It's no secret that I've been looking for a Handi Rifle in .30-30 Winchester. I've long been a fan of the caliber and I want to try it with pointy bullets. You can't run pointy bullets in the lever-actions because it's dangerous. That and the fact that my Winchesters don't scope easily. I want to scope a .30-30 and wring it out with the standard .30 caliber bullets we use in the .30-06 or .308. The guys over at the Graybeards Outdoor Forums tell us that the .30-30 turns in exceptional accuracy. Accuracy is what I'm looking for. A rifle in that caliber that's safe with pointy bullets and accurate. I want a .30-30 Handi.
The problem with finding one is that they're made in batches and the distributors are out of them right now. My gun dealer hasn't been able to find one since we started looking before Labor Day and I have a standing order with him. I've told him I want the next one he can find. His distributor has 30 on backorder. Mine is one of those 30.
Yesterday afternoon I had a free hour, so I went over to the gun shop to look around and heckle him about the .30-30. I looked in the racks and there was a Handi standing among the bolt actions. He handed it to me.
It's an Ultra Hunter in .308 Winchester. H&R uses a heavy barrel on those rifles, not a bull barrel, but this isn't a standard sporting taper. The barrel is 22 inches long and should be very stiff. The little rifle seems to weigh between seven and eight pounds. The muzzle has a recessed crown that looks flawless. The trigger is better than many I've seen on Handi-Rifles. This little gun might have had a trigger job, but it feels right, breaking at about four pounds. It's got a laminated stock and the blueing looks like it just came out of the box. Whoever bought this rifle before bringing it to the pawn shop used it very, very little.
I asked him how much and he said $200.00. I told him to give me a 4473.
I plan to play with it a little while, work up some loads with it, both cast and jacketed, then put it in the racks. I'm wondering how it'll do with cast bullets and I'm wondering what it will do with 125 grain GameKings. It's got enough weight that recoil shouldn't be an issue and I'm not looking to load it heavy. It should make a great little grandson or nephew rifle.
5 comments:
Looks like a good find! enjoy!
LOL WV- joyis...a new rifle!
Keep it below 1700 fps with cast due to the 1 - 10 twist. Below 1600 fps would be better.
1700 fps = 122400 rpm
1600 fps = 115200 rpm
IME, @ 115,000 rpm cast bullets start coming apart.
I found an unfired Topper 158 in .30-30 that had been made in 1968. It has to be one of the sweetest handling, sweetest shooting rifles of any make or caliber I've ever handled let alone owned. I'm coming to like it better even than my beloved Ruger #1 in .308 Win. The topper just loves cast bullets. I have an ooooold Ideal 311299 with the mold blocks forged in one piece with the handles, the rifle puts those into 3" at 100 yards when powered by 1CC of Uniqe. That load prints in the middle of a 6" bull at 50 yds and at the bottom of a 12" bull at 100. Both with a 6:00 hold as the front sight is quite thick and subtends more than 12" at 100 yds.
You'll love that .308 Handi.
For some reason God likes me and has made my eyes see clearly again beyond 50 yards after many years of needing glasses, so once again, I need only iron sights. As long as He sees fit to let me keep this wonderful gift, I won't be needing glass on my rifles.
Gerry N.
Gerry, send me your prayer book.
PawPaw, if that barrel on the .308 is all you say it is, it might be a halfway decent long-range rifle.
For decent, but not expensive glass, I recommend the Nikon 3X9X40s with Bullet Drop Compensator. They won't be right for cast boolits, but put some decent Game Kings in that single, and you might have yourself an MOA 400-yard shooter.
Try Gunbroker.com, saw a 30-30 Handi Rifle on there the other day.
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