H&R Handi Rifle

Picked up a beautiful laminate H&R Handi-rifle in .22wmr yesterday. I don’t have a scope set up on it yet, and I mostly snagged it for the extra receiver to build off of. Simple, sturdy, reliable, cheap, and available in a ton of calibers, I’m sold on these firearms. My collection of guns has become really simplified in the past two years, and the Handis are part of the reason. Finding extra barrels for these rifles is easy online, and for the most part, the newer ones let you plug-and-play the barrel swaps. There is a wealth of info at the Graybeard Forums and a very decent classified section. I do wish there were more aftermarket accessories made for these. Understandably, the pool of people looking to modify a $200 gun is probably pretty shallow. You could very quickly exceed the value of the firearm with upgrades!

The price on Handi-rifles has risen in the past year. The prevailing theory is that the inexpensive bolt action rifles, such as the Ruger American, are going to push break action, single shot rifles further into obscurity. I could maybe see this being the case, but as long as this action design has been around, I am pretty sure it will endure. The H&R is a rifle made for specific types of shooter – beginners, tinkerers, and surprisingly I am not the only person who is simply a fan of their traditional and straightforward style. I’ve owned bolt rifles, semi-auto rifles, lever actions rifles, and certainly enough tactical style firearms. Lever actions and H&Rs are the only ones I’ve really cared to own more than one of at a time.

My other Handi is the one that went with me on my recent first hunt. It started as a heavy barrel .223. I traded the .223 barrel for a 30/30 barrel with a great set of aperture sights on it, and also immediately purchased a 20ga barrel. The stock was the traditional style and made with a wood of indeterminate origin. To be able to get on the shotgun bead sight, I had to cut down the Monte Carlo style cheekpiece and also converted the pistol grip to a straight grip. The refinishing job I did on the stock was adequate, if a bit amateur, but it lets the shooter use the sights to actually aim – a definite plus for any gun!