Handi Rifle - Revisited

[MikeC]

Tried to sight in brand new Stainless Handi-Rifle for a friend this morning. .243 Caliber.

Broke it in right........cleaned after every shot for the first 10 shots and after every other shot for the next ten.

Trouble is...this gun won't shoot a 12" group at 100 yards!

All the ammo he had was 100 grain Federals. Not my first choice but good enough I would think.

Have sighted in a few of these in the past and they are fairly erratic, but nothing nearly this bad.

This one is going back to the dealer Monday morning.

 

[rattler]

Mike i had experience but our's was with a 700 changed scope's it fell right in their.

rattler

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

Could the scope be lose ?

 

[dun]

Over tightened forend?

 

[Horticattleman]

User error????

 

[MikeC]

Checked all screws, etc. Removed scope and tried another.

I did notice when cleaning, there is a place about halfway down the barrel where the cleaning patch gets looser for a split second by feel but can't see anything wrong with the bore.

Three of us have tried shooting it with all the same results.

What's amazing is the bullets may stray in any direction. Might be low and left one time and high and right the next, or in any random direction. Nothing is consistent, except that it just won't shoot.

P.S. I hate the triggers on these rigs. :roll:

One thing I did notice is that the bullets seem to strike the paper with a high degree of yaw, indicating that they haven't "gone to sleep" yet. Might try some lighter bullets tommorrow.

The website does not give a barrel twist for these guns. I checked it myself and got 1-8", which should be plenty to stabilize the 100 gr. monsters.

User error????

Funny! :lol:

 

[Horticattleman]

User error????

Funny! :lol:

Figured you would!

 

[Wick]

When I clean my 300 wsm it shoots way off on the first shot. I guess its the clean barrell or the solvent I'm not sure as to what causes this but I have seen it in the 30-30 cal. as well.

 

[dun]

When I clean my 300 wsm it shoots way off on the first shot. I guess its the clean barrell or the solvent I'm not sure as to what causes this but I have seen it in the 30-30 cal. as well.

That's something I hadn't thought of. My wifes 700 is the same way. After cleaning you have no idea where it will hit. One fouling shot then it will settle in and shoot good until it's cleaned again.

 

[MikeC]

When I clean my 300 wsm it shoots way off on the first shot. I guess its the clean barrell or the solvent I'm not sure as to what causes this but I have seen it in the 30-30 cal. as well.

That's something I hadn't thought of. My wifes 700 is the same way. After cleaning you have no idea where it will hit. One fouling shot then it will settle in and shoot good until it's cleaned again.

If there's oil, water or any liquid in the barrel when shooting you will be fooled every time. It's liable to go anywhere. Here's a way to help:

Be sure and patch the bore dry with several dry patches after cleaning. Buy yourself some "Lock-Ease" (in a little squeeze bottle-it is graphite and will dry in the barrel quickly), run one or two patches of the Lock-Eze down the bore.

When it dries in the bore it will mimic the graphite lube in gunpowder and will shoot that first shot better.

Won't change the temp of the barrel at all, which I'm sure has SOMETHING to do with the first shot being a stray, but will definitely help.

I have also found that running an unlubricated bullet down a dry barrel is a good way to gets lots of copper fouling. Eithe rshoot it wet, or dry lube that first shot after cleaning.

 

[dun]

When I clean my 300 wsm it shoots way off on the first shot. I guess its the clean barrell or the solvent I'm not sure as to what causes this but I have seen it in the 30-30 cal. as well.

That's something I hadn't thought of. My wifes 700 is the same way. After cleaning you have no idea where it will hit. One fouling shot then it will settle in and shoot good until it's cleaned again.

If there's oil, water or any liquid in the barrel when shooting you will be fooled every time. It's liable to go anywhere. Here's a way to help:

Be sure and patch the bore dry with several dry patches after cleaning. Buy yourself some "Lock-Ease" (in a little squeeze bottle-it is graphite and will dry in the barrel quickly), run one or two patches of the Lock-Eze down the bore.

When it dries in the bore it will mimic the graphite lube in gunpowder and will shoot that first shot better.

Won't change the temp of the barrel at all, which I'm sure has SOMETHING to do with the first shot being a stray, but will definitely help.

I have also found that running an unlubricated bullet down a dry barrel is a good way to gets lots of copper fouling. Eithe rshoot it wet, or dry lube that first shot after cleaning.

Tried it with my wifes rifle. Seems it just wants a taste of powder fouling. But this is the same rifle that I could either equal or surpass the accuracy or the velocity with reloads. Never both. Went to nothing but factory stuff since.

 

[jfont]

If it's brand new, return it. Might be defective.

 

[MikeC]

Back to the Handi-Rifle that won't group....................

Since the gun has a Weaver type rail, I took a Leupold 36X Target scope and slapped it on this gun and boresighted.

I reloaded some 55 Gr. Ballistic Tips w/44 grains of H414 and headed to the range after cleaning the snot out of the barrel.

I shot 3-3 shot groups after zeroing in with the first shot.

Results.....the first group was about 3", the second was 2 1/2" and the third one was 3". Not awful, but not good either.

I called customer service at H&R and they said they would guarantee the gun to shoot 2 1/2" groups at 100 yards. They will check it for accuracy and grouping before putting another barrel on and check it again, if and when they use a new barrel.

I think we'll be better off getting a new barrel but the kid will be out of a gun for a few weeks and will have to eat the shipping.

Should I still send it back?

 

[dun]

Back to the Handi-Rifle that won't group....................

Since the gun has a Weaver type rail, I took a Leupold 36X Target scope and slapped it on this gun and boresighted.

I reloaded some 55 Gr. Ballistic Tips w/44 grains of H414 and headed to the range after cleaning the snot out of the barrel.

I shot 3-3 shot groups after zeroing in with the first shot.

Results.....the first group was about 3", the second was 2 1/2" and the third one was 3". Not awful, but not good either.

I called customer service at H&R and they said they would guarantee the gun to shoot 2 1/2" groups at 100 yards. They will check it for accuracy and grouping before putting another barrel on and check it again, if and when they use a new barrel.

I think we'll be better off getting a new barrel but the kid will be out of a gun for a few weeks and will have to eat the shipping.

Should I still send it back?

Have you checked the crown?

 

[MikeC]

Back to the Handi-Rifle that won't group....................

Since the gun has a Weaver type rail, I took a Leupold 36X Target scope and slapped it on this gun and boresighted.

I reloaded some 55 Gr. Ballistic Tips w/44 grains of H414 and headed to the range after cleaning the snot out of the barrel.

I shot 3-3 shot groups after zeroing in with the first shot.

Results.....the first group was about 3", the second was 2 1/2" and the third one was 3". Not awful, but not good either.

I called customer service at H&R and they said they would guarantee the gun to shoot 2 1/2" groups at 100 yards. They will check it for accuracy and grouping before putting another barrel on and check it again, if and when they use a new barrel.

I think we'll be better off getting a new barrel but the kid will be out of a gun for a few weeks and will have to eat the shipping.

Should I still send it back?

Have you checked the crown?

Only way I have to check it is with a magnifying glass.

Yes, I did that. It looks normal.

Also checked the throat as best I could.

Noticed one thing that probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans,,,,,,,,,but the chamber is really tight. After full length sizing those spent brass, the new reload barely goes into the chamber and the ejector won't kick them out when opening the breech after shooting. I have to pull the brass out with my fingers.

I'm thinking a thicker (Federal) brass may stick in the chamber?

 

[dun]

Only way I have to check it is with a magnifying glass.

Yes, I did that. It looks normal.

Also checked the throat as best I could.

Noticed one thing that probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans,,,,,,,,,but the chamber is really tight. After full length sizing those spent brass, the new reload barely goes into the chamber and the ejector won't kick them out when opening the breech after shooting. I have to pull the brass out with my fingers.

I'm thinking a thicker (Federal) brass may stick in the chamber?

Aha, now we may be getting somewhere. Make a chamber cast with cerrosafe and mike the chamber neck of the cast and the necks of loaded ammunition. I had a 22-250 imp that wouldn;t shoot Remington brass with spit but was real winner with winchester brass. There was a couple of thousanths difference in the neck when they were loaded. Turned out that the Remington brass was almost a press fit in the neck. Turned the case necks and the remington stuff shot fine.
What you might do to check the interior of the barrel including the crown is to drop a pice of strong fishing line theough the barrel from the breech and tie the breach end of the line to a fairly snug cotton ball and pull it through. The cotton fibers, if the ball isn;t too tight will pull off and hang on the imperfections in the barrel. To be doubley sure of the crown you can pull it from the muzzle to the breech also.