i own 1 handi rifle. it is a 223 bull barrel. it shoots quite well, but is HEAVY to carry in the feild all day long. as for your recoil reduction, i have no experience with mercury tubes. i would suppose they would work. if for no other reason than they add weight to the gun. honestly, i have a marlin guide gun in 45/70 that i had the same issue with. to much recoil. if you shoot trapdoor loads, it was fine. but if you shoot anything up to modern rifle standards, the thing would just about jump out of my hands. i found two things helped greatly. a muzzle brake, and a Limbsaver reciol pad. between the two of them, it is much more pleasurable to shoot now, even with 500 grain bullet loads. the muzzle brake is a Gentry Quiet Muzzle brake. if you decide to have a break installed, i would HIGHLY reccomend this one. i can tell no difference shooting with, or without the brake in the woods, with no hearing protection. other brakes are not nearly so nice to the shooter. personally, i would reccomend installing a Limbsaver recoil pad first. it is way less expensive, and you can do it yourself. if that is not enough, then look into the mercury tube, or a m.b. that is what i would do.
