OK, first off, let me start this thread by saying that I am a huge fan of this site, and I am a fan of you guys specifically. You have helped me more in tha past than I can articulate, and I really appreciate it...
Now on to my review:
I purchased a brand new NEF Handi-rifle in 7mm-08 and my first handling of it impressed me. I thought the gun was nicely put together, if a little rough around the edges. But, after cleaning it up a bit, the gun looked nice and had a good feel about. So, my first impressions: good.
I thoroughly cleaned the gun and especially paid attention to the barrel, knowing that these guns can be finicky (as per posts on this board). I also tried my hand at polishing the bore, just in case of problems that might arise with the ejector. My first trip to the range was disappointing, but was mostly my fault. I shot three times and the third casing got stuck in the barrel. It would not come out. My problem was that I did not calculate this and didn't bring anything to remove it with. So, back home I went. BTW, the recoil was very manageable: another good mark.
Second trip to the range, I took a box of Winchester Power Points (my old standby) and a box of Federal. Both had horrible groups. My best was 4 inches. Wow, that sucks... So, maybe the barrel needs lapping, and maybe it's the ammo. After five shots, the casing stuck. Luckily I had a rod to get it out with. But, after that, EVERY casing stuck. This is factory ammo, not reloads.
So, I send the rifle back to NEF to be fixed (ejector). The turnaround was good, but I never received the reimbursement for my shipping cost, which I was promised. Oh well, it's just $15 right? When I got the gun back I called and found out that they had polished the chamber. So, I went to the range again. This time I had far less issues with sticking casings. But, they still existed. About one in every 15 shots or so. The Remington Core Lokt bullets performed better than the others out of this gun, but I still only managed 2.5 inches at 100 yards.
As I have read reviews of this gun, people seem to say it is a good gun "for the money." Maybe so, maybe not. Savage now has a model called the Stevens 200 which sells for only $50 more than the Handi, and is based on the Savage legendary action and accuracy. So, I'm not so sure the Handi is all that much of a great bargain. The gun cost me $225, plus $15 to ship it back to NEF, plus approximately $50 in bullets, and still it did not group well. And, I have lost all confidence in it as a hunting rifle. I will not hunt with a gun that will not allow me to get a follow up shot (because of a stuck casing).
NEF has the opportunity to fill an important niche right now. These little Handi Rifles DO have a place, but unless NEF fixes some of these annoying problems, I don't know that they'll ever really be a winner.
I wanted a gun that I could have good accuracy with right out of the box. I don't know, maybe that doesn't exist anymore, with any gun, but I know I did not acheive it with my Handi. So, cheers to you guys that have great shooting handi rifles. As for me... I will be saving up for some other brand.
I hope I have offended anyone. This is just simply my take on this gun.
Todd
