Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Handi Rifle for my daughter?

The 7-08 GAnder Mtn rifle I have for sale right now.

Shane, I take it that you do not like single shots of any kind. And that's ok. I on the other hand like'em and I think they are great tools to teach a kid with.

I grew up in a house that required the first rifle to be a single shot, so you would learn to make it count every time. If you ever wonder how a ten year old can do with a handi, you can ask any of the guys who duck hunted with me when I was a kid. I could make that 20 gauge single sound like a semi-auto, with birds dropping like flies. It certainly helped with the hand eye coordination better than any video game and I also learned to shoot right and left handed just in case with that 20 gauge and the .222 Rem bbl I had as well. Calling coyotes and one slipped close on the "wrong" side, rather than shift the whole body, I slid it over to the other shoulder, didn't spook him and a 50 Horn earned me $50-60 bucks. Ahh life was good back then!

ED

On a personal level, I'm not bothered a bit if someone proudly presents their child with a handi-rifle. It's nothing to do with me.

A query for "any ideas" was fielded. I simply gave my ideas, and offered a few quantifiable reasons why. A handi is what it is. We all make our choices and spend our money as we see fit. An informed choice is never a bad thing, wether spending a little or a lot. That is the sole reason for me contributing to this thread.

Hell, I fish with a $29 rod/reel combo, and am tickled with it. I'm sure many would be appalled to use the same. Choices and priorities....

BTW, I did state clearly I do like single shots, and specified two of my favorite designs. The apparent inability of some to glean that from clear and concise text, explains much.

I should have made a better conclusion to my last post... that conclusion is this: My two sons, aged 4 and 2, have been armed with "custom" 98 Mausers in 7x57 with 2x7 Leupies and I also have an identical rifle. We will be armed in triplicate when they get old enough to hunt with me. I started with that single shot partly because it was a single shot, but mostly because I grew up cash poor. My father has told me if he could have done it all over with unlimited resources I would have started with a Ruger #1 or a TC set up with multiple bbls.

Here's an example of one by me. My buddy bought his son a handi-rifle with a HB in 243. No failures to fire or extract but it does not have an ejector. The case is ejected from the chamber but you have to remove it by hand. It has, on occasion, fired and the action broke open on firing. This has happened twice over the 300 or so rounds put through it and I cannot figure out why or "make it happen" to troubleshoot. It is accurate enough for it's intended purpose but I wouldn't buy one personally. I have a Savage M110 in 243 that I've shot/hunted/killed with since '91 and love it. It now sits in a laminate stock bedded and free-floated. I still have the factory synthetic stock. Me personally with that in mind, I'd cut the synthetic stock down to fit the shooter and go with that. However, I know that not everyone has that same set up.

i have one in 308win and really enjoy it. i let my nephew who is a new hunter use it also. main reason is when it is open, i don't have to guess if it is loaded or unloaded. great feature for beginners.

as much as i like handis, and as much as i recommend 'em for many applications, i still rank them third behind bolt and lever guns for my personal use.
handis remain a viable option, in my opinion, for many applications.
hey, it's just my opinion ...

I would recomend a handi for a new hunter if a few conditions were met.

It would have to be a type of hunting where shots can be chosen. Like blind/treestand hunting. In that type of use a handi is excellent. Its accurate, safe, easy to tell when loaded. and its mode of operation encourages good shooting.

as a young kid I learned to deer hunt with a H&R topper buck gun (single shot 12ga), also known as brusier. I learned to "draw fine bead" as my grandfather would say because I had one chance. A few of my friends had pumps and as unsupervised teenagers sometimes do they relied on fire power rather than a good first shot...and we all know how well that works out.

Nothing wrong with a bolt gun... can find but lots of them fairly inexpensive.. remmingtons at walmart, stevens...good selection on the used rack.

One bad thing about starting with a SS is... when your kids are 40 there will be an old handi in the back of the safe they won't sell cause they got there first deer with it

Break opun on firing is usually caused by a need for action cleaning. Remove the buttstock and spray out the reciever inside with brake cleaner. All this is covered very well on the greybeards site. If anyone wants, I can fax or scan them my collected info on handi-rifles next week. PM me if interested with your fax number or e-mail.

Boo,

Bought a Handi Rifle in .243 for my grandson. He killed his first deer with it this year. My handloads average around an inch at 100yds.

It is an extremely safe/simple weapon for a new hunter. The biggest advantage no one has mentioned. From several feet away you can glance over and see if the hammer is cocked. Can't do that with a bolt gun with a conventional saftey.

Hey
Brian Pierse Gave the handis 2 thumbs up. I give them 1.5 because thats all I have. The handi is a very quiet arm. The ruger nbr 1 is the noisiest arm I own. when I go hunting I take my handi or my encore. My rt eye is ok sometimes, my lt eye is good all the time. I am a natural right hand shooter. the bolt/lever guns do me any good. single shots are best for me. I trained my daughters on handis and they loved them. taught them to look down the barrel before loading cary them in the breakopen positon and pull back the silent hammer when ready to shoot. easy to clean and diassemble, reliable and I dont have to worry about how banged up they get. One shot one kill how many follow ups do you need????
Bearbeater

there ya go, bb.

Thank you all for your great advice and personal experiences. I guess I should have added what some of you have guessed, that I am sort of on a tight budget. Every dollar I spend on her rifle pulls from somewhere else. Yes I could get her the Ruger compact or Rem model 7 I have been drooling over, but then she won't go to State (track meet) this Spring or she won't get the violin her teacher says she needs this fall. Even the Savage I want for a switch barrel rig is looking pretty pricey.

Cutting down one of the 2 rifles I have is not an option because I have 3 people trying to hunt. Besides, no one is laying a finger on the Mauser it has taken 4 years for me to get "just right." All I need now is a good scope for it and I am happy. My son owns the 30-06 and I don't ever want him to have to choose between his sister and his rifle!

After considering all the suggestions I am going to get the rifle if I like it when I look at it. That way I know I can take her hunting this year. If I can find more money somewhere then I will upgrade her before hunting season and keep the Handi Rifle for back up or as a loaner.

may your decision be a blessed one, boo.

small rifles with poorly designed stocks kick like hell and will discourace new shooters. my fried bought his son a handi rifle in 243 and it kicks like a mule. go full size and cut the stock down to fit, the heavier the better!

I would not let my sons shoot a handi rifle under any condition!

Stevens 200 gotta be a consideration in a decision like this. Another poster reminded me of the opening upon discharge on occasion that I experienced with two of them as well. I'll add that cleanliness was not an issue as I gave the handi's every break I could both in cleaning and chamber polishing.

BooDude,
I didn't catch it if your daughter has ever fired a big game rifle of any caliber.
I suspect a .280 Rem is way too much recoil for a slender 12 year old girl. You could run the risk of squelching her interests before she has success.
If it was my daughter I would get her a .260 Rem or 25-06 and not too light weight either. Maybe even go as far as having a Limbsaver pad installed.

I agree that the .280 is a bit much for so I am going to load some reduced loads. I figure 120 gr bullet at 2500 fps should work as well as Remington's Managed Recoil loads that my son used to shoot before he grew into his 06.

My grandson is 12ys old, 5'11", weighs about 120lbs. The first 3 shots he ever fired with a centerfire rifle were thru that .243 Handi and they went around an inch and a half. The 4th shot dropped a doe. Recoil from that rifle is no differant than any other .243 I ever shot. Your friend's son must be a little tiny feller.