I bought this H&R about ten years ago at a gun show. It's a .45-70, looked unfired, and I didn't fire it either. Not until about six months ago. I started reading on this forum. That was deadly.
I started loading and shooting this caliber (for the first time). Oh my. It shoots like a house afire as most of you know they do. I don't load much over Trap Door levels, in fact my favorite is less than that. The rifle likes loads from 365 grains to 500. The load I took hunting was the 365 over Universal Clays and runs out the tube at about 1300 fps. Pretty mild recoil. Shoots three inches high at 50, right on at 100, three inches low at 150 and six inches low at 200 (by actual test, not calculating) I got several groups of less than an inch and a half at 100 yards during testing. Wow. I didn't have time this year to work up further loads, but will next. I didn't get to blood the rifle this year, but then I didn't really hunt hard. Enjoyed it though. The rifle carries very nicley, balencing right in front of the trigger guard.
I didn't care for the factory sights. So found an old Redfield peep and attached it the chamber and cut a dovetail at the muzzle to mount the Lyman front. It's a .640 high one, or there abouts. The scope is an NcStart 2.5 power scout in QD medium rings, all bought from Opticplanet. I just used a six inch piece of Weaver rail I had and drilled and tapped four screws to mount it to the barrrel.
The Bore Snake you see poking out of the muzzle is a trick I learned from my old man. It's been soaked in oil and it just lives there when the rifles in storage. He was poking about an old abandoned house one time and found an old Winchester 86 stuffed into a corner. Covered with rust of course, but the bore was n perfect condtition because someone had stuffed a strip of lamb skin with the wool still on down the bore. He figured that the lanolin protected the bore.
I knew about the barrel program from the factory, but the lead time wasn't very encouraging. But you guys taught me another way.
I now have barrels in .225 Winchester, (was .223), 20 guage and .58 caliber blackpowder.
IT's a disease! Thanks for all the help guidence. I love it.
Cat
