H & R Handi-Rifle

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  • Last Post 16 October 2013
Pigslayer posted this 06 February 2013

Finally! I just went up to a local gunshop & ordered my new Handi-Rifle in .444 Marlin. I've been wanting to do that for about 3 months! Nothing like a new toy to play with! The scope mounts are on their way from Natchez and a new scope is in the box in my shop! Many bullets are cast for it with plenty of brass on hand. Lots of fun ahead!!

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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6pt-sika posted this 06 February 2013

I'm sure I've mentioned this before , but I had one of those and shot a fair number of jacketed bullets in it with excellent results . I am also sorry to say that I sold it before I tried any cast .

I certainly see NO REASON that it shouldn't do wonderfully with cast . To be honest I'd especially like to have seen how the one I “had” would have done with my 375 and 400 grain molds !

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 07 February 2013

I have a handi in .444. the twist rate is faster than the handi's in .44Mag. It does ok. Haven't spent the time getting it to do MOA yet, but it might happen.

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tturner53 posted this 07 February 2013

"Lots of fun ahead..". You got that right. I had a .444 barrel fitted to my frame a couple years ago. I just wish it came with sights. So many possibilites with all the .44 molds out there. The Ranch Dog 265 gr. was designed for a Marlin .444. Works good in a H&R too. I even tried a .44 WC load, and plan on a round ball load too. You can make it a real pussycat or a full grown tiger. Even blackpowder loads. The H&Rs are the easiest gun to clean up. I knew a retired fed who used his .444 every year on bull elk. Said it knocked 'em flat. Lee makes a 310 gr. mold for a .44.

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6pt-sika posted this 07 February 2013

If fellow had one of these H&R rifles in 444 they would be hard pressed to do better then getting a set of the Ranch Dog molds in 240 , 265 , 300 and possibly 350 grain !

As mister Turner says the 265 grainer is a darn good bullet . And with that being said there are no flies n the other three .

BRP made me a couple molds with the Ranch Dog nose and traditional lube grooves in 375 and 400 grains that have shot well for me although the 400 grainer needed to go in my 1-20 Ballard rifled gun .

Also had Mountain Molds cut me a 325 grainer again with the Ranch Dog nose and traditional lube grooves that has done quite nicely in one of my lever actions this past season !

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cbshtr posted this 08 February 2013

Congrats on your new toy. I now have 3 Handi Rifles. Now I'm looking for barrels in 30/30, 45/70 and of course the 444. With the strength of the Handi you are pretty much unlimited with your choices of loads at either end of the spectrum. Keep us posted on its performance.

Robert Homan

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Pigslayer posted this 08 February 2013

Received my scope mounts today and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my rifle. As a kid I started out with a single shot rifle. After years of deer hunting with five shot clips & never needing more than one bullet . . . I'm back to the single shot rifle! Life is full circle!

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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mike morrison posted this 08 February 2013

single shot rifles force one to stay focused on the most important shot THE FIRST ONE I like single shot rifles. Keep us posted on how it shoots. I bet you are gona like it. m

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highstandard40 posted this 08 February 2013

Pigslayer, I hope you have better luck with your Handi Rifle than I had with the two I had. I bought a 44 Mag rifle to shoot cast in and the first thing I did was slug the barrel using a pure lead 429244 slug. It almost fell through the bore. I tried again but this time I tapped the slug first with a hammer to “bump it up” a little in size. After a trip down the bore it measured .434"......A second attempt yeilded the same result. That rifle would have needed a .435” bullet. I don't own a mold that will drop that big, nor can you buy a size die that large. I called the factory and spoke to a tech. He told me it was in spec. Do you know what he told me the factory tolerance is for Handi Rifles?.........431” plus or minus .003".....that's a .006” tolerance....for a bore. I promptly sold the rifle and bought a 45-70. It was no better so I sold it as well. I sincerly hope you are lucky enough to get a rifle that's in the middle of their tolerance range. I was not so lucky. No more Handi Rifles for me.

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Pigslayer posted this 09 February 2013

highstandard40 wrote: Pigslayer, I hope you have better luck with your Handi Rifle than I had with the two I had. I bought a 44 Mag rifle to shoot cast in and the first thing I did was slug the barrel using a pure lead 429244 slug. It almost fell through the bore. I tried again but this time I tapped the slug first with a hammer to “bump it up” a little in size. After a trip down the bore it measured .434"......A second attempt yeilded the same result. That rifle would have needed a .435” bullet. I don't own a mold that will drop that big, nor can you buy a size die that large. I called the factory and spoke to a tech. He told me it was in spec. Do you know what he told me the factory tolerance is for Handi Rifles?.........431” plus or minus .003".....that's a .006” tolerance....for a bore. I promptly sold the rifle and bought a 45-70. It was no better so I sold it as well. I sincerly hope you are lucky enough to get a rifle that's in the middle of their tolerance range. I was not so lucky. No more Handi Rifles for me.

highstandard40, I am sorry about your experience with the handi-rifle. I am in hopes that I fair better with it. But . . . As all of us know, cast bullets are a ” horse od a different color” and getting the right “fit” can be a harrowing & expensive experience. After getting cast bullets to shoot good in an oversize bore in a 7.62 x 54R Mosin Nagant, I am am prepared for the worst. Finally after two different custom molds I am shooting 1” three shot groups at fifty yards. I may yet have to design & have made yet another mold to get that kind of accuracy at 100 yds.. I do thank you for your post as it will make me better prepared for casting for this new rifle. I look at shooting cast bullets as a fun & challenging hobby vs. the near guaranteed accuracy of shooting jacketed bullets. I found out early on that shooting cast bullets in a rifle requires a lot of patience and at times can be draining financially as I, like many live paycheck to paycheck.

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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tturner53 posted this 09 February 2013

I'm wondering if the guy on the phone really knows what the barrel specs are for real. .006” doesn't sound realistic to me. Seems like you'd have to work at it to be that sloppy. My many H&R barrels are much better than that. There's something about the simplicity of these guns that attracts people. The opposite of the ar craze. My Super Light .223 with 20” barrel and open sights just begs to be a woods walkers cast bullet bunny gun but in a minute can have a buffalo cartridge barrel on it. They're a lot of fun for little money. You may not get MOA out of the box, but like cast bullets, there's the challenge. The H&Rs are a natural for the cb shooter who likes to experiment and tinker.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 09 February 2013

the handi-rifle has to be one of the most   ...make that  ...    WAS  ...disrespected shootin-iron out there ....

hey, my neighbor kid shot a 9 point buck last fall ...with a handi-shotgun ...fully rifled ...at about 250 yards ...used one of those $3.00 sabot slugs ...

anyway, didn't someone propose a match for this rifle a while back ?  how about a rerun on this idea ?  it certainly was mentioned enough during the chat about bpc ... 

i had a hr in 30-30, but shot big bean cans ...30-30, loaded midway bulk 0.314 lead pistol wadcutters in it .. a ball !!

here would be my proposed rules ... or lack of same ... ( g ) .

handi-rifle ( * )or equivalent, boxstock,  any centerfire caliber ( or gauge !!  ) plus any sights, any load, standing only but cross sticks allowed ... no ” straight jackets” ,  slings, etc   ..   

10  shots for score targets at 100 yards,  2 targets submitted, best of the 2 targets is ranked, 2nd target for tie breakers. 

( * ) note :  since this would be standing, the great leveler of equipment, i would be tempted to allow any non-schuetzen single shot centerfire rifle ...such as ruger 1  ... discussion welcome .. )

any interest ?

ken

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R Dupraz posted this 10 February 2013

handi-rifle or equivalent- would that mean my Savage 219 30-30 would qualify?

Cross stix--kind of long if for standing, sitting or prone? How about limited to break open single shots?

Yea, I would be interested

RD

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6pt-sika posted this 10 February 2013

R Dupraz wrote: handi-rifle or equivalent- would that mean my Savage 219 30-30 would qualify?

Cross stix--kind of long if for standing, sitting or prone? How about limited to break open single shots?

Yea, I would be interested

RD

That would make it open to Encore's and Contenders then . As much as I don't really care for the TC products many of those I've had my hands on shot amazingly well .

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 10 February 2013

in this case, ” single shot ” might be close to ” no bolt actions ” ( g ) .

sliding blocks, break open ok. the main idea is that the standing position is a great equalizer to hold down the equipment race.

i played with this scheme a bit ...with a 2-3 moa leadslinger , about the best i can shoot is around 6 moa from standing, no sticks ... humbling, heh ? i also found that 10 shots is a nerve-frazzler .. i am thinking a 1 hr time ...to let the anxiety burn off ...

ken

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6pt-sika posted this 10 February 2013

Ken Campbell, Iowa wrote: in this case, ” single shot ” might be close to ” no bolt actions ” ( g ) .

sliding blocks, break open ok. the main idea is that the standing position is a great equalizer to hold down the equipment race.

i played with this scheme a bit ...with a 2-3 moa leadslinger , about the best i can shoot is around 6 moa from standing, no sticks ... humbling, heh ? i also found that 10 shots is a nerve-frazzler .. i am thinking a 1 hr time ...to let the anxiety burn off ...

ken

I am thinking from the bench 5 shot groups in 10-15 minutes .

You shoot offhand and 10 shot groups all you want I on the other hand see no need for it .

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Pigslayer posted this 10 February 2013

6pt-sika wrote: Ken Campbell, Iowa wrote: in this case, ” single shot ” might be close to ” no bolt actions ” ( g ) .

sliding blocks, break open ok. the main idea is that the standing position is a great equalizer to hold down the equipment race.

i played with this scheme a bit ...with a 2-3 moa leadslinger , about the best i can shoot is around 6 moa from standing, no sticks ... humbling, heh ? i also found that 10 shots is a nerve-frazzler .. i am thinking a 1 hr time ...to let the anxiety burn off ...

ken

Yea, what he said! I am thinking from the bench 5 shot groups in 10-15 minutes .

You shoot offhand and 10 shot groups all you want I on the other hand see no need for it .;}

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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delmarskid1 posted this 10 February 2013

One of the dumbest things I've ever done was sell my 219 30-30. DUMB! I thought all guns were that much fun to shoot.  Off hand is like parallel parking. You won't get good if you don't do it. 

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R Dupraz posted this 10 February 2013

Yea,that 219 30-30 was the first one that I'd ever seen. pretty nice shape so didn't let it pass by. I wasn't expecting much in the way of a group at 50 yds. But after turning down the noses on the RCBS 30-180-SP a little to make them fit and some IMR 4227, I was even more surprised. Five shots snuggled up right next to each other using the original sights.

RD

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Pigslayer posted this 11 February 2013

R Dupraz wrote: Yea,that 219 30-30 was the first one that I'd ever seen. pretty nice shape so didn't let it pass by. I wasn't expecting much in the way of a group at 50 yds. But after turning down the noses on the RCBS 30-180-SP a little to make them fit and some IMR 4227, I was even more surprised. Five shots snuggled up right next to each other using the original sights.

RD That 30-30 sounds like a fun caliber. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Pigslayer posted this 12 February 2013

Picked up my new Handi-Rifle about a half hour ago. Being that it is a .444 Marlin, I 'm prepared to follow Onandaga's lead & fill the hollow cavity of the stock with a lead sleeve if the recoil is too much as the rifle is fairly light.

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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