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112 Posts
I wish I had discovered the Handi rifles sooner. I bought my first one, 45-70 , right before they quit selling them. I wish I’d bought more. I have a contender too and I’m really liking the single shot guns .
Wish I had
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46 Posts
They are/were some cool little rifles…I wish I would of known they were going to meet their demise I woulda kept all the ones I bought.
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4,038 Posts
Yep. Definite sellers remorse on some. 8(
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1,401 Posts
They had a good thing going for a while but I think when all of the sub $ 250 bolt action rifles came out they lost a big part of the low priced entry level sales.
I started buying them around 2000 and back then the extra barrel program was very popular. You could buy shotgun barrels for $ 40 and most rifle barrels were $ 80 fitted and you only paid shipping of $ 10 even if you bought 10 at one time.
They came out with a lot of non magnum cartridges and many different models and most stocks could be swapped and you could make what you wanted at a low price.
I lived in OH for most of my life and recently moved to MI and I still find a lot of them at gun stores and gun shows and pawn shops at prices that are a lot less than they fetch online.
jedman
I started buying them around 2000 and back then the extra barrel program was very popular. You could buy shotgun barrels for $ 40 and most rifle barrels were $ 80 fitted and you only paid shipping of $ 10 even if you bought 10 at one time.
They came out with a lot of non magnum cartridges and many different models and most stocks could be swapped and you could make what you wanted at a low price.
I lived in OH for most of my life and recently moved to MI and I still find a lot of them at gun stores and gun shows and pawn shops at prices that are a lot less than they fetch online.
jedman
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940 Posts
if i had the internet in the 90s the house would be full of them lol. there were mostly only shotguns in this area. yes i do remember 80 dollar new shotguns, but i have never seen a handi rifle in a shop around here.
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139 Posts
My first encounter was with a .44 Shikari a friend lent me to go on a black bear hunt i won. He had me running around shooting from strange positions and various distance in preparation.
It was also my introduction to reloading. He sold that rifle before i expressed an interest in it. I eventually traded "el phassian" double 410 for a brand new from the factory nef .44 that i still have and still love taking out. Everyone who fires it loves it and ive been offered decent cash to sell but it's not going anywhere.
Im slowly getting the other calibers i want as i see them for sale, ive inly got 15 so far lol
It was also my introduction to reloading. He sold that rifle before i expressed an interest in it. I eventually traded "el phassian" double 410 for a brand new from the factory nef .44 that i still have and still love taking out. Everyone who fires it loves it and ive been offered decent cash to sell but it's not going anywhere.
Im slowly getting the other calibers i want as i see them for sale, ive inly got 15 so far lol
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4 Posts
About 4 years ago, I found one chambered in 280 Remington that was in New unfired condition.
Probably the most accurate rifle I've owned. My only problem is the fact that ammunition is not easily found for it.
I'd love to find an affordable barrel in 308 or similar.
Probably the most accurate rifle I've owned. My only problem is the fact that ammunition is not easily found for it.
I'd love to find an affordable barrel in 308 or similar.
I still see them for sale around here fairly often. Classifieds, online, and various pawn and gun shops. It's just a matter of waiting for the caliber you want to show up at the price your willing to pay. Even though I already have an older topper 158 30-30 I wouldn't mind picking up a newer one. I ran into one a few years ago at our local outdoor fleamarket in like New condition for $385 and passed. No scope just iron sights but it was nice. I'm not really sure why I didn't atleast make an offer. I usually do if something catches my attention but I know they made many of them and I'll run into another.
I have a 357 max, a 44 mag, and a tracker 1 12 ga slug gun. I would love a 308 or 30-06.
45-70, and 35 Whelan are on my radar too.
they are fun, not crazy expensive, and dirt simple.
like mentioned b4 the $300 bolt gun pretty much killed them. when a savage axis 308 is actually cheaper, that's hard to pass up for most people imho.
I could be slightly biased, im a savage fan. my best rifle is an older savage 110L in 30-06. my dad gave it to me for my 18th birthday. it's a beautiful gun.
the axis is kinda ugly, but its a good gun.
45-70, and 35 Whelan are on my radar too.
they are fun, not crazy expensive, and dirt simple.
like mentioned b4 the $300 bolt gun pretty much killed them. when a savage axis 308 is actually cheaper, that's hard to pass up for most people imho.
I could be slightly biased, im a savage fan. my best rifle is an older savage 110L in 30-06. my dad gave it to me for my 18th birthday. it's a beautiful gun.
the axis is kinda ugly, but its a good gun.
We live in the golden age for firearms, although it sure doesn’t feel like it to me. I prefer blued and walnut, guns with personality, but the reality is that the average rifle today outshoots rifles made 30, 50, and 70 years now for far less money when price is adjusted for inflation. Fit and finish aren’t nearly as good, but these days rifles that can consistently hold 1 moa are pretty much everywhere (although the shooters aren’t).
My oldest gun is a greener f30, named because it sold for 30 pounds back when it came off the line in 1904. It’s a beautiful gun, everything about it is amazingly done, and at the time would have been the equivalent of a silver pigeon or entry browning double. Adjusted for inflation it would have cost $2800 today. And while I love it, the mechanicals are wonky and it’s not built to have every part easily replaceable for hundreds of thousands of rounds of reliability. Those jm marlins that people think so fondly of? Cost more in today’s dollars than the 1895s ruger is pumping out. And ar15s cost half or less than they did 30 years ago, even without adjusting anything.
Henrys single shots are probably a bit cheaper to make than the h&rs were, and they don’t have the barrel exchange program. They run what, 6 or 700 bucks? That’s probably a fair price in todays money. At least there are plenty of old h&rs for those of us who still enjoy them, and we still have access to all the latest technical advantages when we want those too.
My oldest gun is a greener f30, named because it sold for 30 pounds back when it came off the line in 1904. It’s a beautiful gun, everything about it is amazingly done, and at the time would have been the equivalent of a silver pigeon or entry browning double. Adjusted for inflation it would have cost $2800 today. And while I love it, the mechanicals are wonky and it’s not built to have every part easily replaceable for hundreds of thousands of rounds of reliability. Those jm marlins that people think so fondly of? Cost more in today’s dollars than the 1895s ruger is pumping out. And ar15s cost half or less than they did 30 years ago, even without adjusting anything.
Henrys single shots are probably a bit cheaper to make than the h&rs were, and they don’t have the barrel exchange program. They run what, 6 or 700 bucks? That’s probably a fair price in todays money. At least there are plenty of old h&rs for those of us who still enjoy them, and we still have access to all the latest technical advantages when we want those too.
I ran into another H&R handy rifle at a different shop today. It's a wood stock sporter barrel 30/06 with a scope on it. Had quite a bit of surface rust on the top of the barrel but was solid otherwise. It'd clean up nice and was priced $349.99. I had the same rifle years ago and it was a good shooter and recoil wasn't bad. It loved the then new federal fusion loads. I shot a big buck one year from about 30 yds on the ground head on right in the chest and the fusion drove all the way through to the back ham and was lodged just under the skin. He dropped at the shot and was drt.
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