Handi Rifle accuracy

[chino69]

Here's an interesting one that may help some.  I have an SB2 .223 heavy bbl.  Handi Rifle that just had a new 1-9" barrel installed.  This rifle has the forend mod. with the O-ring, 1 1/2 pound crisp trigger, trigger over travel screw, etc.  Before the new barrel was installed, myself and a friend tried every trick in the book to get our rifles to shoot consistenty.  When I received my new barrel, I loaded some 60 grn. Sierra HP's with IMR 4895.  My new barrel has a short throat which allows me to seat the bullets into the lands.  I began shooting the new barrel, going up incrementally in charge, shooting three shot groups.  The groups were encouraging with some measuring <1/2" and my intention was to experiment with some of the better groups to fine tune the load.  I was going to shoot my Ruger Mini-14 that same day and had some 55 grn. Hornady V-Maxes that were loaded incrementally to try and find a load that it liked.  When I was done shooting the rds. originally loaded for the Handi, 60 grn. Sierra HP's with IMR 4895, I decided to shoot the rounds originally loaded for the Mini-14.  I figured that it would help to break the new Handi barrel in and didn't expect a whole lot in the accuracy department.  The first five shot group measured .151 and the rest were tight as well.  These bullets were a full .103 from the lands!  I've re-shot this exact same load three more times with five shot groups and the results were equally impressive.  I never would have stumbled on this combination if I had followed my normal load development sequence.  If you can't get your Handi to group consistently and accurately, try jumping the bullet a significant amount.  I now have my $200 walk around tack driver.

Follow up to above:  I went to the range yesterday to shoot the Handi Rifle with the over travel screw mod and everything worked fine.  I originally had a Weaver V-16 with quick release mounts for load development but decided it was too much scope for a walk around varminter, as many of my shots are offhand snap shots in the 50 to 150 yd. range.  Occassionally, I'll use a bipod with this rifle to get out to 200 yds. or more but if I have those kind of shots, I usually use one of my custom varmint rigs.  At any rate, I ended up putting a 3.5 X 10 X 50mm. Sightron Sl on the Handi and will leave that on for varmint hunting.
Chino69

[edgemark]

SNIP
1 1/2 pound crisp trigger, trigger over travel screw, etc. 

SNIP

In the trigger work that I have researched for the Handi, I have not seen a mention of an over-travel screw. Is this standard and I missed it or is this something new? What did you do to get to 1 1/2 # ??

thanks,

edge.

[LaOtto222]

Let me welcome you aboard! As you have found, every rifle is a thing on to it's own (nothing works the same for every rifle). You have found that a .1 inch gap works for your rifle. My 233 ultra (a 1 in 12 twist) has more than a .1 jump with a 50 grain bullet seated out as far as I dare go. The guys that frequent this board know quite a bit about Handy rifles (I am a recent addition, but long time reader). I have never heard of an over travel screw on a Handy. I think I remember some talk of it in the past but was quickly dropped because of the plastic trigger guard. Was this a modification? Where is the screw located? The most common place would be through the trigger guard at the lower end of the trigger.  The trigger guard is plastic on most H & R guns unless you have an older Buff classic or special ordered a steel guard(which I do not think they have any more). If it was put any where else, it could not be adjusted without taking the trigger group out of the frame, unless there was an access hole drilled through the frame. Help me understand how you did this.

[cascadedad]

Photos please.

[chino69]

Let me welcome you aboard! As you have found, every rifle is a thing on to it's own (nothing works the same for every rifle). You have found that a .1 inch gap works for your rifle. My 233 ultra (a 1 in 12 twist) has more than a .1 jump with a 50 grain bullet seated out as far as I dare go. The guys that frequent this board know quite a bit about Handy rifles (I am a recent addition, but long time reader). I have never heard of an over travel screw on a Handy. I think I remember some talk of it in the past but was quickly dropped because of the plastic trigger guard. Was this a modification? Where is the screw located? The most common place would be through the trigger guard at the lower end of the trigger.  The trigger guard is plastic on most H & R guns unless you have an older Buff classic or special ordered a steel guard(which I do not think they have any more). If it was put any where else, it could not be adjusted without taking the trigger group out of the frame, unless there was an access hole drilled through the frame. Help me understand how you did this.

Thanx for the welcome.
I drilled through the bottom of the trigger guard so that the screw would contact the lower part of the trigger near the bottom.  I tapped the hole and mixed up Brownell's Acra Glass gel to cement it in place.  I placed some gel in the hole and screwed the set screw in until it contacted the bottom of the trigger; adjusted it so that the sear released, the disconnect re-set, with minimal overtravel.  I let the Acra Glas cure and the screw is secure enough to hold the set screw.  These were pistol overtravel screws with a little rubber nub, which contacts the trigger, which also came from Brownell's.  As many know, Handi triggers have too much over travel which is never conducive to accuracy.  I'll be shooting it soon and will give a report.
Chino69

[quickdtoo]

Over travel is pretty much a given for the transfer bar to work, if you don't get a full pull on the trigger, the t-bar won't be in place to allow the hammer strike to impact the firing pin. Learning how to shoot a Handi well is just a matter of practice.

Tim

[chino69]

SNIP
1 1/2 pound crisp trigger, trigger over travel screw, etc. 

SNIP

In the trigger work that I have researched for the Handi, I have not seen a mention of an over-travel screw. Is this standard and I missed it or is this something new? What did you do to get to 1 1/2 # ??

thanks,

edge.

Edge,
See response below for over travel screw details.  The 1 1/2 # trigger pull required three different disassemblies over the period of about two years.  The most recent and final consisted of using some of the information in the Perclor? website.  Basically, I polished all contact surfaces to a mirror finish with a Foredom tool, hard felt bobs, and red rouge polishing compound.  The pieces were then treated with a two part friction reducing application of a product I obtained from Brownell's.  I polished the trigger and hammer pins and the inside holes of the hammer and trigger.  The parts were re-assembled and lubed with moly.  Trigger pull gauge yields a consistent and safe 1 1/2 # pull and that is perfect.  The over travel screw was an afterthought as I noticed the significant amount of over travel.  I just shot the rifle yesterday and everything work perfectly.
Chino69