle that can hit 3"-wide targets at 200 yards, in a casual "afternoon at the range" scenario. No rests, just a bipid, and perhaps one shot every 15-30 seconds. Not that I expect long-range shooting to just be easy, but I want something that will hit where I aim it. From what I understand, the bull barrel models can handle the heat of multiple shots better, so I'd want that. I also like the thumbhole stocks so I'd either get the Ultra Varmint or the Survivor (though, the Survivor is my favorite one by far).

I don't mind doing little things like floating the foreend and what-not, but I don't want to end up wishing I had spent the money on something else, like a Stevens 200 (the only reason I don't go right to that is because I want the little shorter length, and I like the idea of being forced to make the shot count).

Can the Handi give these results?

Thanks.

[yooper77]

JMcDonald,

Let me be the first to say Welcome to Graybeard Outdoors.

I do believe I have heard these gentlemen mention that the heavy barrels can be very accurate.

I don't own a NEF Handi, but please read the links below if you haven't already, then you will know possibly what your in for before you buy.

FAQ's and HELP ****PLEASE READ ME!!!**** 
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,26264.0.html
Handi Basics 101 
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,116451.0.html

yooper77

[Badnews Bob]

Just about any of the .20 to .22 caliber handies can do that, and I'm pretty sure a 7mm 08 .270 .308 or .25-06 can too.  My .357 max can do it at 150 yards and is a pleasure too shoot.

 200 yards isn't that hard of a shot if you do your part, If your just punching paper or bustin clays I'd go with a .223, .204, or .22-250.

 Heck I think the .30-30 will with the right loads and I know th bigger rounds can but they heat up fast.  BUFF CLASSIC will do it iffn ya want a big bore.

[Illhunter]

Since you seem to have shown interest in the survivor i would probably just get one of them at 300 yards either the 223 or the 308 will accomplish what you want.  I would also read up on the FAQ's. I don't know alot about the handi's but i have read alot of good things about the 308 and 30-30 and 30-06. I am also told once you get one you will want more and that the 45-70 is a must have.   

[JMcDonald]

Yes I have been reading through that also. I also wanted to add that I won't mind doing a simple bore polish either.

Do you think the Survivor is capable of performance like I mentioned above?

Also, I don't want a rifle that has to be perfectly spotless to work at all. This is going to be a fun range gun (clays, cans, etc) that would also be used for survival or "SHTF" situations. In the latter cases, I might not be able to keep the chamber bright and shiny, so I don't want to have to pry out every case if the chamber gets a little dusty or fouled up. Similarly, I might not be able to wait 15 minutes between shots for the barrel to cool. The thing that turned me on to single-shots in the first place was their implied simplicity and assumed near-perfect reliability, but it sounds like they can actually be pretty finicky. Am I looking at the wrong gun? Convince me to go buy the Survivor!

*edit*

Sorry I didn't see the last two replies. I thought accuracy would be pretty much inherent, but after seeing what seems like many reports of stringing groups or just large groups in general, I lost some confidence in that after reading many accuracy reports.


Oh, and I'd for sure be getting the .223 version because of cost and recoil (my 5', 100lb gf will be shooting this also).

[RonO777]

I have both the 223 and the 308. Both are very capable of doing what you want at 200 yards. But if your going to be shooting at a gong go with the 308 it makes a lot louder pop when it hits.
Ron

[Illhunter]

in a shtf situation i myself would rather have a larger bullet than a 223 and at  longer range it will be better IMO. but i i was looking at a 300 yard gun i would probably get a 30-06 or 45-70. the 30-06 due to longer range and availability of ammo and the many different choices in ammo. the 45/70 because with the right load can be a really long range rifle but factory ammo availability is limited and i personally like a larger bullet. But if i was going to get a 45/70 would have to reload.  Also you can get the 45/70 in the ultra hunter ss with  thumbhole stock or the standard with the 22" bbl and just buy a set of survivor stocks for it.

This is my .02 cents

[JMcDonald]

Keep my 100lb gf in mind. Also remember that she doesn't have the testostrone to "suck it up" like we do, heh. If she doesn't like shooting it, she just won't, which I've learned from experience. The .223 is the only lower-powered rifle cartridges that is comonly available and at low prices. I don't plan on shooting this quite enough to start reloading, so the low price will be nice.


But, can the Survivor do what I am asking?


*edit*

Oh, and thanks for the warm welcome!

[rex6666]

I have a 280rem in a handi standard barrel that will do that.
I have a 204 w/bull that will also.
i have done nothing sofar but shoot, do clean after every dramatic episode.
I would have to say that the 308 or 223 would be better just because of ammo av.
i have the survivor stock set to go on my 204.
If you buy a handi, you will buy more.

[Illhunter]

buy both would be the standard answer because once you get shooting these fine little rifle you will want mre i myself would do the 308 and either send back for antoer caiber that i or your gf would like then you will both be happy. and i think the 308 will definitely do it if you do your part with the right ammo.

[Badnews Bob]

With the hundred pound package with you I deffinatelly go with the .223 bunch of fun to shoot and athough its loud recoil is a non issue, and yes they will bust can and water bottles just fine at 200 yards.

[Troyboy]

Don't care for the survivor stock myself. Get a t-hole lots more comfortable 223 for the fun.



                                                    Troy

[eod20]

3" at 200yds?    piece of cake for a 223 with the right ammo and you doing your part     i use a 223HB for ground hogs and have made many shots at much more than 200yds    i put a 6.5-20 x 44 on mine and it will drive tacks on a good day   by the way i shoot either hornadys varmint grenade or a 53 gr hand load

[MSP Ret]

With your girlfriend in mind get the .223, it will work for accuracy punching paper at 300 yards and also as a SHTF gun. But also get an inexpensive .22LR H&R Sporster and start your girlfriend on that. Cheap, no recoil, and FUN for her. If you start her with to much gun you may lose her forever to shooting. Besides, it's always nice to have a rimfire....<><....

[jdwolf]

I bought a suede leather shooting rest (that has to be filled with sand) from Cabelas for $10.00,  that's my shooting rest.  How accurate is my .223 Handi using this rest?  Not bad at all.  I'm shooting walnuts at 100 yards and hit more than I miss.  No brag, just fact! 

[JMcDonald]

Thanks guys. She actually has a 10/22 and a new Mossberg .410. I traded my old 9mm carbine for her 10/22 and she liked that, and then I bought the mossberg .410 as a "backup" gun, but she loved it so much she claimed it as her own, heh (though technically all our guns are "mine"  ). However, she says she doesn't like shooting 3" shells as much because of the recoil, and if going from about 650ft-lbs of energy to about 850ft-lbs of energy is enough for her to both notice and mention it, then I think the 1200+ft-lbs of the .223 is going to be plenty for her.



So, you guys think this gun won't have a problem doing what I want? I am prepared to do simple things like polishing the bore and float the stock, but I don't want it if it turns out the barrels are prone to shifting and what-not.


Also, I'd almost exclusively shoot bulk FMJ rounds like Wolf and WWB, so can I expect the same kinds of accuracy with these cheaper brads?

[Saloon slug]

I have a 308 Survivor and it will most deffinitly do what you are wanting to do and then some. I have shot mine all the way out to 400 yards at a 15" gong five out of five no problems. If you think the 308 has to much kick for the GF then get a .223 bull barrel to go with it then you will have both.

[JMcDonald]

One more thing to clarify what I said in my first post. We like doing "action"-style shooting, which in this case would mean reloading and shooting at multiple targets as fast as we can.

[Ditchdigger]

Some Handi's will not shoot at all with the bipod.Mine will shoot the best with it though.My Handi will shoot .6" at 100 yds.,but not every day.If you're expecting to hit every shot,you might be dicoraged with it. We have a praire dog shoot every yr.in western Okla.and there's far more bolts and ar 15's show up than Handi's.And its a NEF shoot. The Handi is a very easy gun to shoot,and is alot of fun to play with.  Digger

[JMcDonald]

My targets are almost always 3" pieces of pipe (I used to run an automative fabrication shop, mostly making exhust systems, so I have lots of pieces of 3" tubing lying around), or 2x4 boards, at varying distances. Since I started looking into bolt-action and single-shot guns, the distance that stuck in my head has been 200 yards. So, I want to be able to shoot those 3"-wide targets at 200 yards without having to wait for the barrel to cool, or without having to align it ever-so-carefully on a sandbag rest, or pry spent cases out after every shot if the chamber isn't spotless. I want to be able to shoot it and have it be accurate whether from the offhand position, a rough prone position, or from a bipod.

A lot of what I have read has made it sound like these guns can be pretty picky, and I just want to make sure that isn't the case.

[quickdtoo]

Sticking cases won't be an issue with any recent production barrel, H&R started switching over to manual extractors starting in 2004. I wouldn't plan on using Wolf ammo, it's not real accurate in most H&R 223s, Winchester white box on the other hand shoots real good in the 1:12" twist, dunno how it will do in the later production 1:9" barrels.

Tim

[trotterlg]

If you want it to shoot out of the box then buy the Stevens, if you don't mind fooling with it for a few boxes of ammo then get the Handi if you like how it looks and feels.  Some Handi's shoot great and some never do no matter what you do with them, you can put more ammo through them finding the right load than the rifle cost, or it can shoot great from the first round.  When you get one dialed in it is as good as anything in it's class, but getting it there can be a task.  Have fun no matter what you get.  Larry

[JMcDonald]

Hmm. I dunno. I really like the style of the Survivor, but like you say I don't want to take the risk of getting one that is going to be very picky and need lots of work to get to shoot well. A little work like o-ringing the stock or polishing the chamber is ok, but much more than that sounds like a pain to me. And, my biggest fear is that it will be like you say where only certain types of ammo will work. That might be annoying both for cost (if I end up having to use stuff that costs $15/box) and if I ever don't have a choice to what ammo I can use (aforementioned "SHTF" situations), then the gun might end up half useless.

[jmayton]

I have a standard contour .223 Handi and it is one of my favorite rifles.  It shoots just over 1 moa all the time and a bit under on good days.  I've added an o-ring floated the barrel in front of the lug and stoned the trigger.  My wife claims that it's her rifle and it's what she hunts hogs with.  It'll do just fine with "action shooting" as I do that quite often with it.  Mine shot good from the beginning, but I had two friends who had the same rifle and got rid of theirs because it didn't shoot great.  I don't know what their definition of "great" was, or what ammo they were using, or what type of tweaking (if any) they did or were willing to do.  I've made good shots out to 400yds with mine so it'll do the job your asking of it.  It just takes a little more time finding the right ammo and a little bit of accurizing to get it there.

[JMcDonald]

Hmm. Ok I did some more reading. I've been doing some more research. I found that the Stevens doesn't actually shoot that great (well, it shoots really well, but not "subMOA right out of the box" as is commonly implied) with cheap factory ammo, with common groups around 2"ish (some more some less) with cheaper factory ammo like Wolf, Remington, WWB, and cheap imported stuff, just like the Handi's. Then, when you get into the real high end factory stuff, you start getting around MOA groups, just like the Handis, and then when you start handloadig is when you can get the consistant <MOA groups, just like with the Handis.

So, I am not so worried anymore. I think I'll go ahead and get the Survivor here pretty soon.

What do you guys think about cutting the stock down to a 11 or 11.25" LOP (both for my GF and just for the shorter length in general), and cutting the barrel down to 18" or even 16.5"? Could get an OAL of 30" or 28.5", respectively! I know velocity would drop down a couple hundred FPS, but for a truck gun / third survival gun the small size I think would be very handy? Hell, might even get a suppressor later on .

[Default]

Ok i didnt read every response so i might be covering conquered ground ...
 My Handi has a bull barrel 223 extractor that i got from another GBO member about a year ago and with the hornady TAP 75 grain rounds i get groups that cover eazy with a dime and that is with just the free floated fore arm and a not very tight lock up  ( it wasnt fitted for this reciever)
 I couldnt be happier and am not sure it i want to shim it to this reciever  (dont want to lose those itty bitty groups haha)
  My 357 mag handi which the fore mentioned reciever belongs to is a 10 ring killer @100 yrds with my 140 grn XTP over a helping of IMR 4227 and only a half inch high at 50 yrds
  So with out a doubt the accuracy is there ... But like many already know , Rifles and pistols can be finicky from one to the other even if they are the same weapon in the same caliber from the company lol
  That said ... take the time to experiment with multiple loads in some varied weights and manufacturers
 The 243 youth superlight i bought my nephew for his first rifle does great with winnie and feds 100 grn loads , the Feds were a little flatter but only by a small amount ..
 My lower recoil 80 grn hand loads for that 243 also shoot great , just a little more mild on the nephew

    And keep in mind you can send the reciever and stocks to H&R and have another caliber barrel fitted to the reciever .... New calibers for a rifle for less the a $100 bill ? whats not to love

        Hope this helps you a little ,

        Default

[JMcDonald]

Yeah I was also thinking about that barrel exchange program. I'd probably go for one of the shotgun barrels if I were going to do it.