H&R handi rifle in 500 S&W caliber

D

DiscoRacing

New member
Just seen a new Harrington and Richardson handi rifle in 500S&W caliber. Didnt know that anyone was makin these in this small of a rifle. I had to have it but of course was delayed in NICS....hopefully have her soon.
 
Pretty cool. DO pics and range reports.

Comes in bunch of different calibers:
.500 S&W Magnum (as tested), .204 Ruger, .233 Rem., .22-250 Rem., .243 Win., .25-06 Rem., 7mm-08, .280 Rem., 7mm Rem. Mag., .30-30, .308 Win., .30-06, .300 Win. Mag., .444 Marlin, .45-70 Gov't., .357 Mag., .44 Mag.
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Dont mind a little pain at this point...and...since I have two 500S&W and a 460S&W.... Thought it would be an interesting angle(so to speak)to the rest of my collection.
 
I have two Handi-Rifles,,,

Nothing quite as monstrous as your 500 S&W,,,
Mine are in .22 LR and .357 Magnum.

HR-Both.jpg


You know the rules my friend,,,
We need pictures of your new baby.

.
 
I never thought much about H&R long guns, just thought they were cheap. A friend has one in 44 MAG that will out shoot a Ruger 77/44 by about half the group size at 100 yards. And that’s with 6 different bullets and a bunch of loads. I was trying to work up hunting loads for his Ruger and we got to the point that we couldn’t figure what the problem was, 4 inch groups were about the smallest we could get out of the Ruger.
The last range session he brought his H&R to see what it was capable of. With the same load and bullet that the best group was a little less than 5 inches, the H&R was pulling easy 2 inch groups.
In a couple of weeks he is going hunting and leaving the Ruger at home.
I bet that gun in a 500 will be a real thumper, thanks for letting us know. I will have to look into one.
Nice article on the gun here.




http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/ST_hr500sandwmag/#cont
 
Hello Ozzieman,,,

I never thought much about H&R long guns, just thought they were cheap.
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That's the same misinterpretation a lot of people seem to make,,,
Both of my H&R's are way more accurate than I am,,,
The .22 is an absolute flea-flicker at 50 yards,,,
The .357 hits a 3" metal disk at 100 yards.

That's with my eagle-eyed lady friend shooting them,,,
She's a much better shot than I am.

I have a buddy who likes to do long range silhouette,,,
He has one in .270 he uses for 500 yard hits,,,
Of course he hand loads his cartridges,,,
But the rifle hits where he aims it.

I have no qualms about recommending an H&R to anyone,,,
You just have to be able to appreciate the single shot.

.
 
From what I've read on Grey Beard, you get a really good one or a lousy one--luck of the draw. I had gotten the latter (lousy) in .223 ultra varmit. Terrible groups with all types of ammo. I was using a Burris scope. I had to float the forearm, reduce the trigger pull. Nothing appeared to help. Out of despiration, I fire lapped the barrel and that did it. The whole process was frustrating and involved spending more money that I could have spent on a better rifle. In my case, I should have bought a Savage.

John
 
Hello Giovani,,,

Bummer about your bad experience,,,
I've never heard of anyone having a problem that serious.

That's one of the talking points of H&R rifles,,,
Simplicity in design is supposed to mean quality performance.

.
 
The problems might be more concentrated with the ultra varmit series. I remember reading a coment by one writer that his handi (same model as mine) along with a couple of his friends wouldn't shoot. He sent it back to the factory and they told him that his groups was acceptable (I do not remember the size of the group).

I too liked the simplicity concept when I orginally purchased it. It is a semi-tack driver now with a lot of effort. I do have an old handi .410 from many years ago.

A few things when you're window shopping for one; make sure the lock up is tight with zero play; most handi shoot best resting at the rifle break just before the forearm (not on the forearm itself). A washer under the forearm screw will float the barrel and seems to help. One can also send the rifle back to handi for a trigger pull adjustment.

John
 
shot one, not bad

A buddy had one and I shot it a bit. I did not find the recoil all that bad, about like a 12 ga std high brass/high vel load I thought. Accuracy wise, it seemed as accurate as anything else I can shoot off hand at 50 yds or so.

If some body could market an affordable, commercial lever in same caliber, they'd sell I'm betting.
 
re:aarondhgraham

Mine are in .22 LR and .357 Magnum.
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I purchased one in .357 magnum too and had it rechambered for .357 maximum. Actually, the gunsmith just made the chamber a bit longer. With this rifle I can shoot .38 Specials, .357 magnums, and of course, the Maximums. Talk about versatility!

Years ago I went deer hunting in a shotgun only area. I purchased one of their rifled barrel shotguns. It was a cheap solution. It is accurate, but it kicks the snot out of you from the bench.

For those of you that think that these rifles are not well made, look up those premium, hot loaded .45-70 rounds. The HandiRifle is one of the guns that can use them.
 
Giovanni said:
From what I've read on Grey Beard, you get a really good one or a lousy one--luck of the draw. I had gotten the latter (lousy) in .223 ultra varmit. Terrible groups with all types of ammo. I was using a Burris scope. I had to float the forearm, reduce the trigger pull. Nothing appeared to help. Out of despiration, I fire lapped the barrel and that did it. The whole process was frustrating and involved spending more money that I could have spent on a better rifle. In my case, I should have bought a Savage.
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Sounds a lot like my experience, except I sent mine back to the factory (twice) and sold it (at a loss, with full disclosure) instead of working on it. I too should have just bought a Savage (but ended up replacing it with a Remmy).
 
I'e seem rifle ballistics for the 500 S&W that had an insane amount of energy - 3,500 ft lbs plus. There is nothing that rifle would not kill including a shoulder.
 
for what its worth, that .500 is gonna beat the snot outta ya!!!! personally, i want one in .44mag, .22lr, and would love to have one in 6.8spc!
 
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