Author Topic: Handi .223  (Read 1110 times)

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Offline Nightsniper

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Handi .223
« on: March 17, 2010, 07:25:45 PM »
Well I had a Rem 700 in .223 and did every thing under the sun to get it to shoot good,Sold it!  Now since I have had great luck with Sportsters and I realy like single shots,Im thinking about a Handi in .223 (Lots of left over ammo).  Tell me about how you like the ones you have,what you have done to them to shoot better? How accurate are they? Ive heard that they extract not eject.  Help me decide.....Thanks Jeff :)

Offline necchi

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2010, 07:51:56 PM »
Most guy's that tinker with all the variables found in the faq's are getting sub moa at 100. I get about an 1 1/4 on a good day at 200 an that's par for most here. Hand loading ammo is a big plus.

Best advise for tip's an tricks beyond reading the FAQ'S is simply scroll back several pages and start reading anything that has .223 attached to the topic :D There is a TON of Handi info here.
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Offline Nightsniper

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2010, 10:44:23 PM »
Most guy's that tinker with all the variables found in the faq's are getting sub moa at 100. I get about an 1 1/4 on a good day at 200 an that's par for most here. Hand loading ammo is a big plus.

Best advise for tip's an tricks beyond reading the FAQ'S is simply scroll back several pages and start reading anything that has .223 attached to the topic :D There is a TON of Handi info here.
Well I just did that.  Seems to be a Tinker job from the get go. Thought there would be more praises than what I found.  I don't Reload.
FFTs realy concern me.  Guess I will find someone for the Ammo I got and just stay with my Sportsters.     Thanks Jeff :(

Offline 44 Man

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2010, 02:37:53 AM »
NightSniper, while I don't own a .223 yet (I have one on layaway), the info I have gathered on here is that they shoot very well.  Sub 1" at 100 yds is good, and can be better with just a little work if you desire it.  Biggest help is usually just a simple 'O' ring in the forearm.  I think you will find that you would have the same amount of tinkering to achieve better accuracy than MOA if you owned a Ruger #1, but it would be more expensive to do.  I have a 30-30 and a 7-08 at the moment and both will shoot 1" at 100 yds with no tinkering at all.  I suggest you give it a try.  44 Man
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Offline av-doctor

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2010, 05:56:53 AM »
Don't let the information overload available here scare you from a handi,the first one i bought 223 hb shot 1 1/4 straight from the box with winchester white box (when i say straight from the box i mean it i through a scope on and went to the range, no cleaning,fiddling,nothing) i sent that frame in for a 30-30 barrel had 2 days before deer season winchester 150gr super x's shot 2in at 100yds felt confident enough to let my nephew carry it. next one was a topper 158 in 30-30 i bought from a local gunshow all i did there was check to make sure barrel was clear and it shot 3in with open sight (which is great for me i've been wearing coke-bottle glasses since i was 6yrs old) added scope later on will do 1in easily with winchester 150's. my latest is a sb1 44mag from gander mtn 3x9x40 tasco scope (the cheap one from walmart $29) and some old american eagle 240gr hp i had laying around will touch holes at 50yd  i haven't tried 100yds yet but i can ring the gong with no holdover at 100

The moral of my story is i do nothing to any of my guns and they shoot very well straight from the box. and as anyone here will tell the more you shoot them the better they get.mine all shoot better than me any day of the week.

Handloading can help but is not needed,premium ammo is not needed,you can get great results from cheap off the shelf ammo.

Offline JW307

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2010, 06:59:31 AM »
Mine shoots great.  I've shot as good as 1/2 moa with my hand loads and it shoots just about 1 moa no matter what I feed it.  All I've done to mine is break the barrel in by shooting it a lot.  The newer Handi also has the advantage of a 1:9 twist, so you can shoot a huge range of bullet weights accurately.  Don't give up on the idea just yet.

Offline gcrank1

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2010, 08:52:43 AM »
Buy one, try it. I bet you keep it, if not, somebody here will want it and you are out nothing but the time (and all range time is good time).
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Offline Nightsniper

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2010, 09:34:08 PM »
Thank you for your replys!
First off let me say because of the economy I now live in a Apartment instead of my old farm house,and they don't allow any kind of Reloading or so they say.  My Rem. 700 was a 1-12 twist I think. So with the Handi being 1-9 twist what weights would be the best?  I think all the cheap ammo(Win & Umc) are 45gn.HP. Would like to find Good but Cheap 50gn.BT??  I have left in my ammo Win.Supreme 40gn.BT,Umc 45grnHP and Win.45gn.HP.  Does the case Eject or Extract on the Handi?  My 17HMR gets .75MOA and my .22 Mag gets 1.25MOA just want .223 to do that!...........Thanks Jeff   P.S. You got me leaning now answer my Qs and there may be another single shot in my cabinet.  Thanks Again!

Offline ssjohnnie

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2010, 06:56:49 AM »
Some will some won't it's kind of a crap shoot with these guns in my case at least  :-\

Offline Sourdough

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2010, 07:26:38 AM »
I have an Ultra in .223, one of the last with ejectors.  The only things I have done was to put an O-ring under the forearm, then shoot it.  On sighting in I was shooting cloverleafs at 200 yards.  I can consistently hit a 4" clay target at 400 yards, so I am happy.  That puts me inside the kill zone of Wolves and Coyotes.
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Offline av-doctor

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2010, 10:28:44 AM »
I think they are all extractor now. most have good results with the Win 45gr hp(myself included) 1in9 gives the most range in bullet weights (50gr to 68gr so i've been told)  i've only shot 45,50,55 all shot well. as far as cheap bt's, is there a cheap factory load available? most cheap ammo will be fmj's in 55gr.i'm currently using 55gr fmj's made by PMC $7/20 at a local gunshop.
 Hope this helps.

Offline Nightsniper

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2010, 07:51:12 PM »
Well I went to Dicks today,they had H&R.223s on sale.  Camo stocks/scope (No Name) for $299.00.    The Rifle stock didnt feel the same as Sportsters or Handis that i have shouldered before.  I found out it extracts not ejects and the trigger pull was around 6-8 pounds with a deffinate burr that I couldnt help but notice.  Im thinking about ordering one w/no sights in synthetic because I will put a Choet stock/forarm on it.
Is there a way to mod. the extracter to make it eject??   If I could find a reliable source to reload that might be an option.  Would a Bushnell 4x12x40AO be enough scope to 200yd. and less??  Thanks guys your realy helping me..........Jeff  ;D

Offline jather

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2010, 08:40:49 PM »
my first centerfire rifle bought-bull barrel 223. 100rds. of break-in, shot moa with factory 55gr. ammo, without any tinkering. just shot&cleaned, and shot some more. the tinkering usually just refines the original good results. lot more folks here report good out of the box than those having to work to get them shooting well. no regrets at all on buying my first one- actually quite surprised with performance compared to money paid for it. now have more than a dozen, all in the last 3-4 years. just go ahead and dive in. jather...
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Offline necchi

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2010, 08:49:40 PM »
lot more folks here report good out of the box than those having to work to get them shooting well.

 :o :o But, but? What fun is there to THAT!  :D
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2010, 02:22:07 AM »
If you really must have an ejector just buy one from somebody here, even with the 'slower' twist that will still shoot the 55s and you will probably be happy with it, but on a single shot that you are reloading for an extractor is nice because you dont have to chase your brass in the dirt.
Regarding scopes, for 200yd a lot of scopes will satisfy your needs, depending on just how small a spot you want to see (ie, aim small, miss small). 4-12X will likely be fine and scopes are easy to change.
"Halt while I adjust my accoutrements!"
      ><   ->
We are only temporary caretakers of the past heading toward an uncertain future
22Mag UV / 22LR  Sportster
357Mag Schuetzen Special
45-70  SS Ultra Hunter with UV cin.lam. wood
12ga. 'Ol' Ugly OverKill', Buck barrel c/w  SpeedStock  and swap 28" x Full bird barrel, 1974

Offline Nightsniper

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Re: Handi .223
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2010, 07:56:10 PM »
Im going to call my gun shop and order a new Handi.  Cant decide between Bull or standard barrel??   Since Im putting on a Choete stock/forarm I guess it don't matter on wood or synthetic.......Thanks Jeff    ;)    P.S. 1-9 twist is better for 40-50 grain right??