New to the barrel changing with NEF

[Booyah]

I know a little about the NEF handi Rifles but I never thought about barrel swapping. I done a lot of barrel changes with my Thompson Contender but I havn't give it much thought about changing barrels on the Handi Rifle.  What do I need to know about the frame as to changing barrel? Is there a range (serial numbers) that are made in production that allow the interchangibg?  I am very interested in getting into this as I have had several Handi Rifles before but when I wanted a diferent caliber, I wound buy a diferent gun. I eventually sold all my Handi Rifles and stayed with the Contender Carbines but the Handi Rifle has so many choices of calibers. Let me know on what to look for as to this will be my new favorite thing to do. Thanks

[knight0334]

NEF/H&R's have been made with a few different metal treatments. The SB2 receivers are the hardened versions that can accept all the higher pressure cartridges.

You must also keep in mind that these aren't TC's..   the barrels dont just interchange with out fitting.  ...some do though, most dont.  Barrel fitting is easy to do, sometimes you gotta add material, sometimes remove.

[Mac11700]

Booya:

Check out all the post in the FAQ's and Help at the top of the page.You'll find all the info needed to do the various barrel swaps and a good deal more in there..

Good Luck

Mac

[georgeld]

Here's a question I haven't seen addressed yet.

Once a barrel is taken off on action and 'fit' to another.

How much does that wreck the original fitting??

Thanks,
George

[quickdtoo]

George, Im thinkin this is s trick question , but to give ya the benefit of doubt.....Unfortunately it will no longer fit the original frame if the underlug pivot surface has been changed unless a temporary shim is used.

If the latch shelf is the only change made, it will still fit the original frame but may or may not lock up good, the latch has a little bit of latitude in range.

Since I have so many frames, I mark the underlug with the last 3 digits of the frame serial number to make sure I get a barrel on the frame for which it was fitted, just like H&R does.

Tim

[.308 Win.]

This is my very first reply/post, etc.  I am a little confused.  If you have a SB2 receiver and you send it back to NEF/H&R to get another barrel fit, the original barrel will no longer work on the original frame?  If that's the case, what's the benefit?  If an action won't lock back up correctly with the original barrel in place, it seems to me it would not be reliable, accurate, etc.  Am I wrong in thinking about this in this way or am I indeed understanding what I'm reading properly?  If I am, it would appear it would be best to just buy new guns in the chambering you'd like.  Thanks for your help.   

[motordog80]

308 you are confused.  What quick is saying is if you take a barrel from one frame and fit it to annother then it wont fit the original frame.  You can have multiple barrels for one frame because the frame never changes.  In my instance I bought a 22-250 and then bought a shot gun barrel form annother person.  I had the shotgun barrel fitted to mu frame so I can now use both.  But it will no longer fit frame of the person whom I bought it from. Each frame is a little different from the factory. 

[quickdtoo]

Welcome aboard .308 Win!! What motordog80 said!! One of our members here, had about 15-16 barrels fitted to one frame in one order, IIRC, considering a rifle in each caliber would cost $200-$260, his cost for each additional caliber was not much over $110 each, so you can see the advantage of one frame. Each barrel will have to have either sights or a dedicated scope to be practical, tho.

Tim

[stimpylu32]

I have gotten 2nd hand barrels from all over the country and have only had to do minor fitting to 1 of them , all the others have locked up just fine and some fit more than one frame .

I have had TC barrels that i got so flustrated with not fitting that i sold all of my TCs , for that kind of money i can get lots of handis and not pull my hair out till i get to the range and most of that is my falt .

[.308 Win.]

I appreciate everyone's help and thanks for the welcome to GBO!  I had searched looking for this post and couldn't find it.  So, I started a new one and as soon as I did, I ran back across this one I asked earlier.  Makes me feel somewhat embarrassed. I'll get this website figured out soon though. 

I had an Ultra in .308 some time back and also another Ultra in .30-06 but I let myself get talked out of both of them.  I just bought another .30-06 and it's the Handi variety for 150. at a gun show in Lexington, Ky.  Looks brand new but I am not real happy with the stocks.  They look like a pallet wood laminate and the forearm has a schnabel configuration that I'm not fond of, either.  Will the synthetic stock and forearm just bolt up on this rifle? On the H&R website, I see a rifle that is coupled with a 20 gauge shotgun barrel and it has the synthetic stocks but the receiver is nickel plated.  I like the look of that rifle.  I know these guns shoot all out of proportion with their cost.  I think they're great.     

[Smokin Joe]

.308, pretty much ANY of the stocks will interchange with no fitting required. You can put a shotgun forearm and a synthetic buttstock on if you want.

[.308 Win.]

Thanks Smokinjoe.  Do you know if there's a reason the fit on the stocks are oversized at the contact with the receiver.  Is there a reason for that or just the way they are made?

[quickdtoo]

Just the way they are made. Read thru the FAQ and Help sticky, there's a lot of info in there that will answer your questions, if you don't see what you want to know, ask away!! The synthetic stocks and blue barrel with nickel frames are nice looking, the Topper comes that way in a shotgun. You can also make your own combo by switching barrels, frames and stocks, within safe guide lines of course, shotgun barrels on rifle frames, but not the other way around for the most part.

Tim

[.308 Win.]

Thanks Quickdtoo.  Excuse my ignorance but where is the FAQ and Help sticky located?  How do I access that?  I really like the look of the handi with the synthetic stock, nickel receiver and blued barrel.  Just looks really sharp. I see in the '06 catalog where this configuration can be had but it comes with a shotgun barrel in a combo package.  Can this rifle be bought by itself in this configuration or do you have to just buy it in the combo package and then just sell the barrel if you don't want it?  Sorry to be the man of a thousand questions, just think the rifle itself looks really clean this way.       

[cwlongshot]

Here ya go!!

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,26264.0.html


BTW, it located at the top of the page for H&R CENTERFIRE RIFLES. Most all sticking are located as the first post in a board. thats why thay call them stickies, they dont move!!

CW

[quickdtoo]

The synthetic stocked rifle has a 2003 Topper frame and a .30-30 barrel on it, both were bought separately used and I fitted the barrel to the frame myself. Otherwise, the only way to get a nickel frame is to buy the Topper shotgun or one of the stainless models or the new combos which have yet to be seen. Several members here shoot low pressure rifle and pistol calibers on shotgun frames, those calibers were available on the old H&R frames that were of only one strength, both for rifles and shotgun, the newer SB1 shotgun frames are at least as strong as those older frames.

Tim

[pills]

Several members here shoot low pressure rifle and pistol calibers on shotgun frames, those calibers were available on the old H&R frames that were of only one strength, both for rifles and shotgun, the newer SB1 shotgun frames are at least as strong as those older frames.

Tim

I have attempted to find a list that refers to what you speak of. Do you know where one could be obtained?

[myarmor]

....Several members here shoot low pressure rifle and pistol calibers on shotgun frames, those calibers were available on the old H&R frames that were of only one strength, both for rifles and shotgun, the newer SB1 shotgun frames are at least as strong as those older frames.

Tim

While I don't advertise this or recomend it, I admit I also have tried a couple calibers on SB-1 frames. With all respect and with in limits, I have tried my (now mitchells) 44Mag, and 223 on a good new SB-1.
I did notice that when shooting the 223 off of an SB-1 that pressure signs came quick, a lot quicker then when fired of my SB2's... word to the wise here, IF you do it, .. load LIGHT.  I believe the thicker firing pin and the thicker hole to be the culprit here.

Aways be mindful of the pressures a cartridge can make, no matter how "small" or how much a kick one has. Point in case: A 12ga will kick more than a 223, but doesn't mean it creates as much pressure.
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm

There's not many calibers I would try this, and I was very reluctant to do it with a 223.
A 22Hornet, 30-30, 357Mag, 44mag, are the only ones I would be daring enough to try.
Still, why not just put it on an SB-2 and be done with it and save the risk.
 Kind like the old sign at the local swimming hole, Enter At Own Risk.

-Aaron

[pills]

What exactly are the pressure signs? Got an extra SB2 frame ya wanna donate to the cause?

[myarmor]

For me?.. pierced primers, and craters are what I got fast. Even factory ammo showed small signs.
As for an exta SB2? Nope  I find 2 is all I need, as well as 2 SB-1's. This is all I need with a few extra barrels.

[pills]

So the damage was to the shell not the receiver?

[quickdtoo]

What Aaron said is good advice, shooting rifle barrels on shotgun frames is at your own risk and the shotgun frame's!! Those calibers of the old H&R have pretty much been covered, the 357mag and 44mag pistol calibers, .22 Hornet and .30-30 are the common rifle calibers. I tried shooting my .357max barrel on the Topper frame and got perforated primers, but it works fine with the .30-30 barrel on it, just a difference in the primers vs the firing pin/hole around the firing pin as Aaron mentioned. One member thought he had a rifle frame(SB2) when he used a  .270 barrel on it, he had problems from the get go, when he investigated, he found out it was a shotgun(SB1) frame!

Be careful,

Tim

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,66901.msg406756.html#msg406756

[myarmor]

 What he said