Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles H&R was bought

I read a post on another sight and heard it again that a group bought H & R and New England arms out

Maybe they'll do something with them

Seems to be a fair amount of guys looking for H&R/NEF single shot rifles lately........

I hope they do!

Maybe I will hold on to mine a while longer...;)

geezuz why would anyone buy those companies?

They did several web interviews from ShOT SHOW. The gentlemen who owned NODAK is now the CEO for the new owners.

Takeaways

They bought it for its military production heritage. Planned immediate offering is Vietnam era M-16 clones. Garand is next. Then M14. Receptive to eventually producing single shot, but definitely not Handirifle or Shotguns as they were too labor intensive, and labor force that knew how to produce is gone. Handguns also in idea stage, but not mechanically unsound ones of H&R's past.

Because a lot of us liked their stuff

Last I was aware of, the H&R tooling no longer existed
having been deep sixed by remington

Maybe they bought patent rights or trademark rights?

Here’s an interview with them from Ar15.com https://youtu.be/vX0kEurikfg

I bought an HR slug gun about 10 years ago. It was the biggest pile of poo ever. It hit exactly where it was aiming about 55% of the time. The other 45% it did not fire. How you can do something for years and still suck at it is embarrassing. Don't buy one, you deserve better.

That makes sense, given the history. Maybe they’ll offshore the Handi-Rifles to Turkey someday. Shouldn’t be too tough to CNC one of those, assuming there’s really a market for them. I know folks like ‘em, but that doesn’t always add up to a market.

H&R single shots once filled a niche by being considerably cheaper than available repeaters. The cheap single shot rifle doesn't make a lot of sense to most guys when they can buy a cheap bolt action rifle for the same money.

I am sure many of these single shots were bought by people who wanted to meet some states’ ridiculous definition of a “primitive weapon.” Mississippi for example defines this as a single shot with exposed hammer of 35 caliber or larger. There is a two week early primitive weapons season for antlerless deer on private land. I killed a doe with a HandiRifle last November chambered in 35 Whelen. Though the rifle is ugly as sin (to me), I don’t see anything truly primitive about it, especially with a scope which is legal.

I suspect almost everyone who wants one for this purpose already owns one. But for a while these were hot items in Mississippi gun stores.

So if they're not gonna be rifles and not gonna be shotguns...?

Could be he's hoping for single shot pistols 🤣

I have a 450 Marlin and a 7mm-08 Handi, would love to find a 280 Remington or a 25'06 or 270

Maybe they’re just not gonna be Handi.

My cousin bought one of those in 20ga, cheap. Then he spent a couple hundred more trying to find a slug it would shoot. I still laugh at him about that.

I doubt he ever checked for a loose forend or dirty barrel, but he did swap scopes a few times.

I’ve got one in .223 and .243. and really like them both. I love to have one in .45 Long Colt or .44 mag.

I swapped over to CVA for cheap single-shot needs. Better triggers and similar pricing. The .444 Handi I had would flat shoot though, if you could live with a 7lb trigger.

Ok so he just doesn't want them to be handy

I regret ever parting with my Ultra Hunter 450 Marlin

I’ve got a .223 H&R with a bull barrel I bought off my late father in-law about 15 years ago. I wish it had the 1:9 twist barrel, but it’s a 1:12 twist instead. I’ve made some nice keyholes with it. 😅

It was his mention of the H&R AR15 lower and the M1 Garand receivers that got my attention. It sounds like the M1 receivers are going to be forged and then finished on a CNC. There is going to be a learning curve but I have faith that the PSA and Nodak Spud guys can pull it off. It would be nice to see some competition for the m14 receivers as well.

kwg

Handi rifles have been bringing pretty good money at the gunshow sense they went out of business

Some of the early ones had very bad triggers but most sb2 rifles were good

Well if I lived in some damn state that a single shot rifle with an exposed hammer over 35 caliber was the rule for use in a primitive season I'd laugh and rejoice while I was ordering a new Shiloh Sharps in 45-70 and go kill sh*t. Jeebus...mb

Id get a Contender rifle.

Have never liked the Handi rifles

Or grow a pair, man up and accept the challenge of using a front stuffer.

It's a Dam shame so many, are so pussified they can't grab a flintlock and
enjoy the frustrating fun of learning to operate it well.
They really can be effective and pretty reliable.
It's just the onus is on the operator to make it work.

About as bad as the so called archers always telling me how
archery is so great. Bow hunting makes you a better hunter and
it's better hunting. That is usually mixed into their conversation about
the newest bow/sight/arrow/broadhead, and how its so much
better.

"Really? I thought you liked the challenge?"

Honestly, I could give a rip about the challenge. Lol. My stainless Whelen CVA puts meat in the freezer, rain or shine. Last weekend of “Primitive” here. Gonna try to stab something with an Accubond.

I suspect that in most, if not all states, a Shiloh Sharps in 45-70 or a flintlock is legal in the regular rifle season.

Gee, only two pages and we’ve already gotten into dick-swinging and name-calling.

Wondered what you meant.

Whoops
Maybe a bit over zealous?
Sorry guys.
That guys that didn't re-read the way it came out.

Most guys are just like JPro, they don't give a rip about the challenge of hunting with a muzzleloader, they just want a longer hunting season. I killed a bunch of deer with a muzzleloader I built from a kit when I was 12 years old. When they legalized inline muzzleloaders I bought one because it worked better and was legal. When they legalized the handi rifle in 35 Whelen I bought one of them. Now you don't even have to use a muzzleloader if you're hunting on private land during the primitive weapon season, just use your regular rifle so that's what I do.

I get that some guys want to dress in buckskins and do the whole longrifle thing, but most guys just want to hunt longer with the most effective thing they can legally use. Nostalgia and the challenge never figured into it, just a longer hunting season.

Then they should just do away with muzzleloader/primitive weapons season and extend the regular season. Calling it muzzleloader or primitive weapon season while allowing scoped in lines and/or cartridge rifles is a joke. Personally I wish they'd just do away with bow/MZ/Primitive weapons seasons all together and just have deer season.

Define challenge.

I would think the goal of every hunter is to kill stuff the most efficient way. I don't think there should be any type of special season, you can either kill deer today or you can't. I don't care if you want to do it with a spear or a 30/06.

I'll use a 30/06, because I'm not a caveman.

It took a lot of fighting and time to get a season to use a muzzle loader
without the aggravation of rifle hunters.

Long time ago, almost another world.
Hunting was an active pursuit, for rifle hunters. Which was about the
only game. Muzzleloader guys wanted a season to hunt in a primitiveway,
with those guns.

I assume archery was the same, but it soon fell completely into the arms race.

Pa, has a bit of time for true primitive blackpowder. After everyone else has
taken a whack at the deer. Our earlier blackpowder season was a sell out
to the in-line industry.


Mike, I do agree with you on one point, sort of.

They should decide on what seasons are, and are for.
If they won't keep them "pure".
Just do deer season. Run what ya brung.



(PS. I use an in line in the early season. It's just a PITA single shot 30-30.
in my opinion)

Yes, I don’t write the laws or make the rules, but I do abide by them. And “primitive” is a pretty slippery slope. How far back does someone want to go?

Nearly 50 years ago, I hunted a bit using a TC Hawken in the shotgun-only area I hunted in MD, not really for the challenge, but because it was more accurate than the bead-only shotguns most used. I was a pretty poor deer hunter than, but had two good opportunities that went awry for reasons not associated with the platform (though a fast second shot probably would’ve saved the day both times). Mostly I’m in favor of letting folks work out their own notion of challenge, especially where whitetails are more or less vermin as they are in many places. We have two ML seasons here, both after a couple of months of archery and gun hunts, so even seeing one gets dicey on public land. The second one is for sidelocks with irons, not quite as sporting as the PA flinter season, but close enough.

Personally I love muzzleloader season. All of them. I hunt Inline in early season and Flintlock in late. Muzzleloader seasons are my favorite

If they took a little more time and care making the Handi Rifles, gave them a nice checkered walnut stock and increased the price a couple hundred bucks… they could call it a Henry Single Shot.
I’ve enjoyed the dozen or so H&R and Handi Rifles I’ve had.
My Ruger No.1’s and Browning 1885’s cost roughly 4 times the cost of the Handi’s!
The Henry walnut stocks have been amazing.

Careful there Buckaroo, those H&R fans can be sensitive. When the Henrys first came out there was some backlash similar to 6.5 Manbun hate from the .260 and Swede folks. I like anything that works well myself.

I have a H&R .243 WIn and it does not shoot. I actually had 2 of them and could hardly get 5" at 50 yds. I must have shot 200 rounds through the second one and still nothing. I also have a 12 ga. Rossi that is fine, especially for the price, it was free. I tried everything to make those guns shoot to no avail. I got mad and got my son a . Remington 700 ADL youth in .243 WIn and it did 3" @ 100 . but the thing would rust in no time flat . I traded it in for a Tikka t3 in .270 WIn and we have not looked back.

Back on topic....

I loved the two Handi Rifles I picked up... $99 for one and $109 for the other... 22 Win Mag and 17 HMR the other...polymer stocks.

Both these rimfires are tack drivers.... each has a 6 power scope on top... one Leupold and one Weaver.

I do regret not picking up the 30/30 and 38/55 Buffalo one when both were available...

Those Buffalos are pretty nice. A.38/55 would be sweet.

I'd be happy if they made the 999 again.