teleman: Let me tell you how I became a Handi Nut. I had many guns, I purchased the best I could afford and get. I had Parker Haile, Remingtons, Winchesters, Rugers, Thompson Centers, Marlins, and Springfields. Every year when we went to Moose camp someone forgot their shells, their gun, lost their shells, or gun, or broke their gun. We always saw Grouse on the way in, and wanted to take some for dinner at camp. So we needed a Shotgun and an extra rifle. So I would put the 7MM Mag barrel to my TCR on the dash of the track rig, and carry the TCR with the 12ga barrel on it in the door mount. One year a fellow got a little rough with my TCR after he broke his gun. I decided I needed something different to take as a spare gun.
After we got back I was in Wal Mart and saw a Handi-Rifle in the rack. It was a .270, and I am not a fan or the .270, so I asked if they could get other calibers. The Handi looked like a gun that would take a beating and still function. Plus if it got scratched or dinged so what. The woman behind the counter showed me the book they have. I saw 30-06 was the biggest they made, and the 30-06 is the minimum for hunting Alaska. So I ordered one. Three days later they called and said the gun was in. I went and picked it up. When I got it home, the paperwork for ordering a second barrel was in the box. I sent the reciever back for a 20ga barrel, and a youth stock.
I took the gun out to sight it in and was not impressed, but it was a cheap gun and it worked well enough. I started carrying it when I went out for the day snowmachining, or exploring on the 4-wheeler. Every time we go out we would end up shooting, and the more I shot this little gun the better I was able to hit things with it. One day Chuck was in a betting mood, he bet no one could hit a small seed pod hanging from a stem at 75 Yards. Chuck took his shot and missed, John took his shot and missed, Mikey took his shot and missed, I just threw the gun up off hand and shot the pod exploded. Everyone was impressed with the little cheap gun. Later that evening Chuck and I ran across two wolves stalking a Caribou Cow and Calf. They saw us about the same time we saw them. I jumped off my snow machine and shot the closest one. Chuck shot and missed the other one. Chuck shot seven times with his Remington 660 in .222 and never hit that wolf as it ran through brush till it was behind solid cover. Later the Wolf came out high up on the hill. The Wolf stopped, streatched, then sat down looking at us. I told chuck the wolf was making fun of him. Chuck grabbed my 30-06 saying, "The ARMY taught me to kill a man at 1000 yards with an 06, I'm going to shoot that wolf". Chuck sat down and used the seat of my snow machine as a rest and took his shot. The Wolf went over backwards and out of sight. Dead Wolf.
After that I started carrying the Handi more and more. I put an O-ring under the forearm, and that is all I did to the gun to improve accuracy. But I noticed every time I changed barrels the POI would change and I would have to resight the scope. I quite changing barrels. Soon I was shooting Caribou, Moose and Wolves, with the Handi. It became my go to gun. I realized it shot as good if not better than some of the other higher priced guns I owned. While it may not be the main gun I carry on a hunting trip, it is always along as backup. I've taken it to Tennessee for Whitetail. I've taken it to Texas for Hogs. I'm taking the 30-06 to Tennessee this year, and will leave it there. That way I don't have to carry one back and forth on the plane. I now have an Ultra Comp in 30-06, so I will not miss it.
As I said before the only thing I have done has been put an O-ring under the forearm, other wise it is out of the box. No poliching the chamber, barrel breaking period, nothing but shoot it.
I've noticed the people that put them down the most have never owned one.
