Handi Rifle

[El Duche]

I picked up a Handi-Rifle (30.06 & .50 Cal Muzzle) in a trade last year and was curious if anyone has ever hunted with one of these guns? It is a neat little gun but might need some work to make it an accurate weapon.

[mx'r]

They do just fine. My old man hunts with his 06 every year, and he's had no problem connecting. He uses it cause it's short and easy to carry from horseback.

[obawon]

I have one in 22-250 hvy barrel...nice for prairie dogs, but obviously I don't use it on big game. They are capable of nice accuracy, but often need a few tweaks to shoot at their best. Graybeard outdoors (go2gbo) online has a lot of info on the handis (aka NEF) and is probably a great place to start gathering additional info.
Common tweaks include:
- bedding front (hanging) part of scope mount
- putting a rubber washer or o-ring on the forearm screw to reduce vibration
- lightening trigger if needed

If you reload, it's worth noting that the handis and other similar break opens often don't do well with neck sizing as the cartridges can be just a bit over length and keep the action from locking up identically.

enjoy the handi!

[El Duche]

Thanks for the info! I tore the whole gun down the other night and started planning the re-build of this rifle. I am going to get a .308 barrell (24" Heavy) from NEF for it and see what I can do with it. This is kind of a challenge to build a cheap accurate hunting rifle, out of it. Don't ask me why but I will probably have a grand in it by the time I am done. HAHAHA

[armstrong001]

I've used a .223 rifle for prairie dogs. I was happy with the accuracy.

[TFOGGER]

I once hunted a burned out VW van in an abandoned rock quarry with one in 45-70 from about 800 yards. Once we figured out how many VWs high to hold, it was very consistent.

[ScooterCO]

I have one in .223 with the heavy bull barrel and the black survivor stock. Put a cheap 4X12 scope on it. It seems to be a tack driver up to 100 yrds. Haven't really shot it past that.
I have really enjoyed having it and would be very hesitant on getting rid of it.

[rgvt4]

30-06 is good for anything in the USA

[Colorado Osprey]

I have a couple but in the Ultra Hunter and the Ultra Varmint.
The Varmint is a bull barrel 22 mag and shoots prairie dogs out past 200 yards consistently.
The Hunter is a .308 I use as a light weight mountain rifle... It has a medium weight barrel.
Both are shooters. The only thing is, to do a trigger job is kinda tough compared to most bolt rifles.

The Ultra's are a little pricey compared to a standard Handi-Rifle ($380 plus'ish)
The 22 mag Ultra-Varmit has become very had to find and quite collectible.
Both look like this:

[obawon]

If you are sendung it in for a new barrel, they should lighten up the trigger to about 3-4 pounds if you ask. May not need it if yours came with a nice trigger...i have seen them come nice and light all the way to 9+ pounds.