44mag HaNDI WON'T GROUP

[Bull Nutria]

 I have a new 44mag handi and it is not a "tack driver" , i read the stickys and did put an o ring under the forend screw. I have shot it about  150 rounds or so. after the first 125 rounds i had my gunsmith do a trigger job.
 I went to the range today and was sadly disapointed. Best i could do was 3-4 inch group at 100yds today, with the white box Win 240 JSP., i have tried the Rem 180 JSP and the Hornady 225 leverevolution FTP. the order of accuracy was Win then Hornady then REM.
I have tried reloads with the 225 FTP hornadies , and 240 SWC cast bullets(woefully inaccurate).
My bore is .4305 to .431 or so) A forum member suggested leaving the rifle bore dirty, says his accuracy improved, i tried that and mine seemed to improve until today. I plan to try some .430 jacketed bullets if i can find them at Cabelas tommorow.

I loctited the scope mount rail, mine was loose from the factory and made the scope bounce all over (that wasted about 50 rds mostly reloads) then i had a defective scope( another 30 rounds wasted). I have the black plastic model.

I did get a 2inch group once at 50 yds and a 2.5 inch group at 100 yds once both with the Win 240g JSP.I plan to sand the barrel channel and check that my o ring is in place doing its job. I shoot off sand bags on a concrete table. my 7mm08  groups well so it the 44mag  Handi not me!!

If anyone has any suggestions on how to wring a little accuracy out of this 44mag handi i am all ears!!

Bull
 

[Jimbo47]

First of all Welcome to the forum!
 
Sounds like you've been firing a whole lot of rounds, so barrel break in shouldn't be an issue.
 
You also mention you had gotten a 2" group and a 2 1/2" group once, and that should mean that the rifle is capable of grouping, but then there is the question of how many rounds did you consider a group?
 
That is important because if that is the case, then it's not necessarily the rifle that is the problem, and it could very well be an indication that it's the scope, since the mounts you have addressed, but there is also other possibilities like not letting the barrel cool sufficiantly between shots, and the way you hold the rifle, the way you clean it, or not clean it, so as you see you need to take one issue at a time and I would start with the scope, and I say that because you said you did get a group or two at one time.
 
Let us know what you find, and if you've done everything and it's still not satisfactory, you can call CS and see what they say.

[cwlongshot]

Good morning Bull!!
I suggest you go back to the FAQ's and find the threads on shooting a handi accurately. There are a couple common "no-nos" people do that effects a handis ability to group.
Also check your latch and shelf, they should be clean and dry. In the tips you will see a commonality...consistency. This is tantamount to accurate shooting regardless of the platform. Un-tuned handis really respond well to smartly and soundly snapping them closed consistently every-time.
Saying the handis all shoot better dirty is a ugly rumor around here. While it is definitely true that SOME barrels like it dirty ALL DO NOT! I agree you should have enough rounds threw it now to be past that. Look at the barrel inside and see how it looks. many handi barrels are quite rough and fouling can build fast. I regularly clean mine and have excellent results. If you know a gun smith ask him whats the number one thing you can do to make your gun more accurate. If he is worth his salt, he will tell you, learn to shoot properly, buy or assemble quality ammo, buy and use a quality scope and mounts (Mounted properly) and CLEAN YOUR BARREL!
 
Good luck,
 CW

[gcrank1]

Putting the o-ring on should have lifted the wood clear of the barrel, so sanding any more out wont change anything. Run a dollar bill through and verify you have clearance to know.
My guess is a wide bore and undersize (for it) bullets.
And (please dont take this as a jab) on the same day, same conditions, same distance could you shoot a better group with anything else you had along? When Im having a bad day, I often will try a comparably equiped rifle (scope for scoped, open sights for opens) and see if its me or the gun. Sadly, it is often me..........

[thejanitor]

I have even added a second O-ring on some with synthetic stocks because one wasn't keeping the gap enough. There really are many things that could be causing it. I don't know how many people have added two o-rings and the ones I use are about the size of a cheerio. On one of my rifles the barrel does stick of the stock a little far, but the two that have two orings are the super light barrels and sit small and low in the forend anyway, so raising them up a little more is not a bad thing. It will just depend on which forend you've got.
This may or may not help, but it is something I have done.  Good luck  thejanitor

[Jimbo47]

I recently had sort of the same issue with a scope I took off another gun.
 
It shot a fairly nice group and then I noticed a couple flyers thinking it was me.
 
Tried a different load and they were all over the place, so I went back to the original load and it wasn't any better.
 
Figuring my scope was toast and the fact I just got to the range and only fired a few shots, I tried adjusting it and did manage to shoot another group only to have it start to act up again.
 
Sometimes it's easy to blame the gun, but when a scope decides to go south, they go in a hurry.

[Jimbo47]

I have even added a second O-ring on some with synthetic stocks because one wasn't keeping the gap enough. There really are many things that could be causing it. I don't know how many people have added two o-rings and the ones I use are about the size of a cheerio. On one of my rifles the barrel does stick of the stock a little far, but the two that have two orings are the super light barrels and sit small and low in the forend anyway, so raising them up a little more is not a bad thing. It will just depend on which forend you've got.
This may or may not help, but it is something I have done.  Good luck  thejanitor

I've tried the "O" ring but I prefer the refrigerator magnets cut to size that fit just ahead of the take down screw, and have had better luck with them on most of my rifes.   All but one have the magnets, but I have one I bedded with sylicone sealant, and it works well.

[gcrank1]

I LIKE IT! Thanx!

[Default_Required]

Could this man have one of the larger then normal dia. barrel that I recall reading about with the 44s ? Do not recall what the caliper measurements on those bores were.. Should that be the case , I have a little under 100 Beartooth Bullets .432 dia. 330gr flat-nose gas-checked bullets for and older marlin that had to be sold. just a thought   DR

[Bull Nutria]

My O rings came in a 2 pack and I put the second one on today.I also scrubbed the bore. bought some 265 g Horn. FTP bullets and a pound of 2400. will try that. if that doesn't work i am going with some over size for bore cast bullets.
Why would a reputable company like H&R sell a rifle with an oversize bore? Is it very poor quality control, or just don't care??? everyone loves a tack driver but no one likes a oversize bore bullet sprayer!!
BTW gcrank1, i did shoot my TC Venture 7mm08 with my handloads last time out and it shot groups i could cover with a quarter at 25 and 50 yds.it shoots about 1.25 at 100yds and 2-3 inches at 200yds. so it isn't me!!
Thanks for the suggestions fellas, I take this rifle as a challenge--STAY TUNED
BULL
 
 
 
 
 
 

[cwlongshot]

Good catch with the 265g bullets they are very good!! Rem made a TERRIBLE choice when they dropped it and kept the 240...
 
Good luck with the new loading!!
 
CW

[Tallinar]

I agree with Default. Grab some .432 cast bullets and give them a try. May be just what the doctor ordered for that bore.

[LaOtto222]

Some get lucky and get a Handi that shoots good with out doing any thing, some are not so lucky. O rings and RTV are not the only way to bed your fore end. There is more than one way to skin a cat and fore end work on a Handi is no different. Excellent results have been done using different methods. Some times just an O-ring, some times RTV bedding, well, the imagination is the limit. I do some thing just a little different than most. First - I make sure the lock up is good, you will never get a Handi to shoot well until your lock up is good and tight. Second - When the action is open I like the fit to be loose, almost sloppy. It drives me nuts, but that is what seems to work. Third - I put a pillar in the fore end and epoxy it in with JB Weld. Look in the FAQ how I do it. You may have to adjust the fore end "slop" after the Pillar has set. Fourth - I bed the entire length of the fore end to the barrel with JB Weld. I can get pretty good accuracy and can rest the fore end on the bags or use a bi-pod in the typical location. I have not worked with plastic fore ends, but you could adjust the slop by plugging the screw hole with JB Weld (BTW I really like JB Weld if you can't tell) and re-drilling the screw hole a little closer to the action, you could put a pillar in while you are at it.

Good Luck and Good Shooting