Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Craig Boddington likes 'em............

In the recent Guns and ammod, Craig Boddington had an article on "ideal" deer rifles. In it, he is holding an NEF Single shot rifle, which he says is a real sleeper for deer.

He says it is accurate, reliable and amazingly affordable.

I'm considering one in a Superlight Handi-rifle, youth model, .243 caliber.

I felt better when I heard Mr. Boddington recommend these, as I've heard mixed reviews.

My daughter is 12, and I had a 6.5x55 decked out for her, but it's becoming clear it will be far too heavy for to carry and shoot.

The youth model I'm looking at has a synthetic stock, recoil pad, 20" barrel, and only weighs 5 1/3 pounds. $319 Canadian. I've handled some of the NEF rifles in gunstores, and really like the recoil pad, trigger, and feel of them.


The Rem, Win, etc youth models are out of reach for me $ wise right now.

Give me your opinions on:

a. the NEF rifles themselves.

b. how do you think the recoil will be (.243 cal) in a gun this light??


Thanks guys.

I dislike the transfer block used in the NEF rifles. It breaks.
The action, while strong enough, is a bit flexy(?). Accuracy varies dependant upon the fit of the breech. They are easily tuned however.
Recoil might be a little snappy but should be manageable even for a youth. GD

Is that the break open single shot that looks like a single shot shotgun ?? If so I know a few BPCR sillo shooters that use them.
-Doc-

Yes, it is. What is a BPCR sillo shooter??

A type of sihoutte shooter??

I saw old Craig on the TV with someone else important,one with a single shot(Craig) and the other with a bolt gun with the clock running..Humm..I do remember Craig saying he could work a bolt as fast or faster than any levergun.But A "Single Shot"? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />Hummm...

Personally,I want more than one shot and I don't doubt Craig and some others can reload perty quickly..I doubt there trying to selll anything...Never..

Jayco

Jayco, I hear you on the selling/promoting point.

What has your experience been with these rifles????

Dont let Big Stick see this post or his blood pressure will go off the charts again.

I have had excellent luck with an NEF. I bought it as a ranch beater gun but the performance has been impressive. I have a heavy .223 barrel that will go under 1 moa with the Winchester white box varmint ammo, a light .308 barrel with a JP point site attached that goes under 5 pounds total and the muzzle loader barrel. I dont know if I would ever need to buy another receiver but a 45-70 barrel might be added for fun.

Mauser-I'm all fingers.Off the topic for a second.I have a single shot automatic?Yep-You cock it once then just feed it with ammo one at a time.
I am way to slow to take a single shot seriosly for hunting.How many guys walk around with four bullets between there fingers hunting with a single shot for quick reloading like a double in Africa?
Now the bolt against the levergun is interesting.I only recently got into the levergun buisness with a 45-70 Guide Gun..It is quick but so is a bolt.I really don't know which is quicker in "Hunting Circumstances".

I once posted on another forum who would win?
Paco Kelly with a levergun or
Craig Boddington with a bolt?
Both have said theres is faster in repeating follow up shots.
I just wish it all wasn't about selling stuff so some wouldn't contradict what they said previosly..
Take care...Jayco

I wish they made that light weight in 30-30, only reason I don't own one at the moment. Your daughers size may fit the gun, her tolerance for recoil will determing the pleasure of it though, even a .243 can bite in light enough gun.

Regarding the comment above about Boddington 'quick shootin' the lever and single shots... I saw a video of him on a Cape Buff with a bolt gun once, surprised hell out of me how fast he got the second shot off. Wondered after that how he knew he needed one...

On that subject, when one is really familiar with the NEF style guns and has actually used them a bit it may surprise others how fast a repeat shot can be dispatched. I went thru 5 slug loads one day in the middle of a covey rise of pigs in about 12-15 seconds. Did miss one of them though, so it's not a perfect gun for such an occasion. In my case it was an old Topper model H&R with the thumb lever release common with SxS guns. I suspect the present release is quicker but have not used one.

She will do fine with the NEF. My wife has the exact gun you are considering. It shoots 1" groups with no tuning, but yours may not. I do think these are a great rifle for new shooters, and even for old shooters who want to have fun. It does not matter how fast you can reload it--make the first shot count.

The recoil for me is pretty stiff. It has some jump to it. However, my wife thinks it is nothing, and thinks it is no different than my Model 7 in .260. Go figure.

Not to take away from the Campfire, but for the NEF crowd, you simply must go over to GraybeardOutdoors.com, where they have an entire forum dedicated just to the NEF rifles/shotguns/muzzleloaders. Those guys can answer every question you have about them, and they won't be looking down their noses at you while you ask.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/index.php

C'mon man !

How much cheaper is a new junk-a-matic than a used Remington 700 ?

I would rather see you on here asking for donations for a kid's first rifle purchase than trying to garner support for buying something stupid...............and I'll pitch the first $25 U.S. to help you make the difference if it helps you decide !

No junky scopes either.................

I like Craig Boddington, and have nothing against NEF rifles. However, Mr Boddington rarely says anything negative about anything.

That's a fairly astute observation Blaine, I think CB is a good hunter, rifleman and probably a really good guy, but he either is really easy to please when it comes to rifles and optics or the good guy part sways his written word.

Accroholic,
That is exactly why I asked the question..............to hear if these rifles are "Junky". Anyways, a used Rem 700 isn't the answer. I need light weight and FIT.

By the way, I'd never come here and ask for $................I'd sooner buy a "junky" rifle.

I got one in 45-70 and then had a .223 bull barrel fitted to it, as well as a factory trigger job. Darned accurate in either barrel with the right load. I have no idea as to recoil with a .243 : it , of course, isn't an issue with the .223 but can loosen teeth with certain 45-70 loads.

As mentioned above, the transfer bar/firing pin can be an issue. Mine gave out after perhaps 400 rounds and I'm still deciding if I want to mess with a repair. The actions also have a tendency to sometimes pop open if there is oil/grit in them. A stout shot of Gun Scrubber usually takes care of this, though, until it can be stripped and thoroughly cleaned later.

All-in-all, I believe these to be a very good value. Most folks don't have quite the problems I've had and are quite pleased with them. When they do work properly they will shoot with rifles several times their price.

how about trimming down the new stevens/savage? repeater with a nice price..... cut the stock and put a nice pad on it for her. i dont know the weight off hand but savage also makes a real lightweight on the cheap....

http://www.savagearms.com/10fm.htm

woofer

We have opened the single-shot can of worms before, so I'll just comment that speed of fire is probably the last attribute I look for in a hunting rifle. If a second shot were all that important for most hunting, we'd all be using pumps or autos.

Craig put another shot into the buffalo right away because that is standard operating procedure, even if you're "sure" you hit a Cape buffalo right the first time.

I have personally hunted game from pronghorn and springbok to elk and Cape buffalo with a single-shot, and so has Craig. I would also do it again. There is great value in teaching youngsters the value of the first shot.

In fact I treat ALL my hunting rifle like single-shots; generally the magazine is just handy place to store extra ammo. And you would be surprised how fast you can reload a single-shot with an ejector (as the Handi-Rifle has). I would not bet against a practiced user when compared to the average bolt-action user.

I have some experience with the Handi-Rifle. The accuracy is generally good, more than enough for deer and usually sufficient for pretty small varmints (good off-season practice). The barrel is stout enough to keep muzzle flip down when chambered in the .243.

Sometimes the hammer block breaks, but like most mechanical failures this often occurs early on. It is easy and cheap to replace. I haven't seen HR's break more often than many other far more expensive rifles though, and they are indeed generally handier for smaller shooters to use.

MD

Have you considered looking for a "youth model" from Winchester or one of the other manufactures? There might even be a old cast off youth stock, and used rifle to fit it, at your smiths just looking for a kid that needs a rifle. The nice thing about the youth guns is you can replace the stock as they grow keeping the same rifle and cartridge going that they learned to shoot with.

To me this has nothing to do with the single shot can of worms. It has to with being pennywise but dollar foolish. The NEF's should all be built muzzleloader fashion with a cleaning rod under the barrel to knock out stuck cases. Their chambers are crudely cut and their extraction system isn't strong enough to initiate extraction.
My first experience is with my son's 12 gauge NEF slug gun that occassionally fails to extract the fired cases. Fortunately the hole in the barrel of that is big enough that you can break a stick to shove down the barrel and knock out the fired shell.
I have an employee who had to have a 243 after watching me drop a 50+ pound coyote in its tracks at well over 200 yards with my son's Ruger 77. Of course he didn't want to spend any money so he bought an NEF package gun. Knowing from watching him site in his deer rifle that if it throws up dirt near the target at 50 yards it is good enough I told him to bring it in and I would site it in for him as I know he had delusions of shooting coyotes as well and I didn't want the 243's reputation to suffer. He brought it in with the case of the second cartridge he fired stuck in the chamber. I knocked it out, gave it a very thorough cleaning and went to site it in. I couldn't get three shots off in a row without a case becoming stuck, sometimes not one in a row. Close inspection of the cases showed a miscut chamber causing the problems. Back to the dealer. Dealer sent gun back to NEF. Four weeks later a new NEF 243 comes in.
At least this one went five shots before a case stuck in the chamber. By this time I had done some forum seaching and found out how sticking cases weren't a issue if you didn't get any dirt in the chamber, had shiny cases, didn't use handloads, blah, blah, blah, as well as the some guys that had alot of them telling how to polish the chamber with a fired case/bore mop. I gave the chamber a pretty good polishing with my electric drill, JB, and a very tight bore mop. Helped some but still had 2 out of 10 stick. Guess I gotta try polishing with a fired case next. Of course my employee is just fed up and hasn't brought it around or used it since. Thats three for three if anyone is keeping count.
Lately the NEF thing has come up on AR and there have been some novel solutions there. One NEF user carries a piece of 6" brass rod with that will just fit down the barrel as it has enough momentum to knock the case out and is easier to carry than a cleaning rod. Another machines a nice little notch in his NEF's so as to be able to use his little screw driver to pry the cases out. NEF's. A good idea carried out poorly. Craig can have them.

For the same money you could buy her a Stevens(Savage without accutrigger) bolt gun. I'd rather have it ,personally. Like all Savages, they usually shoot well--2MG