Okay, I've got the inexplicable hots for a .22 Hornet, and have been doing some reading that indicates that the Handi Rifle carries the round off quite well. As I have no light varminter-class rifle, I thought this would be fun way to get into that category. Inexpensive, too, when one considers that you can get about 800 to 1000 rds of Hornet out of a pound of powder, and it performs well with light bullets. Also, my poor wallet can definitely appreciate the value of the Handi Rifles.
A friend picked on up the other day in .44 Mag with a heavy barrel, and we shot it a lot at 100 yds, smacking dingers (2' lengths of 8" heavy steel casement pipe set on end) and generally having a grand time. We were only printing 4" groups, but I am quite certain that with better targets (ours were not very satisfactory low contrast light orange; we basically just held for the center of the paper) and a scope we could shrink those groups below 2". While I never before would have considered a single shot rifle in a pistol caliber to be fun, I had a blast. For added fun, we shot some handload .44 Specials through it, and just generally laughed ourselves silly at the spectacle of encountering no recoil while having enough oomph to knock over a 15+ lb piece of pipe, shooting offhand at 100 yards. Good fun.
What amazed me was that the fit on his rifle was really quite good, the sights, while open, were very easy to use, and the trigger was nothing short of excellent. I'm not kidding: I would be more than happy with that trigger if it came on an $800 bolt gun. He dropped $211 and tax for it.
While I liked his in blue with walnut, I think that stainless would be a more practical option for me, so I put out some feelers, and found that a lightweight barrel contour stainless model with synthetic stock in .22 Hornet is available for considerably less than MSRP, if I act pretty quick. My plans also include later obtaining a .45-70 barrel for it. (because I haven't evidently served enough pennance for the sins in my life, I guess.
) Does anyone here have any experience with the lighter-contour barrels? Anyone notice a change in quality from blue to stainless or from walnut to synthetic? Anyone here shoot HandiRifles in .22 Hornet?
Suggestions? Comments?
A friend picked on up the other day in .44 Mag with a heavy barrel, and we shot it a lot at 100 yds, smacking dingers (2' lengths of 8" heavy steel casement pipe set on end) and generally having a grand time. We were only printing 4" groups, but I am quite certain that with better targets (ours were not very satisfactory low contrast light orange; we basically just held for the center of the paper) and a scope we could shrink those groups below 2". While I never before would have considered a single shot rifle in a pistol caliber to be fun, I had a blast. For added fun, we shot some handload .44 Specials through it, and just generally laughed ourselves silly at the spectacle of encountering no recoil while having enough oomph to knock over a 15+ lb piece of pipe, shooting offhand at 100 yards. Good fun.
What amazed me was that the fit on his rifle was really quite good, the sights, while open, were very easy to use, and the trigger was nothing short of excellent. I'm not kidding: I would be more than happy with that trigger if it came on an $800 bolt gun. He dropped $211 and tax for it.
While I liked his in blue with walnut, I think that stainless would be a more practical option for me, so I put out some feelers, and found that a lightweight barrel contour stainless model with synthetic stock in .22 Hornet is available for considerably less than MSRP, if I act pretty quick. My plans also include later obtaining a .45-70 barrel for it. (because I haven't evidently served enough pennance for the sins in my life, I guess.
) Does anyone here have any experience with the lighter-contour barrels? Anyone notice a change in quality from blue to stainless or from walnut to synthetic? Anyone here shoot HandiRifles in .22 Hornet? Suggestions? Comments?
