NEF Handi Rifle

[Brian in Montana]

Anybody have experience with one? I've come across several .280 Remingtons for sale on the interwebs. I'm not sure how excited I am about single-shot rifles but the 26" barrel has me intrigued. Might be able to do some interesting stuff handloading for a gun like that. Anybody got one? What do you think of it?

 

[TN2shot07]

My first rifle was one of the H&R handy rifles in 25-06 with a heavy barrel, killed a pile of deer with it. It’s a shooter, (dnz mount and a cheaper bushnell) but like you mentioned I have a hard time getting it out of the safe now just for missing the possibility of a follow up shot.

 

[Greyman]

They aren't too bad. Very reliable, not a great trigger. My son has one in .308 and he really likes it. Shoots about inch or inch and a half at 100 yards with a Nikon Buckmaster scope. They are light so the recoil with the stock pad can be stiff, but a Limbsaver takes it nicely.
One thing that is cool is you can break it down and stuff it in a pack very easily.

 

[sbhooper]

I had one in 223 and .22 mag. Both shot relatively well. The triggers are not great and my .223 would shoot a nearly one-hole group and then the next group would move. I put about a thousand rounds through it and finally dumped them both.

 

[1_pointer]

I have one in 357 Mag that the boys started with. Worked great for that. That said, at the prices I've seen used Handi-Rifles go for, I'd be more inclined to pick up an inexpensive bolt action (Ruger American, Marlin X, etc) to play with.

 

[300stw]

im looking for one in 357 mag in montana

 

[HandgunHunter]

In a single shot I’d much rather have a contender or encore

 

[fachries]

In a single shot I’d much rather have a contender or encore

+1

 

[UncleRick]

have them in 30-30, 45-70, 17hmr. i love them. if the price is right for you you should buy that one in 280. they are surprisingly accurate and fun to shoot and with a little practice you can reload them fast enough to make most follow up shots.

 

[Kaitum]

My uncle had one in .223 with a heavy barrel. It was very accurate and I piled up the woodchucks with it during my teen years. But other than walking the hay fields I probably wouldn't carry it today. It balanced terribly with that extra heavy barrel.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

They are legal for "primitive weapon" seasons in Mississippi and Louisiana, so they were popular here. They are crude, but generally will work fine. Now that Henry has their single shots out, I'd opt for one of those.

Oh, a good site for them is the grey beard outdoors forum.

 

[WalkingBird]

I've never owned one, but have seen a couple of them used. One was a .243 Win used by an old timer near Challis ID to shoot his pronghorn at just under 400 yards. The other was a .204 Ruger that a buddy used on an AZ prairie dog jaunt (not really what I can call a "hunt") and he was shooting them at 300 yards or so with consistency. It was wicked windy, so all 3 .204s in camp were having issues with distance (My own Savage 11 and another guys custom M700 ere also in camp)

I've had a single shot 12ga of theirs forever, and won a 20ga at a squirrel derby in college. They're a good walking around gun, very light and quick to shoulder, but that light weight comes back to bite you with a 3" magnum in the tube

 

[ShadowFast1]

My dad has an H&R in .270 Winchester. He's taken deer and several hogs with it. It's not the most polished rifle in the world but it'll do the job. I'll agree that with how light they are you might have to put a good recoil pad on it to mitigate recoil.

 

[std7mag]

My wife had the cousin.
Rossi R243.
With hand loads very accurate to 600 yards!

Make your first shot count! :

 

[midwesthunter]

Just sold the two actions I had and 8 barrels a year ago, triggers are OK, they all shot great. Never had any issues.

 

[Brian in Montana]

They seem to have a lot of mixed reviews. I'm probably going to pass. I'd like to get a .280 Rem or AI at some point, and realistically I'm never going to drop $2500 on a Christensen but I don't want to spend $500 on something that turns out to be junk either. I'll probably keep looking and squirreling away money.

Gonna have to have a 24 or 26 inch barrel, though.

 

[prhunter]

I have one in 45-70.... its a canon!

 

[HandgunHunter]

They seem to have a lot of mixed reviews. I'm probably going to pass. I'd like to get a .280 Rem or AI at some point, and realistically I'm never going to drop $2500 on a Christensen but I don't want to spend $500 on something that turns out to be junk either. I'll probably keep looking and squirreling away money.

Gonna have to have a 24 or 26 inch barrel, though.

If you even have thoughts of spending 2500 on a production gun look at custom stuff....it’s in that ballpark...

 

[Anschutz]

My first rifle was a .243 Handi-Rifle. Killed several deer with it. It would stack cheap Winchester Power Points almost touching. Mine was an ejector model (clicks when broken open) and two times I was able to get two shots off. Once for a double and once to make up for a miss. If I were to buy a single shot these days it would be a Ruger No. 1 but for a budget rifle the NEF would be just fine and put the same amount of meat in the freezer.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I had a 243 in a NEF ultralight. Mine had issues with wandering POI, and depended on where I put the forearm (or action) on the bags or held it in my hand. A rubber o ring helped, but you never could truly float the barrel. Trigger was stiff, but it was ok for a bargain gun. For the same money today that I paid back then, you can buy a Savage Axis or other bargain rifle that is likely more consistent and accurate.