Handi-Rifle, keep it or trash it?

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Okiecruffler

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Took my money pit SKS to the gun show this weekend and finally got rid of it. Felt pretty good about having money in my pocket and ended up buying a used New England Handi-rifle in .223 with a Simmons 3-9X scope for $175. Took it to the range yesterday with 100 rds of wolf ammo, got 6 inch groups at 50yrds. Went into the office and picked up a couple of boxes of white box Winchester. Managed to get 4 inch groups at 100yrds. Not exactly what I was expecting. Easy enough to get my money back out of it and get that .223 Contender barrel I've had my eye on, but I wonder if it's an ammo problem rather than a rifle problem.
 
I purchased a used Ruger a few years a go that had a Weaver scope mounted. It wouldn't shoot worth a darn.
Two of the four screws on the scope base ended up being loose.:banghead:

This was of course the last thing I checked after burning up a few boxes of ammo.

And of course I felt like a dumb butt for not checking it before heading to the range.

Murphy, of Murphys law lives in my house:what:
 
Darn-it Mtnbkr don't tell him that!

I was just going to let him get real disgusted and then offer to buy it from him! Now that the cat is out of the bag, yeah, check the scope mounts. Every Handi-rifle I've heard of shoots well.

Good luck! :p
 
My Handi-rifle in .223 with an inexpensive scope is very accurate. Don't give up on the rifle too quickly.
 
Another suggestion---after scope and mounts have been checked-----try using something better than the cheap ammo you have been using---and see what happens.
 
one last thing is check the muzzle crown.. see if there's any nicks or dings there. Should be an easy job to ream out if so.

My bet's on the scope being either loosely mounted or with a busted reticule though.

-K

(*sucks that the seller didn't TELL you accuracy stank.. prolly why he was selling it and didn't know how to fix it.. grrrrrrr*)
 
I don't own one, but several folks I know have the "Handi-Rifle" in various calibres, and all seem very good accuracy wise...less than 2.0"@100yds.

Your issue is probably a scope/rings/mount kind of thing. Haven't experienced it firsthand, but 1 guy had the same sort of thing...100 target looked more like a "pattern" than a "group" He picked up his handi-rifle, and there was a rattling sound inside the scope.

After installing a new very inexpensive Tasco scope, and a few sighting shots, well lets say that any target closer than 250 yards was certainly in harms way.

I think his was a .243, but not sure.
 
If you're using that "bulk white box" Winchester ammo (40 rounds?), all reports are that it is VERY accurate ammo.

John
 
I'm starting to suspect the scope is the culprit. The mount is nice and tight. I don't know much about Simmons, but I suspect this is one of the .22mag series that probably should have never been put on to begin with. I've got a Bushnell that I might try before I give up on it, but I need higher rings first. These things are downright silly when it comes to getting a scope to fit above that hammer. I'm kinda off all my rifles right now. I've always shot pistols better, and now that I have a few long range pistols, I wonder why I bother with rifles in the first place.
 
I'd try federal premium ammo, and when you are done 'adjusting' the scope, take a plastic handled screwdriver and "tap" the housing, sometimes the clicks don't 'set' at first.

Simmons is a cheap scope.
 
NEF rifles can shoot very well. My .308 out of the box shot sub 2 MOA. If the suggestions here don't work for you, try a NEF forum such as nef-singleshot.

They talk about tuning NEF rifles to be tack drivers.

Larry
 
When in comes to the .223 NEF lighter bullets give better accuracy than heavier ones (the twist rate is 1 in 12"). If I go over 55gr with mine the groups really widen out. 55gr and under I normally group 1 1/2" and less at 100 yards
 
"take a plastic handled screwdriver and "tap" the housing, sometimes the clicks don't 'set' at first."


No.


Take a plastic handled hammer and beat the living hell out of the housing, and spend some money for a decent scope.

Doesn't have to be expensiv.

Weaver, Tasco, Swift, and Burris are all fairly inexpensive and a LOT better than Simmons.

I've bought two rifles with Simmons scopes. Both scopes had nasty coating problems. They both went right into the garbage.
 
Hey, I'll give you $50 for it. :D

Seriously, I can do 1.5" - 2" at 100 years w/ my brother's .223 Handi Rifle w/ cheap Tasco Pronghorn scope, and I don't consider myself a particularly good shooter.
 
I like handi-rifles, however there are two primary issues with them. First off is the typically poor trigger which will be fixed by NEF when requested. Secondly is interference in the forestock. If all else fails, shoot it with the forestock removed. If it shoots well, you need to free float the forestock. First thing to do is try a thin washer between the stock and the barrel. Second is to remove some material from the rear of the stock where the curved part bolts on. Contact between the forestock and barrel does bad things. Kaylee's suggestion about the muzzle crown is also a good one.

With that said, my money's on the scope.

Ryan
 
I've got an NEF "ultra" in .22 WMR, and it is the most accurate rilfe I own. I get 3/10 of an inch groups at 50 yards, and I'm not even a great shot. I get about 1 inch at 100 yards. I'm using a Bushnell 3-9X40 wide angle "Banner" scope. Been very impressed with it, it isn't bad for $70

Your problems are most likley scope related. Try a different scope and see if that helps...
 
I'm with the others.

You should get way better accuracy than that. Heck you'd get better accuracy than that if you junked the scope and just "shotgun" sighted it downrange!

Good luck on the scope. I figure it's either the scope or you've been shooting during a twister again. The last Okie wind guage I saw was a brick tied to a string. :D

Good Shooting
Red
 
Actualy, there was no wind when I was shooting

That may be what was throwing it off:D

Still haven't decided what I want to do with it, in fact several of my rifles are in limbo. If the best I can expect is 2 inch groups I don't see the point. I have old military rifles that will do 2 inches with iron sights. Went looking for some see thru mounts so I could mount my Bushnell on it, but no one has any. I did buy a few boxes of Federal and some S&B, so I guess I ain't done with it yet.
 
Haven't shot anything in it except 55gr, but with a 1:12 twist I can't imagine that would be a problem. And she's clean as a whistle. But I can still get tighter groups at 100rds with my .357 Contender, my 22 Striker, or my Hungarian M44. That doesn't endear me to this rifle yet. I'll try a new scope and a few different types of ammo, but if that doesn't get em to at least 1 1/2 inches, off she goes.
 
Well, I bought a pair of see-thru Millet rings today which allowed me to mount my Bushnell Sportman 3-9X with room to spare. Also bought some silver bear, some american eagle and some S&B ammo. Hopefully I can get it to the range monday and give it a work out. But I've already found a 35rem barrel that would look really nice on my contender.
 
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