It's an SB2 Ultra Hunter, the one with the heavy barrel and the laminated stock. The caliber is .223 Remington. I've had a long association with the .223 cartridge through the military and police work. I've been shooting it since 1973, mainly through the AR15 platform. I don't reload for the cartridge, mainly because in the AR with iron sights, off-the-shelf ammo is easy to find and accurate enough for government work. It'll be interesting to see how the little rifle shoots with the usual run of commercial and military surplus (in that group I include the vast majority of imported ammo).
At some point I'll buy a set of dies for the cartridge. I was browsing around on the Hodgdon site last night and was surprised to find that IMR 4895 is suggested as a powder for the little cartridge. It turned in good velocity numbers with a high load density. I'm a big fan of IMR 4895 and use it in just about every cartridge I reload. It's a very versatile powder. While there are better powders for some applications, very few powders match the versatility of IMR 4895.
Small rifle primers might be a problem. We've still got the regional unpleasantness in the Middle East and they're burning a lot of ammo. Still, I'm not reloading for the cartridge yet, so there's no hurry. Heck, I don't even have the rifle off layaway yet, so there's really no hurry.
It'll be interesting to see how the little rifle shoots.
I can tell you how it will shoot--way better than you think a rifle so cheap should shoot.
ReplyDeleteHere's a hint for better Handi-Rifle groups: don't rest the forearm on the sandbag. Place the action just in front of the trigger housing on the sandbag. Yes, that makes it barrel-heavy.
Be sure to read and heed the manufacturer's warnings about NEVER shooting ANY Mil-Spec ammunition in it. Commercial sporting loads only. Like many gun makers they also recommend to the shooter that he eschew handloads, as well.
ReplyDeleteFor me those were the deal breakers. Why in the name of Shiva would anyone make a rifle, chamber it for what is probably the commonest cartridge on Planet Earth other than .22 Long Rifle, knowing all the while that it is dangerous to shoot military ammunition in it?
What do you suppose the chances are that eventually someone, sometime is going to buy an ammo can or two, (or ten) of surplus 5.56mm NATO rounds to run through it?
Bun'cha certified gen-nee-esses at work here, Boss.
Gerry N.
Is that ammo restriction because the SAAMI specs for the military cartridge are about 5,000 higher? That's ten percent. Don't tell me that these folks build a rifle which won't handle a ten percent overload.
ReplyDeleteMe, I'd shoot NATO rounds through it since it's a 223. I wouldn't shoot NATO 308 rounds through a Handi. The difference?? Back thrust. The head diameter of a 223 is much less than a 308, so there's WAY less ft/lbs of thrust pushing against the bolt head, or in a Handi the action face.
ReplyDeleteJ. Actually, according to my sources, it's perfectly safe to shoot .7.62 military ammo in a .308. The confusion comes in the way the two cartridges are chambered. Commercial .308 is held to a tighter headspace than 7.62X51 ammo. Hence, the chambers are longer in military rifles than in commercial. With the exception of one article I've read, I believe that a shooter is perfectly safe using military ammo in a commercial .308 chamber. However, a guy shooting a military rifle chambered for 7.62X51 should not use commercial .308 ammo as the headspace might be too long and brass separation issues might become a problem.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's my understanding that military 7.62 ammo has stronger brass and can stand being stretched. Most military ammo is new brass (not reloaded) so a single stretching isn't going to hurt it.
It's a very complicated subject and there is some disagreement. However, I believe that a civilian shooter is perfectly safe when he uses military ammo in his .308.
Gerry - There is no gun maker today that recommends the use of reloads. In fact, most warranties say that the use of reloaded ammo voids the warranty.
ReplyDeleteI routinely ignore those warranty concerns. I have several rifles bough new-in-box that have never had a round of factory ammo shot through them.
I am a careful, prudent handloader who uses due-diligence in my hobby. I handload ammo knowing that there is some risk, and I'm willing to accept that risk.
Eventually, that Handi will have handloaded ammo shot through it. I'm not afraid of the warranty.
Rivrdog. SAAMI uses PSI nowadays and the NATO still uses CUP pressure. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Hornady makes some Light Magnum ammo that far surpasses military standards in velocity. There has got to be plenty of pressure there too.
ReplyDeleteI'm not concerned about the NATO vs SAAMI specs except as it concerns semi-auto rifles. When I bought my AR I made darned sure that it was chambered for both.
Lovely. Well wear!
ReplyDeleteDenis
Are you aware that, on their later rifles, H&R will fit a second barrel for about a hundred bucks?
ReplyDeleteTwo calibers, one rifle? Yup.