Small-Bore First Purchase?

[Grizzly_A]

I’m looking to buy my first single-shot. I wanted to try a new caliber and was dead set on a new NEF in .204 (22" Bull) after holding one at the local sporting goods store. I'm a little more cautious though with some of the posts on the mixed results in performance from their NEFs (on a whole).  Are the QC problems so bad that if the store has 3 in stock, I should look at all 3 new-in-box rifles, disassemble them, shake them, check for wiggle/gaps and decide that way?  It sounds like I’m buying a used car.  I would like to make sure I get one of the 90% that shoot well! Any additional tips? :wink:

I’m certainly not against the NEF by any means, but I’d rather have a positive first experience than a bad one. I want my money to go toward a purchase that is going to be a “good” (on par with Rem/Ruger/Savage) shooter out of the box so I can have fun concentrating on perfecting the load, not trying to get the gun to shoot straight.  I was drawn to the TC/NEF style because of the ease to change barrels.  
So…how has the performance of NEW small caliber Handi’s (.22H, .223, .204, .243) been for you?  Problems? (I know ya’ll don’t care for the ultra-light .243) Praises? (anyone seen a .220 Swift Handi?)
Is the Handi any better/worse than the dedicated rifles from Spartan (now Rem formerly Braztech) or Rossi? The prices are about the same. What about the quality?
Is it true that a single dry-fire of the NEF will ruin accuracy?  Is this a feature of all single-shot rifles?  What’s the difference between the hr1871 Ultra and the NEF Handi? (aside from the obvious stock/barrel design) If they are stamped different, are they still made on the same machines (same QC problems?) The models are all similar, so is there a difference between them that leads to better or worse accuracy?
Too many Questions?  Did I forget one?  :wink:
Thanks,

[quickdtoo]

Welcome aboard!!

Are the QC problems so bad that if the store has 3 in stock, I should look at all 3 new-in-box rifles, disassemble them, shake them, check for wiggle/gaps and decide that way?

Read the top sticky, has a few things to look for, it mostly applies to a used gun but some of it applies to a new one too.

Read all the stickys, there's a ton of info in there that will answer a lot of your questions. Use the easy search tips sticky to get the most out of the search function, you can bet that whatever you want to know has been asked at least once before. :wink:

So…how has the performance of NEW small caliber Handi’s (.22H, .223, .204, .243) been for you?  Problems?

I have a .17M2, .17Hmr, 22Mag, 22 Hornet .204, .223, .22-250 and .243, they all shoot very well. The .223 is notorious for sticking brass, but most new rifles will have extractors, but a good chamber polish will usually solve that issue on an ejector equipped barrel.


Is the Handi any better/worse than the dedicated rifles from Spartan (now Rem formerly Braztech) or Rossi? The prices are about the same. What about the quality?

Rossi doesn't make the Rem Spartans, they're made in Russia by EAA Baikal. The quality of the single shot shotguns is crap from what I've looked at, have never seen any of their rifles and I doubt anyone will for a while, Rem has put the eta back so many times, it's not funny.

Is it true that a single dry-fire of the NEF will ruin accuracy?

Dry firing most any firearm can have detrimental effects, not a good idea unless the mfr states it's ok. I would be worried more about breaking a firing pin or transfer bar and making the gun inoperable than causing an accuracy problem which I dunno where you got that idea.

[trotterlg]

They are definately better than Rossi, I have had both.  They will never be as good out of the box as a Savage is, they are just plain the best cheap rifle to shoot without fooling with it.  Savage/Stevens has some Stevens brand for $200 now.  You can get a better price on the Handi and they are fun rifles.  Larry

[Grizzly_A]

Thanks for the quick replies...

I've read the stickies, read the rossi forum, looked into alternatives (rossi, spartan, ruger, etc.) I don't think that Savage offers the model 200 in the .204, but time will tell for '06.

Sorry for the mis-info on the Spartan.  Information overload. :wink:

The dry-fire issue came from posts on this site.  I'm aware that dry-firing without snap-caps or similar product isn't recommended for most rifles, but I wanted to confirm that it wasn't going to ruin accuracy or the internal parts of the gun with a single dry-fire.  Perhaps that was on the TC forum. :-)

Perhaps I'll re-read the stickies and see if I missed something the first time through.

Thanks,

[poncaguy]

My 17 HMR , 17HM2, 22 Hornet, 204 Fluted, 223 Fluted and 22-250 Bull barrel are my most accurate H&R's, all shoot MOA or better. And my Bull Rossi 223 shoots better than MOA also. Only Handi that's not very accurtae is my 44 Mag, but haven't shot it much yet. My SS Synthetic 243 wasn't too great at first, but the more I shot it, the better it became, down to 1 1/2" now.

[mitchell]

I would like to make sure I get one of the 90% that shoot well!

if your getting a 204 odds are you will get a good one every one i've handled in person has been great (nice lock-up and trigger)

[Ditchdigger]

There's been some transfer bar problems on some of the new one's,so pick up the gun and lean it over to the right while pulling the hammer back. If that small piece between the hammer and firing pin slides to the right,it's probably going to fall off sooner or later. It's only happened on 5 or 6 gun's in the last 3 months to people here on the forum,but it sure ruin's your day the first time you try and shoot them.  Digger

[myarmor]

When you go to check out the one you are about to potientially buy, push the relaese lever and watch the barrel closely when it breaks open. If it "falls" to one side then you are probably going to have a couple problems. Thats what my 223 did when I got it brand new, though I didn't pay any attention to it. I eventually played enough with it to fixed it, easy fix, and it is my best shooting Handi. Though I did burn a lot of ammo in frusteration trying to get it to shoot right, Oh well, thanks to this forum I got the info to work it out.
-Aaron