Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders H&R and/or NEF Huntsman

Hello,
Was wondering if anyone has an opinion on the Huntsman rifle.
Are they decent rifles?
Thanks

I had a NEF Huntsman, stainless with a black synthetic stock. It was a fine gun. The only reason I sold it was I've been transitioning from in-lines to sidelocks. The gun was very accurate and had a decent trigger. It was brute strong. The action locked up tight. The size and weight is good for stand hunting or still hunting. I had a Simmons 4X ProDiamond shotgun scope on mine, which I consider the perfect scope for a gun like this. The only modification I made to the gun was to replace the factory breech plug that uses plastic primer carriers with a Metrics Unlimited breech plug. But I don't think MU makes those any longer.

Are you talking about the newer models or the old ones from the sixties and seventies? I have one of the 2004 (I think) versions. It shoots as well as my other muzzleloaders, but it is heavier with the pallet wood stock. The factory breech plug allowed too much blow by and didn't work with BH 209. The original style primer carriers are hard to find. I upgraded my breech plug to use Blackhorn and got a stronger replacement ramrod and am satisfied with the rifle as it is now. It is my backup/loaner rifle.

The Huntsman rifles I have been looking at were posted in online auctions so I am not sure how old they were. They were blued with wood.
I like the H&R ultra varmint rifles and thought about getting a muzzleloader as well.
Thanks for the information.
AB

The originals had a slow twist for shooting round balls and had breech plugs that took #11 percussion caps. There were two types of breech plugs. The first was a push in type that got H&R sued when shooters would get a hang fire and open the action as the charge ignited. The second type was screw in. The best info on H&R muzzleloaders is found on Graybeard. I suspect you are looking at the new generation, since I have only seen a couple of originals and that was years ago.

Mine shoots extremely well with Fury Bullets, an over-powder disk, and BH209. Sadly Metrics Unlimited no longer offers the 209 breech plugs and Ben Hubbard is no longer making ram rods. The Huntsmans are classified as firearms but the Side Kicks aren't. They were made so that no other barrels can be fitted to the receiver.

Thanks, Dinny

Ben Hubbard made both my ramrod and my breech plug. I got one of the last breech plugs he made. He said the tolerances on the factory threads was so bad that he couldn't guarantee proper fit and wasn't going to make any more plugs.

PR Bullet still offers plugs for them.
5/8th
https://www.prbullet.com/shop/products_view.php?sSKU=nef5.8
7/8th
https://www.prbullet.com/shop/products_view.php?sSKU=0578