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Are Handi Rifle Barrels Interchangeable?
- Thread starter Rookie21
- Start date
There may be some fitting required, but a rifle receiver can accept an number of different barrels. H&R (before they and Marlin were sold) offered free fitting with the purchase of a barrel. You simply sent in your receiver and they fit the barrel (or barrels) and returned it to you.
I believe that program was ended even before the Handi line was dropped.
I believe that program was ended even before the Handi line was dropped.
FrankenMauser
New member
Barrels are serial matched to the frame they were fitted to by H&R.
Fitting can be done to a new frame, but a "plug and play", or 'drop-in-and-fire' approach is not recommended.
Some fitting is usually required.
Interchangeability between different eras of production also varies.
Remington purchased H&R 1871, and Marlin came with it.
When sales started to decline and Remington (forced by Cerberus) started tightening the budget, the 'Accessory Barrel' program was officially ended. Fittings and repairs were still done until the stock on hand was exhausted. When only oddball, unpopular, or previously rejected barrels were left on hand, all remaining stock was sold to Numrich.
The Hand-Rifle was killed off about two years later.
Fitting can be done to a new frame, but a "plug and play", or 'drop-in-and-fire' approach is not recommended.
Some fitting is usually required.
Interchangeability between different eras of production also varies.
H&R 1871 owned Marlin.H&R (before they and Marlin were sold) offered free fitting with the purchase of a barrel. You simply sent in your receiver and they fit the barrel (or barrels) and returned it to you.
Remington purchased H&R 1871, and Marlin came with it.
When sales started to decline and Remington (forced by Cerberus) started tightening the budget, the 'Accessory Barrel' program was officially ended. Fittings and repairs were still done until the stock on hand was exhausted. When only oddball, unpopular, or previously rejected barrels were left on hand, all remaining stock was sold to Numrich.
The Hand-Rifle was killed off about two years later.
FrankenMauser
New member
There are more than that. The SB1 and SB2 are just the 'most modern' frames introduced by the last incarnation of H&R 1871 before Remington bought them out. Even during that time frame, there was a variant of the SB2 that was a dedicated 10 ga frame. ...Making just the 'most modern' frame count three, instead of two.
I do not believe it to be an exaggeration at all to say that there are probably more than 30 different frames for H&R and NEF single-shots, from 1900-2017.
From 1900 to 1913, alone, there were at least seven different frames!
I do not believe it to be an exaggeration at all to say that there are probably more than 30 different frames for H&R and NEF single-shots, from 1900-2017.
From 1900 to 1913, alone, there were at least seven different frames!
When I was playing with the Handi-Rifles about 15 years ago, the serial number of the frame had to be 1999 or later to qualify for fitting any of the rifle caliber barrels, as determined by the two-letter serial number prefix.
For the first letter N = NEF, H = H&R, and the second letter denotes year of manufacture.
N was 1999, etc. They also dropped the auto ejection in favor of extraction only in the later years of production.
For the first letter N = NEF, H = H&R, and the second letter denotes year of manufacture.
N was 1999, etc. They also dropped the auto ejection in favor of extraction only in the later years of production.
Not without fitting by a smithy. Barrels are not drop in. When H&R was still operating they insisted that fitting be done in their factory.
"...H&R 1871 owned Marlin...." Other way around. Marlin bought H&R in 2000. I recall there being a "Barrel Program" when H&R 1871 was still H&R 1871 Inc., but that was dropped after Marlin bought 'em.
Who was owned by who in the firearms world in general was anybody's guess for a while. Every company seemed to be changing hands regularly at the turn of the Century.
"...H&R 1871 owned Marlin...." Other way around. Marlin bought H&R in 2000. I recall there being a "Barrel Program" when H&R 1871 was still H&R 1871 Inc., but that was dropped after Marlin bought 'em.
Who was owned by who in the firearms world in general was anybody's guess for a while. Every company seemed to be changing hands regularly at the turn of the Century.
FrankenMauser
New member
Wrong on the first point. Correct with the second."...H&R 1871 owned Marlin...." Other way around. Marlin bought H&R in 2000.
Marlin bought H&R.
But then they shuffled assets and 'sold' ownership of Marlin to H&R 1871, so the owners could rape the company, head for the hills, and hang the blame on H&R instead of themselves ... just in case something went wrong.
When Remington bought Marlin, they did so by buying the parent company - H&R 1871.
Center fire rifle caliber barrels should not be installed on the SB1 frame. All factory .357 and .44 magnum rifles had SB1 frames after about 2007.
i've bought numerous Handi Rifle barrels at gun shows, flea markets and garage sales. Except for one frame that was likely out of spec, most barrels fit the frames without modification. Headspace should be checked.
i've bought numerous Handi Rifle barrels at gun shows, flea markets and garage sales. Except for one frame that was likely out of spec, most barrels fit the frames without modification. Headspace should be checked.
TruthTellers
New member
I have a Handi Rifle that came with two barrels, a .223 and .308. The .308 is a perfect fit on the frame, the .223 has a bit of play when the foregrip is removed, it's rock solid when the foregrip is on.
These are single shot, break action rifles and I don't think it's dangerous to shoot a barrel that wasn't factory fit. Your accuracy might not be good, you might get light primer strikes, you might get no primer strikes if the chamber isn't in alignment with he firing pin, but if I had a Handi Rifle barrel that I knew wasn't factory fitted to the frame, it wouldn't stop me from trying if I could get a spare barrel cheap enough.
The issue is that there are no guarantees like with Thompson Center. I decided after I got mine that it was going to be the only Handi Rifle I was going to buy. Since you already have yours, I would be happy with what you got and if you want a single shot platform with interchangeable barrels, go T/C or wait for Midland Arms to get their crap together for the Backpacker.
I wouldn't hold my breath on Midland tho, they said at SHOT 2018 that rifle barrels were coming by the end of that year.
It's almost 2020 and still nothing.
These are single shot, break action rifles and I don't think it's dangerous to shoot a barrel that wasn't factory fit. Your accuracy might not be good, you might get light primer strikes, you might get no primer strikes if the chamber isn't in alignment with he firing pin, but if I had a Handi Rifle barrel that I knew wasn't factory fitted to the frame, it wouldn't stop me from trying if I could get a spare barrel cheap enough.
The issue is that there are no guarantees like with Thompson Center. I decided after I got mine that it was going to be the only Handi Rifle I was going to buy. Since you already have yours, I would be happy with what you got and if you want a single shot platform with interchangeable barrels, go T/C or wait for Midland Arms to get their crap together for the Backpacker.
I wouldn't hold my breath on Midland tho, they said at SHOT 2018 that rifle barrels were coming by the end of that year.
It's almost 2020 and still nothing.
if you want a single shot platform with interchangeable barrels, go T/C or wait for Midland Arms to get their crap together for the Backpacker.
i thought the TC Encore was the way to go, was i ever wrong. In 2006 i bought an Encore muzzleloader and five centerfire rifle barrels. Then i discovered that Mike Bellm built a business around correcting Encore problems. My Encore was much more problematic than a Handi - Rifle. Three of a myriad of problems:
1. Headspace of the .30-06 barrel was so out of spec the rifle would not fire even with the stronger Bellm hammer spring.
2. At the time my son was in charge of a large machine shop. The guys there matched my Encore to two of the five barrels. a .22 Hornet and a .35 Whelen. Sold the other barrels at the community yard sale.
3. Side to side play in the action was corrected by welding up the action and re-machining.