First round fliers?

[TheCrowkiller]

I have two handis, one in 44 magnum, and a Huntsman. Both have first round fliers, where the first round shot will land significantly higher than any other shot. I have tried this with both clean and fouled barrels, and still the .44 will place the first shot 3"-4" high, at 50 yards. I am using 310 grain cast bullets over a maximum charge of H110 in the 44, and in a sabot over 100 grains of pyrodex in the huntsman. Both group really well once the first shot has been fired.
One morning this past year I shot two doe with the .44. The first hit high of where I aimed, the second (a half hour later) was right on.

Any suggestions?

[lostsniper308]

Some fire a shot after cleaning it to foul the barrel or clean it to the point where still some fouling left in the barrel. A First round flyer is an unfortunate thing with just about every factory barrel. I think its just a bullet is acted upon differently on a squeaky clean barrel as opposed to a barrel thats fouled. Just do one the above things and it shouldn't happen.

[Brett]

I have two handis, one in 44 magnum, and a Huntsman. Both have first round fliers, where the first round shot will land significantly higher than any other shot. I have tried this with both clean and fouled barrels, and still the .44 will place the first shot 3"-4" high, at 50 yards.

Crowkiller, I can see why this would happen with a clean barrel, but you say it even happens with a fouled barrel.  How much time are we talking about between shots?   Every shot from a cool, fouled barrel is essentially your first shot in a single shot. 

[Ranger J]

I have noticed this phenomenon with a clean barrel but have never had it happen with a fouled one.  That’s why I always hunt with the barrel fouled.
RJ

[TheCrowkiller]

I've had several rifles that would print differently from a clean barrel, but this is the first that does it from a cold barrel.
 I suspect that it may be the lube on the cast bullets that may be the culprit. I'm going to try the .44 with jacketed bullets to see if it solves the problem.

[Mac11700]

Another factor to shooting a Handi,that most folks forget is that you must pull all the way thru with the trigger each time and not just let it break as you would with a bolt gun.Not doing this will cause unexplained flyers most of the time...Our Hand'si has some very looooong lock times...and until your very used to shooting them..may take a couple of shots to settle yourself to the rifle.As too having first shots from a cold barrel( no-matter if clean or foulded) be off from the rest of my groups..I have found that consistant bedding pressure around the barrel lug and barrel will help a-lot...This is one of the main reasons I went with using RTV silicon..it helps in this regard no matter how I am shooting it...either from a bench..off hand..or using the Hasty sling method.There is a link to this in the FAQ's...

[lostsniper308]

my .17HMR sportster dosen't have first round flyers, maybe thats because its a rimfire.

[myarmor]

Is your 44Mag within specs .429-.430? A lot of them are over sized, but not all.
 How does it print after your first shot settles down?
I agree with Mac that the lock time could be a possibile culprit. I know at first it really through me off, but I got use to is in time. And all my Handis like a few fouler shots down the tube before they can perform, as I have noticed with most all that I have and or shot.
-Aaron

[poncaguy]

My Handi's  with fouled barrels usually shoot excellent 2 shot groups, the 3rd shot always opens up the groups........

[lovedogs]

I've heard of this happening with both Handi's and with T/C's Contenders if the forearm screw is too tight.  This would indicate a bedding problem.  Pressure points?  Maybe.  Maybe after a shot the whip of the bbl. stabilizes things and it will shoot better thereafter.  To check for this shoot a group then cool the bbl., loosen and remove the forearm, reattach forearm and see what it does.  If it does it again you've found the problem.  If it doesn't do it you'll have to look elsewhere.  My next guess would be a bbl. that hasn't been stress relieved properly.  If that's the case you're up the creek.  I doubt they'd replace such a bbl. under warranty.  You might give H&R a call and ask them about it.

[Stan in SC]

My ultra lite Handi in .243 does the same thing.

Stan

[TheCrowkiller]

I solved it!
The first test, trying jacketed bullets, showed that it still had a first round flier.

I bedded the foreend with marinetex, fore and aft of the foreend screw,and  tested it yesterday. The .44 Magnum now has a consistant zero!