H&R .223 and other single shot break open rifles

[mwadibe]

i have a couple mosin nagants and an sks. i want a cheap target rifle in .223. i have looked at the Rossi and H&R break open rifles. they run almost to 300 or so but i would be getting real nice scope for it but i dont want to spend over 600 for everything. does anyone have any opinions about these rifles?

Thank you

[mr surveyor]

I just stuck an H&R .223 in the back of the safe at my local gun shop today and asked my bud to hold it for me until after the first of the year. Nice thumb hole stock, bipod fore stock, heavy fluted flat top barrel.... $275 otd ... I think it's worth that.

I don't "need it".... I want it..... well, I really do need it

I too would like to hear of some hands on experiences.


surv


oooohhhh... I just ran some search info.... the one I put back in the corner is the "Ultra Varmint Fluted Rifle"... price at a coupe of online sites $374... think I'll take the offer

[mr surveyor]

well, mwadibe, I guess it's just you and me with any interest in these long guns. I did have to run out to the "shop" last night to pick up some ammo for a friend, and finally asked about some details of the gun I parked in the back of the safe. It turns out that the older models had a 1:12 twist, making them pretty inefficient with the heavier bullets, but this one has a 1:9 twist rate. I'm really getting stoked about trying to make this thing a real "shooter". I'm planning to work it over with barrel compound first, then do a slow shoot/clean, shoot/clean break in with the barrel before mounting any type of optics or sights. Being the heavy fluted bull barrel, I'm hoping that the forestock lug (on the barrel) and different tensioning of the mounting screw (holding the forestock to the barrel) doesn't have any harmonic effect on barrel accuracy between uses. It's my understanding that a lot of these guns can be prone to inconsistencies in poa/poi from range trip to range trip due to the amount of tension used to reattach the forestock screw to the barrel lug. If that proves to be true with this particular model, I may get a torque wrench and try to maintain the same torque each time.

Should be a fun, and somewhat inexpensive project.


surv

[The Annoyed Man]

Actually, that sounds like, not only a lot of fun, but a valuable way to hone one's shooting skills. I've looked at the more plain jane version of those rifles before at Academy, and kicked around the idea of buying one.

[mr surveyor]

well....it's a bit past "the first of the year", but I finally decided it was time to pick up the H&R Ultra Varmint from the shop tonight. I called earlier and said I had 4 bills in hand and to build me a "package deal". When I got to the shop about 8:00 pm, there was the gun, fitted with a Harris Bi-pod, a perfect length fiberglass, ball-bearinged cleaning rod, 100 rounds of bright clean ammo, a fresh hand rolled cigar and a cold beer. I love country living

I still plan to attempt to make a 300+ yard shooter out of this one, and will do a one shot/clean, repeat procedure for the first 20 rounds. Then may go to 4 round cycles for another 20 before I even mount optics. I really want to season this barrel right, and give it every chance to surprise me. My gun shop buddy said he did 2 this way that would shoot quarter size groups, poa, at 100 yards on any given day. The good thing is the gun is designed to handle the heavier bullets, and milspec 5.56 is also no problem.

Work tomorrow, and all day fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity on Friday, maybe I can find a place on Saturday to set up a table to start the barrel seasoning.

If it's not cutting bullet holes by this time next month, I'll give it to my grandson... he won't be picky

surv

[mr surveyor]

last night I spent 2 hours with brushes, patches, solvent, etc., working the bore. Decided to take the afternoon off, and my son (my only employee ) and I headed to the range. We spent about three quality hours, one shot, cool, scrub/clean, at a time for the first 20 rounds. Even though I spent all that time last night scrubbing the bore, that still did not get the rifle machining burrs out of the barrel. THAT, is one of the major causes of barrel problems. Those rough edges and burrs grab chunks of copper and lead that remain in the barrel for the next shot....IF you don't scrub it out! Shooting a brand new barrel multiple times without careful "management, unless it has been previously hand lapped, can lead to unhappy experiences later on. Each round fired through the barrel will remove a bit more of the rough edges from the lands and grooves, and leave behind some nasty metallic particles. Each subsequent round fired will drive those particles into every nook and crannie in the rifling and begin to cause unnecessary scarring of surfaces you really want to nice and smooth. If the rounds fired through the barrel help smooth out the rough stuff...metal surfaces... it stands to reason that those same rounds, with the added grit of the particles being removed from the rifling, can and will damage the barrel.

The first 10 rounds (again, one at a time) each required at least a 15-20 patches to clear all the gunk. Using Hoppes #9, then Rem Bore Solvent, then CLP, each step dry patched, the bore was cleaned well after each shot. By round 20, the Hoppes didn't have much to do, and one patch with CLP, and a couple to dry, came out white clean. Then, I mounted a cheap scope that I had layiing around on a desk (a Leepers that I may have paid 30 bucks for a few years ago), just to see how it grouped. I just bore sighted it to begin, and I mean the old fashioned method....steady the barrel, look through the tube, then align the scope to the same point visible through the barrel. In three shots I had it sighted in to hit a 2 inch "shoot and see" on a paper plate at 25 yards. Since we were limited for time, and ammo in the truck, we set a test target at 50 yards, just to see a pattern. Shooting with the Harris bipod on the bench, my first three shots were in the black, and made a nice horizontal oblong hole about 3/8 inch wide.

I just don't think this gun would be near as tight a shooter if I had treated it like the "cheap gun" it is. Next it gets a trigger job.

Just my rambling opinions...yours may vary!

surv

[Mike1951]

Another advantage of this gun is the ability to order additional barrels. H&R requires that the receiver be returned to allow fitting the new barrels.

I bought the Ultra Varmint in .223 with the 24" heavy barrel. I ordered the 24" .243 barrel that comes with the Ultra Varmint. Instead, they fitted the 22" heavy barrell for the NEF Handi Rifle. So it pays to follow up when they're doing the work.

You're comment about the trigger job prompted me to mention this, since you wouldn't want the factory 'correcting' your trigger work.

Take a look at the barrel options and have any fitting done prior to the trigger work.

http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr surveyor]

THanks for the advice. I wouldn't have thought they would reverse engineer a trigger job when fitting a new barrel. I do plan to do the same thing you had "planned", and that is to add either the .243 barrel or .308 barrel. I guess then that your opinion would be to hold off working on the trigger until I decide on another barrel?

Thanks

surv

[Mike1951]

The typical corporation perceives liability where there should be none.

I know that Ruger undoes any modifications when a firearm is sent for service.

I would worry that H&R might return your receiver to 'factory' while in their possession.

And if there is more than one barrel available in the caliber you choose, then definitely follow up during the process.

[BigRon]

These are great little rifles. H&R has very good service, but I have seen the rifles used under $200. I think we will get additional rifles instaed of barrels. That way, if we take someone hunting, the single shot loaner would be ideal.

[mr surveyor]

Just an update to an old thread... here's my latest quick outing with the H&R Ultra.

I had a rash of light strikes and shipped the gun back for a bit of work on the transfer bar. The factory work really didn't correct the problem, but I know a local smith that can not only fix that, but also can properly smooth the trigger to a clean break under 4 lbs. Still not the trigger I would like to have, but you just can't have a slick target grade trigger with a break over rifle from what I've heard.

The gun is the H&R Ultra Varmint with .223 barrel. Scope is an inexpensive ($90) NC Star 3-12 X 56 with lighted reticle.

Bi-pod is a Harris.




This is a 100 yard target shot from bench with bi-pod:



I had hurriedly re-installed the scope and test fired at 50 yards to get on paper before firing these 12 rounds for grouping. Not sure what happened with the extreme 9 o'clock flyer, but the other 11 rounds are all in a 1-1/2" X 1" group. Not exactly great, but I hope after a bit of polishing of the sear, and another couple hundred rounds, I may decide to keep it. If these were from 200 yards I would have reached my goal. My eyes just won't let me head shoot squirrels at 200 yards with .22 shorts anymore

surv

[JLaw]

Not bad! I've always wondered about the accuracy on the H&R single shots.

Nice rifle.

JLaw

[mr surveyor]

next time I take it to the range I'll go ahead and work the scope back to center, and shoot off sand bags rather than the bi-pod. I'm really trying to press this thing to sub-moa.

If I can reach that goal, I'm taking it to the "hog ranch" this winter and set up at 200-300 yards from a well beaten crossing and try head shots with steel core ammo. Unless it's capable of MOA or better, the head shots are out.

surv