Break Barrels

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3Crows

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I just bought two black powder rifles, from Walmart at less than half retail price (Walmart is killing me), a stainless Optima V2 Realtree camo and a stainless Wolf with the black synthetic stock, plus all of the fixings at nearly free prices.

But, I have always been attracted to break barrel rifles but never owned one, all I have is my old .410 (which I love) and these break barrel inlines have me wanting to pick up a centerfire straight wall rifle. I see Henry makes a couple, but who else is producing quality break barrels for hunting purpose these days? I do not know why, maybe the elegant simplicity of a break barrel is my attraction.

Show me your break barrels (even BP ones) and your recommendations about them please?
 
I got an email from Henry a while ago that has their new single shot break action turkey shotgun.....for 700 dollars......
 
The H&R/NEF rifles are nice little budget guns, but really need handloading with neck sized cases to wring out the accuracy potential. They're plenty accurate for hunting, though.

The TC rifles are the Cadillacs, though it's still helpful with any break action to neck size for a tight chamber fit to improve accuracy.

Thompson Center, CVA, Ruger, and H&R off the top of my head.

What Ruger? The #1 is a falling block
 
I got an email from Henry a while ago that has their new single shot break action turkey shotgun.....for 700 dollars......

Yeah, since the heavy shot TSS loads came out the .410 has become legit. I took a big fat tom in my backyard with my Mossberg 500 .410 with the TSS, knocked him flat at 35 yards.

But I was thinking more of a rifle. I know CVA has some break barrel rifles but I see stuff like 6.5CM in the stainless, not the cartridge I would want in a break barrel rifle. But I do love stainless steel.
 
I had a TC Encore, pretty hefty with the bull barrel but a great rifle. Plenty of great barrels out there for them too if you want to set up a switch barrel rig.
 
I have a number of H&R Handis in 30-30, 444 Marlin, a 20 ga rifled barrel, and in 454 Casull. I owned one in 30-06 as well but never could love it. Kicked like a mule and was about 3 MOA. And I have two 20 ga Toppers.

This is my most interesting though. Picked it up at a gun show in northern Colorado a few years ago. 35 Krag! In the Handi, it loads to the lower end of 35 Whelen.

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I’ve got a nef 20ga and have my eyes peeled for a handy rifle. Saw a stainless one in .270 the other day for $300, it peaked my interest but I have a feeling it would kick pretty hard in hat chambering.
 
I’ve got a nef 20ga and have my eyes peeled for a handy rifle. Saw a stainless one in .270 the other day for $300, it peaked my interest but I have a feeling it would kick pretty hard in hat chambering.

H&R never did one in stainless, so it will be nickel. I’d pass on 270 in any event. They were notoriously inaccurate. Allegedly poor headspacing. Rimmed cartridges tend to do best in the Handi.
 
H&R never did one in stainless, so it will be nickel. I’d pass on 270 in any event. They were notoriously inaccurate. Allegedly poor headspacing. Rimmed cartridges tend to do best in the Handi.
Thanks for the heads up! Yea I think 30-30 would be an ideal cartridge for a gun that size.
 
Show me your break barrels (even BP ones) and your recommendations about them please?
I bought a Henry single-shot in 30/30 last year, for $360+ tax. The fit and finish are excellent, and it's a much nicer gun than my H&R's (which are not being made, at the moment, and haven't been since 2015). Henry did a recall on the trigger, and I'm pleased that they did - the original pull was 7+lbs and the replacement unit is a much more tolerable 3 1/2 lbs. I haven't had a chance to shoot it for accuracy, so I can't really tell you much in that regard.

Based on offhand performance and bang-for-the-buck, I think very well of it.
 
You ever have a moment in life where you do something, get called out, and have to swear you aren’t that dumb? That was this moment. I won’t even edit it. I’ll just own it and take the well deserved browbeating like a man.

Happens to all of us!

Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised to learn they were offering something break action now. They come out with lots of new products, and unlike many companies, Ruger often tends to just release products as their announcement, or very shortly after announcing, so if you don't follow SHOT and gun rags, the stuff just all of a sudden appears on dealer shelves & websites.
 
Far as I know, NEF/H&R is still in limbo production-wise. I've got four of those counting the rimfire, plus a couple of spare barrels. I've also an Encore with four barrels -- am planning to add another frame or two when supply chatches up with demand again.

TC used to make an interesting rifle called the TCR 83, but they are getting pricey on the used market. If you want to get fancy, the Europeans make lots of these -- they are generally called kipplaufs even in non-German lands. CZ, Baikal, and many Italian and German (Merkel, Blaser) makers. There are also some neat rook rifles with break actions from England. You usually need pretty deep pockets though. Check places like Gunbroker and Champlain for imported offerings: http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30

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Happens to all of us!

Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised to learn they were offering something break action now. They come out with lots of new products, and unlike many companies, Ruger often tends to just release products as their announcement, or very shortly after announcing, so if you don't follow SHOT and gun rags, the stuff just all of a sudden appears on dealer shelves & websites.

Since Marlin owned H&R and Ruger now owns Marlin, maybe Ruger owns H&R....
 
Far as I know, NEF/H&R is still in limbo production-wise. I've got four of those counting the rimfire, plus a couple of spare barrels. I've also an Encore with four barrels -- am planning to add another frame or two when supply chatches up with demand again.

TC used to make an interesting rifle called the TCR 83, but they are getting pricey on the used market. If you want to get fancy, the Europeans make lots of these -- they are generally called kipplaufs even in non-German lands. CZ, Baikal, and many Italian and German (Merkel, Blaser) makers. There are also some neat rook rifles with break actions from England. You usually need pretty deep pockets though. Check places like Gunbroker and Champlain for imported offerings: http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30

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The rifle in the second image down is gorgeous. I do have a thing for full length schnabel stocks.
 
Since Marlin owned H&R and Ruger now owns Marlin, maybe Ruger owns H&R....

I do not think so, I wish that were true. Seems I read though that H&R did not go with Marlin to Ruger. That would be another rifle that is right up the Ruger alley, a low cost entry to their No.1 and 3 rifles to step up to.
 
H&R never did one in stainless, so it will be nickel. I’d pass on 270 in any event. They were notoriously inaccurate. Allegedly poor headspacing. Rimmed cartridges tend to do best in the Handi.

Yeah, I had to make up my own with an Armoloy hard chrome finish. The chrome barrel in the photo is in 357 Maximum, but the two extra barrels are also for this frame (.223 and .38 Super).

BTW, my .300 AAC carbine came with a Parkerized finish and AAC logo. Not sure if any other versions had this finish.

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The parent company for palmetto State arms purchased the rights to H&R. Unfortunately I think Remington scrapped the machinery to manufacture them.

The 410 has always been a viable turkey gun pattern it figure out the maximum range you can put 10 to 12 pellets of number 6 shot in a pop can and don't shoot past that range. You just have to learn to be a better Hunter instead of buying the latest greatest eargasplittin' loudboomer that gun manufacturers are trying to sell you to get another 6 in of range from.
 
The parent company for palmetto State arms purchased the rights to H&R. Unfortunately I think Remington scrapped the machinery to manufacture them.

The 410 has always been a viable turkey gun pattern it figure out the maximum range you can put 10 to 12 pellets of number 6 shot in a pop can and don't shoot past that range. You just have to learn to be a better Hunter instead of buying the latest greatest eargasplittin' loudboomer that gun manufacturers are trying to sell you to get another 6 in of range from.


Hmmmm :(. Well, the good news is that CNC machinery is how manufacturing is done today and there is nothing special about the rifle that would need unusual processes. As long as they have the drawings and/or a 3D scanner they should be able to resurrect the rifle. Barrels by Bergara, stocks by Boyds, other bits in house.

That TSS ammo is the real deal. Expensive but it allows more shot for a given weight. I think Mossberg makes a .410 500 for turkeys with a full choke+. But my 500 seems just fine, not sure I need the other barrel. I think any full choke .410 is probably now a turkey blaster.
 
Hmmmm :(. Well, the good news is that CNC machinery is how manufacturing is done today and there is nothing special about the rifle that would need unusual processes. As long as they have the drawings and/or a 3D scanner they should be able to resurrect the rifle. Barrels by Bergara, stocks by Boyds, other bits in house.

That TSS ammo is the real deal. Expensive but it allows more shot for a given weight. I think Mossberg makes a .410 500 for turkeys with a full choke+. But my 500 seems just fine, not sure I need the other barrel. I think any full choke .410 is probably now a turkey blaster.
It is my understanding that the lug/extractor and connection to the barrel to barrel is the tricky part to manufacture correctly, but several companies are making H&R Clones so the machinery is out there . As far as hunting in general I subscribe to the improve my skills over buying bigger guns or high tech ammo. 410 has always been a viable turkey gun if you do your homework to pattern the gun figure out a maximum range that the gun you are using his pattern density for clean kills and have the skills to get that close and self discipline to not take shots beyond that..
 
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