How Accurate is Your Handi???

[quickdtoo]

Please post your average group size. Lots of us have more than one Handi, if you do, please post your group sizes by caliber.

Thanks,

Tim

[JPH45]

I never shoot at 100 Tim, I've no idea. Weird part is I cleaned an area up and put a bench at 100, I've just not shot it. Based o what I get a t 50, the 357 and 44 probably shoot 3 shot groups of 1.5" and the 38-55 shoots into half that.

[mitchell]

i would say after tweeking all of mine will shoot under a inch or they wont be mine very long

[RonO777]

Mines a 223. Most of the time it will shoot one inch or less if I do my job. Thats with Winchester white box. It shoots 3/4 inch groups with my blue dot loads.

Ron

[Mac11700]

Every Handi I own and have owned save but 1 have averaged under 1"...most even smaller...I guess I'm one of the lucky ones...I know a-lot of guys say their won't shoot worth a hoot...but...then you never know what they are puting into it,or what the specs on the barrel and chamber is. There has just been way to much inconsistancies on them in the past.....For some of us...we go to great lenghts on every rifle we own and  shoot...to try to make it a 1 holer...others grab the cheapest ammo and blaze away and wonder why it doesn't shoot all that good...I can say I spend a heck of a-lot more time than most prepping my barrels ...before ever firing that first shot...depending on how gunked up it is or how rough the rifling feels to me when pushing a patch thru it...up to 3.5hrs on each...some...even longer...

Mac

[Paul5388]

Quick,

You can only vote one time.

I put less than 2" thinking of the aggregate that includes the .45-70 and the .357 and even they will give close to 1", just not all the time.  The 30-30, Hornet and .223 will shoot 1" or less depending on the ammunition.

A wise man once told me to never sell a gun, regardless of how bad it is, it's better than a sharp stick!  :eek:

[6-24x42]

I have a .223 handi and cant seem to get it to shoot a good 5-shot grouping. The first three are under an inch though usually. I have got to try something different. However, I'm not quite sure what. :?

[aulrich]

204 ruger 22" plain handi

.72" 32 gr hornady 29.5 blc2 winchester case
.8   40 gr hornady 29.3 blc2 winchester case

32 grain hornady factory not measured but all well insde the 1" square of the target

[270_Abolt]

i put less than 2" because my groups with my .223 are not always one or less than one inch.

[getom59]

My .223 Handi seems to average a 5 shot group about 1 1/4 " with my best group being about 3/4".  I usually shoot 5 shot groups and have on several occasions put 3-4 shots in a cloverleaf but then I end up ruining the group with the next 1-2 shots.

[fish280]

'06 and .308 win. '06 is a regular handi; .308 is a heavy barrel.

[perklo]

I've had over 10 Handi's or Model 058's. Most accurate? The 1st one (30/30 SB2 I bought for $150.00 out-the-door) and the 25.06 I bought used and abused for $125.00 at a pawnshop.

The 30/30 prints under an inch @ 100 yards all day long with 150 gr. Win silver box ammo. And I've never done a trigger job on that one either - it still breaks at about 5 lbs...

The 25.06 prints well under an inch at 100 but more important, with my 117 gr. handloads, Aetec 2.8x10x44 scope and (tuned) 2.75 lb trigger, it shoots about a 2.5" group at 225 yards. That's as far as we can shoot at my friends farm. I'd have to try it at 300 yards with that load if I ever get the notion to chase pronghorns out west!

- perklo    

[poncaguy]

My 22 Hornet shoots .4 MOA, my 45-70 1 inch.........my 243.......ugh ....1 1/2.......

[Badnews Bob]

Dose that include alowances for operator error? :roll:

[lostsniper308]

with 165gr Noslers and a sanded fore-end 43.8grs came out at 1.012" in my .308 Ultra. It's gonna get better once i tune that load

[Norseman112]

My .243 standard barrel will shoot .75 to 1 inch with reloads. My .223 will shoot dime size groups when dirty and under 1 inch clean with reloads. For some reason it didnt shoot well with the barrel free floated.

[Nuttinbutchunks]

My .223. 17 HMR and .243 will all shoot sub one inch. I've done it. It's me that's not cosistant.  :?

[lgall]

My .223 will shoot 1 moa if i do my part.

[Sourdough]

Honestly don't know.  Did not answer the survey since it only addresses 100 yards.  Seldom shoot that close in, never tried to shoot for grouping at that range.  Got my 30-06 sighted in for 300 yards.  Can maintain a 3" group at 300 yards all day.  Can hit a 4" clay target at 500 yards 4 out of 5 times, pretty reguler.   Shooting a Sierria 165gr Boat Tail, in front of IMR 3031.  Can do the same thing with Speer's 125gr TNT if the wind is not bad.  

Most of my hunting is in the mountains above tree line.  Usually by the time you see something, it has already seen or smelled you and is running.  If it is unaware of your presence there is nothing to hide behind taller than 4 to 6 inches.  Stalking closer is usually not an option.  So long shots are the order of the day, and you will only get one shot.

[Kart29]

My new .223 won't shoot less than about 3" and I'm pretty frustrated.  Have put over 200 rounds through it already - lots of different kinds of ammo.  I can shoot a 1.25" group with my barrel banded Marlin carbine so I don't think it's all me.   I'm going to try polishing the barrel with JB Bore Paste and then the O-ring trick on the forearm.  Hope that improves things.  Really, the thing is so far out of whack I can't believe these little tricks to tighten up the groups are goind to make much of a difference.  I mean come on - 3" at 100 yds?  That STINKS  Heck, my smoothbore 12ga? will do that.

Maybe a different scope is called for.  I've got a cheap $60 Bushnell Sportview on it.  But, I've got other guns with cheap scopes that work pretty good.  Maybe I just got a lemon.

[quickdtoo]

Kart29...From your previous post it sounds like there could be several problems to check...

1> Bad scope, not likely, Bushnells are usually pretty good, but still possible.

2> How's the trigger? Maybe a trigger hone will improve accuracy. See the Perklo link in the FAQ and Raynor's trigger hone sticky in the Misc H&R Talk forum.

3> Are you following thru with trigger pull? The transfer bar requires a full pull to the rear at the break to allow consistent pin strike.

4> Are you getting vertical stringing? How are the first 3 or 4 shots from a cold barrel?

5> Make sure the scope rail is mounted solid. I remove the factory mounted rail, clean the mounting holes in the barrel, then remount it using loctite.

I'd clean the bore real well until there is absolutely no jacket fouling present, then shoot a few fouler shots, let it cool and try from a cold, fouled bore with the win white box 45gr JHP. If it still doesn't shoot well, contact H&R and ask em to fix it.

There are way too many .223s here that shoot moa or better to accept what you are experiencing, if it won't shoot good no matter what you try, let H&R know about it. They can issue a call tag for pickup or reimburse you for shipping it to them. Right now is a good time to let them work on it, they are not busy at all in comparison to past experiences reported and they do warranty quicker than barrel fittings. FWIW, they received my frame for a barrel on May 23rd, they shipped it back to me on May 31st!!

hr1871@hr1871.com

(978) 630-8220

Hope this helps,

Tim

[MSP Ret]

Kart29, sorry your gun does not shoot as well as you want it to. Please modify or delete you post  to get rid of the vulgarity (*UCKS). This site tries to be one that our wives, children and grandchildren can visit and we don't have to worry about the vulgar language heard on the streets nowadays. I know GB is off at the PD shoot right now but he has addressed that particular word in the past and changed it to "stinks" in other posts. Thanks for understanding and I hope you gun improves with the little tricks available here. They have helped many....<><.... :grin:

Attention Moderators, if this post is not modified to change or exclude the discussed verbiage I request you do so in GB's absence...Thank You....

[bigjeepman]

I am sitting here looking at my targets from my last range trip Tuesday late afternoon. My Handi .223 with bull barrel shot 5 3-shot groups in a row and everyone of them was under .750". This is my first Handi and it is a little over 2 months old but I have put a lot of time and effort into reloads and some fine tuning on the rifle. It took me the best part of the month to find both a Nosler and a Vmax load that I would be satisfied with. The 5 groups I mentioned were 50 gr Nosler BT and Varget powder. The previous weekend I shot a group of 3 shots at 200 yds with the Vmax bullet load that measured .724". This is one of the best 200 yd groups I have ever shot with any rifle.

I am very satisfied with the accuracy in my Handi but it took a lot of effort and patience to get there.

[lostsniper308]

Ya know this here just proves you don't need a new outta the box $500+ Tikka T3 or Remington 700LSS for $900(.300winmag) less scope you'll obviously need, to shoot MOA or better. Nothing wrong with those and similar fine guns but it just goes to show what can be done with a lot less  :wink:  I've spent a little more than $400 on my Ultra, scope, bipod, and sling together. Takes some time and patience as bigjeepman so said but his 200yrd group made it more than worth while i bet.

[Kart29]

Kart29, sorry your gun does not shoot as well as you want it to. Please modify or delete you post  to get rid of the vulgarity (*UCKS). quote]


MSP Ret,,,,

would have done so already if I had seen your post earlier but it's already been edited.  Sorry for the offense.  I didn't realize that word crossed the line.  Most forums I visit usually automatically ****** words that are considered crude.

[Kart29]

Kart29...From your previous post it sounds like there could be several problems to check...

1> Bad scope, not likely, Bushnells are usually pretty good, but still possible.

2> How's the trigger? Maybe a trigger hone will improve accuracy. See the Perklo link in the FAQ and Raynor's trigger hone sticky in the Misc H&R Talk forum.

3> Are you following thru with trigger pull? The transfer bar requires a full pull to the rear at the break to allow consistent pin strike.

4> Are you getting vertical stringing? How are the first 3 or 4 shots from a cold barrel?

5> Make sure the scope rail is mounted solid. I remove the factory mounted rail, clean the mounting holes in the barrel, then remount it using loctite.

I'd clean the bore real well until there is absolutely no jacket fouling present, then shoot a few fouler shots, let it cool and try from a cold, fouled bore with the win white box 45gr JHP. If it still doesn't shoot well, contact H&R and ask em to fix it.

There are way too many .223s here that shoot moa or better to accept what you are experiencing, if it won't shoot good no matter what you try, let H&R know about it. They can issue a call tag for pickup or reimburse you for shipping it to them. Right now is a good time to let them work on it, they are not busy at all in comparison to past experiences reported and they do warranty quicker than barrel fittings. FWIW, they received my frame for a barrel on May 23rd, they shipped it back to me on May 31st!!

hr1871@hr1871.com

(978) 630-8220

Hope this helps,

Tim

Thanks for the tips.  I'm not giving up on it yet.

2.  The trigger seems pretty good to me.  Best of any of the rifles I own.  It may be a bit heavy for a match trigger but it seems to break clean and i don't notice any creep.

3.  I think I am following through and holding the trigger all the way back.  After firing I hold the trigger all the way back and don't release it for a second or two.

4.  No stringing - bullets seem to spray randomly.  In a group with a large number or shots I do tend to get clusters of holes close together but there may be two or three cluster in different places.  Shots may jump from one cluster to another and back again very randomly.

5.  I was very careful in scope mounting.  My other hobby is building and racing go-karts and I'm pretty good at mechanical things.  scope rail mount did have threads thoroughly cleaned, rail surface mated to barrel contour, blue thread-locker

6.  I have tried the Win white box 45grain ammo.  I found the BlackHills ammo to be more accurate in my gun but had malfunctions with that ammo and so don't want to use that for my hunting loads.

7.  I'm going to pick up some JB Bore Paste at the gun show tonight and give that a try.  Then I'll try the O-ring trick.  If that doesn't improve things I think I will take  your advice and send it back to NEF.  I'm going to be sending the action in to get a muzzleloader barrel fitted anyway.


I have noticed some slight parallax in my scope - at 100 yd range.  With rifle stationary - if i move my head, I can see the crosshairs move around on the background.  I would think this would be a very minor problem assuming the rifle is held consistantly from one shot to another.  Do you think this could be an issue?

[quickdtoo]

100yd parallax isn't usually too much of an issue on a hunting rifle and I agree, when mounting the rifle from the bench in the same position each time, you shouldn't see much parallax error change shot to shot. Just in case there's a problem with the scope, I'd try a different scope just to eliminate that variable as a possible cause of the problem, there could be other problems with the scope that aren't as evident, like a loose reticle/erector tube or lense. I'd hate to send a rifle in the H&R for repair and then have them shoot a nice group with it and return it with no changes made! :oops:

Good luck,

Tim

[Mac11700]

I have noticed some slight parallax in my scope - at 100 yd range. With rifle stationary - if i move my head, I can see the crosshairs move around on the background. I would think this would be a very minor problem assuming the rifle is held consistantly from one shot to another. Do you think this could be an issue?

If your groups are spraying radomly then I would suspect the scope...best you can do is to fire several groups...one day...come back the next day...and fire the groups in order again...if it consistantly puts them in the same place..it's not your scope...if it puts them away from your first groups...it most likely is.

Also...you haven't said what your rate of fire is...and how long your allowing the barrel to cool...have you checked the clerance between the forend wood and the barrel...does it have a-lot of pressure to one side or another as it is heating up...this can be a problem...and usually shows up as some type of stringing...either horizontal or verticle...or somewhere inbetween...the o-ring can help...but sometimes it takes a more solid approach...like bedding to be most accurate...Fred M went as far as bedding the barrel to the receiver to...to eliminate any side to side movement...which would be fine if you have only the 1 barrel for that receiver...same for the bedding of the forend...since not all barrel studs are located exactly the same on each barrel...

Good Luck

Mac

[McLernon]

Please post your average group size. Lots of us have more than one Handi, if you do, please post your group sizes by caliber.

Thanks,

Tim

I posted 3 inches for my .233. I'm still working on it (Recrowning and bedding/pillar forestock mods). I am also still learning to shoot it as it requires a quite different technique(method of holding) than my bolt action rifles which are all free-floated and shoot well of a Harris bi-pod.

I am revising my group size downwards. I finally got my Handi to shoot. I,ve shot Winchester White box 45 gr into consistent 1-1/4 inch groups.

[MSP Ret]

Thanks for getting back to me Kart29 and being willing to make the requested change. Also thanks to the moderator(s) who were on top of it. I am pretty sure with all the knowledge and expierence here you will have your gun shooting well soon. The other thing to do if it does not work out for you is, sell it to someone here. There are always people here (myself included) who like to buy guns that others are fed up with and "fiddle " with them to get them to be shooters. I guess it's the challange that we like....<><.... :grin: