NEF Factory Service
NEF Factory Service or can a Frog really become a handsome Prince? Well the story begins while I am watching fabulous of videos, Dog Be Gone and see that they test and use a NEF Handi Rifle in 17 HMR. Well, I have the 17 HMR in a Marlin 17 VS that is a truly a laser weapon and was gonna wait and convert the doggy 10/22 to 17 Mach II, so did not need any more 17s. I had kinda sorta heard good thins about the NEF and so checked it out. I was better than expected, was sort of a poor mans Thompson Center entire rifle/shotgun system. Checked what is left of Chuck Hawkes free site and found a good review. Went scurrying up to my local gun store and found EXACTLY what was looking for me. A stainless, synthetic NEF Handi Rifle in 223 Remington.
I love my AR but even in just the Colt configuration of 20, HBAR with bipod and scope that is one HEAVY sucker. I needed, had to have and could not live without a handy rifle, and I found a Handi rifle. Being 223 I had all the dies, brass and powder I would need, at 1 in 12 maybe needed the light bullets, but I thought I had it covered. In addition, they make inexpensive barrels for these things that are one half the cost of TC. I could get a 22-250, which my SIL had all the stuff for, or a 30-06 or, well you see where I am going. Therefore, for $247.50 I got a used, with scope NEF. The scope was only a BSA 3X9X50 but it was on the rifle and because its first duty was on rabbits at night I figured, what the heck. Off to the range, with some Winchester White box 45 gr HPs for varmints.
It is here that the frog shows up. First two rounds are about one ½ at 50 yds and almost touching; I am thinking I was scored the coup de grabass of the year. Next, two will not extract, but are close, what the heck lets go hunting. Out with friends that need to blow about a 1000 rounds of 7.62 X 39 through their SKSs. Hunting a HUGE field with the jacks 100 to 200 yds in center. A situation made for this handi 223. First shot, 100+ yard jack evaporates, Yee Haw! Case will not eject, however. Nearly sever an artery trying to dig this out in the increasing gloom. Finally, get the cotton pickin thing out and up comes my next rabbit. Well, he and all others that evening escaped with clods flying either short of or over or right of said game. Came close to breaking the blade of knife attempting to remove the stuck cases in the dark. Not a happy camper!
Race to the net for advice. Hit my standbys. Texas Predator Posse and Varmint Masters. The Posse offers the best advice; I take it, hone (polish) the chamber with Flitz and believe all is well. Well, it is well, just not all. It is about 50% well. Go to range to sort out the accuracy thing and find that ½ of the rounds extract and therefore the others do not. Have checked with the NEF factory by now on the age of my weapon. It was only six months old, probably really in service only 4 of those months. The bore looked pristine and there were no usage marks, dings or scratches. Sat down with Winchester White box and attempted to get this thing to group. Not a chance, it was everywhere. Noticed that on loading the scope had funny almost imperceptible circles around it. The scope was moving in the rings. I knew that meant to waste no more ammo and get this fixed pronto. Guy saw that it was a matte finish scope and suggested I try rubber cement on it to keep it from moving. Go home, try it, and go back, still moving, fellow says to use scope without the matte finish. Go home, switch scopes, and go back, still moving, in fact, moved so badly that it gouged the scope. Go to gun shop, buy new rings, and mount the rings and scope. Go back to range, better, and get decent 100 yd group. Buddies call, it is time to hunt, very high expectations for my baby. Install a bipod and I am ready.
Saturday night in Regan County, Texas finds us hunting rabbits. I shoot at eighteen jacks with no joy and exactly eighteen failures to extract. I am old enough that I did not do what I would have liked to do, and I would have loved to thrown the rifle as far as I could into the scrub, it would have done more damage being thrown than shooting it. Decided it had to go to the smith. Sent to my gunsmith. He installed stiffer extractor spring. Therefore, 10 days and $20s latter I have my handi back. Take to range, shoot 10 rounds and all fail to extract. Have definitely had it! See on the NEF forum and Varmint Masters how everyone LOVES their Handis. Decided to try factory service for the first time ever. It was the factory to take my licks trading in.
Send off to NEF with little or no expectations. Spend $40 more dollars sending UPS insured. Now have $325 dollars in this deal. Can anyone say you get what you pay for. I have buddies that go to sleazy pawnshops and steal rifles for $50 bucks that shoot lights out, but not me. Anyway, NEF receives rifle, sends acknowledgment and 10 days later ships it back. Sends a No Charge invoice and a picture of target where the rifle was test fired. All of this takes 4 weeks, two of which were the UPS ground time. They say they fixed it. The test target looks good, not great but a three shot group. I had not seen a group from this rifle in a while. I am excited! This is Tuesday afternoon and I wanna shoot. The wind however is blowing a hurricane here in Midland, Texas. Get up at 5am for next two days; wind at that hour is still 20+ mph. This is make or break time. If she does not shoot she will be on the gun shop shelf on the way in, she will not even get home. Friday dawns with calmer winds.
This morning is the day. Thrusday I had installed the O ring that many say is the key to accuracy in this weapon under the forearm screw. Get to range by 6:30 am while south wind is still only 10 to 15 mph. On our, the MSA range, South winds are head winds, so not so bad. At 25 and 50 we are on the paper. In addition, oh yes, every shot extracts, so far! Zero at 100 in 6 shoots. Feeing good and looking good. Shot a record target with Winchester White Box 45 grain Varmint loads. Five shot group, all rounds extracting and last four shoots right at one inch, ONE INCH! Just like, they said on the net. I am impressed. It is not great, yet. Certainly one inch is not gonna win any prizes, but it will kill jacks. From all that I read, it takes couple of hundred rounds to make these shoot, I can only confirm about 150 rounds to date with my ownership. The gun shop said the man that traded it had shot it sparingly, the looks confirm that. I may be on the brink of a good to decent shooting weapon. I hope so.
Thanks to NEF factory service and you guys on the NET for getting me through![/img]
