I took delivery yesterday of a new .223 HB ordered last week, and without shooting it yet it looks and feels pretty good. Finish is nice, the barrel locks up very tight with no side to side movement that I've been able to detect, open or closed. The trigger is a little heavy, but less so than past handi's we've bought around here. Stock is OK for pallet wood and the butt pad is nicely fitted, surprisingly so. After a couple of patches the inside of the barrel looks good too. The extractor is smooth, and, while not tested with fired rounds yet, removes loaded rounds like it should.
This one came with a pretty unimpressive unmarked 3X9 scope that will go somewhere else and be replaced with a grand old Weaver in the same power range. It might be acceptable on one of the old .22's around here.
The gunshow in Boise this weekend means there will be no chance to shoot it until the following Saturday. That occassion is being eagerly anticipated. There are reloads with 50 grain Ballistic Tips and Berger HP's, 55 and 60 grain Hornady SP's, and maybe even some factory loads, if we don't get too stingy.