NEF 204 Trade

[204Ruger]

I floated the barrel on my 204 and the gun shot worser than it did before.  Today a traded it and 2 boxes of shells a 204 bore snake and the tasco 6-24X42MM Varmint scope for a Marlin 917V 17 HMR rifle with 4-12X40mm scope and 150 rounds of ammo and a bore snake.  I miss my handi but it was just getting to me.  The most accurate gun i have ever owned was a Remington 788 in .222 Remington.  It would touch bullet hole after bullet hole ever time.  I really miss my 788 i killed more groundhogs with it then any gun i have ever owned.  I may get a ultra 223 Varmint rifle very soon.  I would get a 204 again but i am afraid it will do me the way the first has done.

[mt3030]

204...
Sorry to hear of your headache. But, over the last 5-6 years I've given up on several Handis too. Just got tired of trying different tricks. Some I just consider a POS and get rid of. I love my handis when they give me some results, but I think everyone has a point where they should just move on. Don't give up on all them. Some shooters have more time to mess with them, some of us would rather be shooting or hunting. From the posts here, you can see there are a lot of happy Handi campers.
Wally

[bigjeepman]

I have two 17 HMR rifles and one is the Marlin 917v. I have fired many rounds through it of all the ammo available today. Mine will group the CCI Gamepoint 20 gr bullet much better than the rest @ 100 yds. I also had my trigger turned down to 2 lbs with a spring change.

Good luck with your Marlin.

[slayer]

All of this my Handi doesn`t group well is kinda disturbing. I grew up shooting many Remington 700`s in .270 and everyone, with every caliber shot like tack drivers, scary consistent. I have gotten out of bolt actions for the sole reason of simplicity. I expect my Handis to shoot at least almost as well as a Remington 700, if not, pretty close would be good. Grant you, the Rem 700`s are the best out of box shooter I have ever used bar none without modifications, but I don`t expect to have to heavily modify a gun to make it shoot well, including the Handi. I ordered an H&R BC .45/70 and I expect it to shoot pretty darn well out of the box with let`s say Remington 405 gr. factory ammo. I have $100 Marlins that are tack drivers for the price. Jack.

[quickdtoo]

204ruger, I'm really confused about your experience with the .204, here are a couple of your first posts...

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=361973&highlight=#361973

got a 204 handi rifle and i love it. it shoots 32 gr. v-max in .75 inch groups at 100 yards. I have killed 4 groundhogs with it and the results are great. I love handi rifles.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=362870&highlight=#362870

Seems to me it was doing great until you started changing things....If accuracy got worse, you should have cleaned it, put everything back the way it was and if it still didn't shoot good, sent it in to H&R for repair. I find that most Handis have a distinct preference for ammo and being limited in ammo selection as is the .204 you can be at a disadvantage. Mine as did yours, only shot the Hornady 32gr Vmax well, and I tried every factory ammo made for it, but it does shoot that ammo at less than 1" with less than 50 rounds thru the bore. The one good thing that has come out of mine is I'll have lots of brass tp reload when I run out of factory stuff!!!

[Mac11700]

What  simple things you have to do to improve the accuracy of any Handi...isn't what I would call heavy modifications...but as with any rifle...having high levels of expectations for a new rifle performance with any given load...is a sure fired way of being disapointed....These rifles are not bolt actions......even the way we have to shoot for "groups" is different...a-lot more depends on the shooters ability with these rifles...than with most bolt actions...how we place it on the rest...how we have to pull all the way thru on the trigger...these have more bearing on getting the rifle to group than any bolt gun...and I've seen a-lot of people trying to shoot them off a rest the same as they would with their favorite bolt rifle...only to be very dissapointed with their groups.....but all one has to do is to see just how well they can shoot...then that's when the fun begins for them...

204Ruger...I'm sorry you was disapointed with your Handi...but since you've already traded it off we can't help you with it...perhaps if you deceide to get another one...you will ask for some helpfull advice...if your having the same problems...there are some really good folks here that can give you some really helpfull and easy tips on shooting and tuning your Handi...every now and then a few lemons get sold...it's that way with any rifle sold...even the most expensive...and I too had a 788...mine was in 7-08...and lets just say...after 2 trips back to Remington...I sold the rifle just as you did your Handi...


Mac

[-Shaggy-]

This is almost humorous. You had a rifle you liked and that shot well, so naturally you decided to "fix" it. Your "improvement" made it shoot worse, so you traded it. Now you say you would get another one, but you are afraid of what "it" might do to "you"! Try to imagine what the rifle would say if it could. You went from "love it!" to "traded it" in 15 days. The only question I can think of is....Did you learn anything from this?

[Mac11700]

I think the lesson if any to be learned from any of this... is one that my dear old Dad taught me early in life......"  Son..don't fix...what ain't broke.." :wink:

Mac

[MSP Ret]

Your so right Mac, the old Maine phrase is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"....<><.... :grin: