H&R Handi Rifle: Should I get one?

[Mauser lover]

I was thinking about getting an H&R Handi Rifle in .204 Ruger or .223 Remington. Does anybody have any experience with them? Do they group pretty well, and is the fit and finish decent? If you post pictures of groups I would appreciate it.

 

[HOOfan_1]

My dad has one in .223. It groups around 1.5" at 100 yards, we've tried several different bullets and a couple of powders. I've killed several groundhogs with it head shots at 200 yards though. He's killed a bunch with it as well.

Best accuracy we've gotten are with 25 gr. H335 powder and Hornady 55gr. V-Max. Winchester Brass and CCI small rifle primers

 

[elano]

Mine was in 308 and I was not impressed with it. Would not shoot that great and had ejection problems.

 

[GJgo]

I had one in 223, shot about an inch & a half as well. It was actually a lot of fun for the money, but I traded it off for something that shot better.

 

[Mauser lover]

HOOfan and GJgo,
How old were yours? Just read something that said that the old ones were better....

 

[HOOfan_1]

My dad bought his new about 4 years ago.

 

[trapper500]

Should I Get a Handi Rifle

I bought me a Handi Rifle its coming on Wed of this week I got the 500 S&W magnum & i will buy some extra barrels later on they are very accurate & nice handling rifles My wife has a 243 in the H&R & she loves it . I love the entire single shot concept that makes your junts much more exciting to me it does anyway can't hardly go wrong with a Handi Rifle. Iam gonna post my results on THR iam going to shooting atleast 60-80 yards Mary's 243 is a tack driver @ 100 yrds

 

[nashlaw]

In his book "Accurinzing the Factory Rifle," Mic McPherson had nothing but good things to say about the Handi Rifle. A friend has a .243 and he dinked around with it enough to get it under .5" at 100yds.

I have considered one in a centerfire .22 cal or .243.

 

[roklok]

No.

 

[Elkins45]

I bought a .223 for my Dad about 15 years ago. It would shoot about 4" at 100 yards and the action would unlock and violently blast the empty past your ear almost every time the trigger was pulled.

It's not a gun I have fond memories of. We sent that one back to the factory. It stopped unlocking but the accuracy didn't get any better.

 

[Curator]

Handis are great little rifles however there are a couple of issues that do show up from time to time. While is is possible to get a rimless cartridge to work, rimed cases work best in break open actions. The Handi does not have a mechanical extractor but a spring loaded ejector. Sticky cases or high pressures result in falure to eject. The "self-opening" problem shows up with "extreme" chamberings like .500S&W or the occasional less-than-perfect factory quality control. Triggers sometimes need a bit of work to get a crisp let-off. Tight forearms can compromise accuracy as can the shooter's unfamiliarity with the break open platform. In all what can you expect for a center fire rifle for around $200? Except for the occasional lemon they are fun, accurate "handi" rifles.

 

[lizziedog1]

I have a couple of HandiRifles.

It seems that sometimes you'll get one that is pretty good shooter and sometimes you'll get a finicky one.

I bought one many years ago chambered in 357 magnum. I had it rechambered to 357 Maximum.

It ain't a bad shooter. It is within minute-of-jackrabbit out to one hundred yards or so.

It is a versatile rilfe. I not only can shoot maximums in it, but also 357 magnums and 38 Specials. The light load Specials are a blast to shoot no. No recoil. Great for plinking and busting up distant dirt clods.

I like these guns.

 

[Ranger J]

I have one in 45/70 and one in .44 mag and both shoot well. On the other hand I had one in .223 (wouldn't eject empty) One in .308 (poor fit to receiver) .357 (too long chamber) and one in .44 that had an oversize bore. I got rid of these last four but the 45/70 is the one that I often take deer hunting and use to kill paper at the range. Love/hate relationship I guess.

RJ

RJ

 

[303tom]

I love mine & I have several.........

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

Put away a few more bucks and get a better quality rifle.

 

[rbernie]

I have several and think well of them as field-oriented rifles that are inexpensive and solid.

Unlike many 'cheap' bolt guns, the HandiRifles are highly servicable for field use straight from the box. They have great ergonomics - they carry well in the field and they offer a proper cheek weld when you use an appropriate scope/ring combination. Accuracy is more than adequate for hunting use, but (like most break-open designs) then don't show off their potential well when shot from a rest. I have found that either you get a decent one, or you get a dog. I have had one dog (a 30-30 of unknown lineage that I bought used) and a handful of good ones (all bought new within the last half-decade).

In my experience - if you want a better rifle, you're going to have to spend a fair bit more. For example, I bought a Stevens 200 several years ago, and to get it field-serviceable required a new stock that raised the price of the package to almost twice the cost of a NIB HandiRifle. The HandiRifle, OTOH, comes with furniture that is suitable for field use right from the get-go.

 

[CoRoMo]

If you post pictures of groups I would appreciate it.

Mine doesn't shoot groups worth taking a picture of.

1.5" at best.

But it is a decent little rifle and well worth the < $200 that I paid for it.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I have one in .280 and have no issues whatsoever with the mechanical function of the rifle. I've never had ejection problems or anything like that.

However, it is the pickiest gun I've ever seen. I've only found one factory round that it will shoot well, and I've tried countless handloads with no luck so far. Also, the headspace is excessive and I get case head separations after about 2-3 loadings. As reasonable as you can get a bolt like a Marlin, Savage Axis, or Mossberg, I won't buy another Handi unless it's just too good a deal to pass up. Then I'll sell it and make a buck.

 

[Kachok]

While I will admit that they do put together a pretty decent rifle for the price, I recommned you save up a few more bucks and get a Savage or Tikka. They are not only more accurate but more reliable, I never had a 110 or T3 give me any mechanical issues, and yes all of them would shoot sub-moa when I did my part.

 

[PapaG]

Some shoot really good, some just o.k. Biggest need is trigger work. It started out as a pretty lawyer proof single shot shotgun with a horrible trigger. I've had three of the slug guns, four of the rifle types and all had really stiff pulls.

 

[Boomie]

I have had two - an older 20 gauge and a newer .243. The new one was a real dog. Not worth the aggrivation if you don't get a shooter. For just a little more cash you can get a bolt gun with a better track record (Savage, Tikka, Howa).

 

[Jackal]

I had one of the heavy barreled, laminated stock ones in .223. Never could get it to shoot worth a darn. Stiff action, horrid trigger and less accurate than my 5.8lb AR15. Yuck. Sold it at a loss.

 

[wingman]

Had 2 both poor in accuracy while it is possible to "tinker' until you get reasonable groups consistency is doubtful, best purchase a low cost bolt.

 

[dprice3844444]

i bought a knight kp-1 in 300 win and 50cal bp.same principal,better rifle

 

[Stantdm]

I have .223 bull barrel made in 1997. It shoots pretty well, say an 1" at 100 if I pay attention. It has a 4x scope on it. It is a fun gun to shoot, everything from pests to targets. Mine has an ejection problem about every 50 rounds it seems.