Tens of thousands of Handi-Rifles were sold in Louisiana and Mississippi when the new laws were enacted and in the 2008-2009 hunting season, many people re-discovered the 45-70 Handi-Rifle. At the same time, Mississippi enacted similar legislation.
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Instead of having to worry about loose powder and ball, a hunter could buy an H&R in 45-70 and a box of ammo, get a license and go deer hunting for two extra weeks in the season. The Handi-Rifle was poised for a dramatic revival in the state of Louisiana. They even produced an on-line list of acceptable firearms for the season. The rifle had to be single shot, with a caliber equal to or greater than. Basically, the rifle had to be a replica or re-issue of a firearm that was produced prior to 1900. They enacted Act 51, which changed requirements for a rifle to qualify for that season. In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature changed the muzzleloader deer season to something they called the Primitive Firearms Season. I consider the Handi Rifle to be an extremely safe firearm for young shooters. You could pound on the hammer with complete safety, or drop the rifle without worrying that it might fire. In other words, with the hammer at rest against the frame, the rifle absolutely cannot fire. Additionally, the rifle has a transfer-bar ignition system, which means that the trigger must be pulled completely to the rear for the rifle to fire. It holds only one shot, which is a training aid when teaching young shooters. I consider the Handi-Rifle an extremely safe rifle. Pawn shop prices for used rifles are less than that. New Handi-Rifles can be found online for about $300.00 US. A couple of years ago, my wife recommended that I start picking up the occasional rifle when I find a good deal on one.Īre Handi-Rifles a good deal? The answer to that question is highly individual, but in my battery of five firearms, I have roughly $1200.00 invested. Third, these will eventually be grandkid rifles. I actually ordered the 30-30 after scouring pawn shops for over a year. With the exception of one rifle, they were bought used. Second, all these firearms were purchased from pawn shops. First, I've never been excited about switch-barrel rifles. Some might wonder, with four rifles, why I haven't taken advantage of the barrel accessory program. Each of these rifles are pawn shop rifles, most purchased used. I have four of these little rifles, in calibers. If you have any question about anything on a Handi-Rifle, go look at the FAQ page I've linked above. One of the links on the FAQ page takes you to a barrel fitting page.
The guys over at the Graybeards Outdoors forum have lots of experience fitting barrels to frames and have put together a FAQ page for hobbyists to use. These barrels can't be easily, simply interchanged like on some platforms (for example, on the Thompson/Center Contender). Additionally, there are guys who trade and swap barrels.
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The full list of available barrels is can be found at the website. If you've got a Handi-Rifle and send the frame to the factory, they'll fit a barrel to the action, although there are some barrels they won't fit to some frames. Handi-Rifles are easy to dissassemble, and some folks have several barrels for a single frame. In November 2000, the assets of the company were purchased by Marlin, and in 2009 Remington acquired the group of companies. The company produced a line of inexpensive, entry level rifles and shotguns. The original H&R went out of business in 1986, but in 1991 a new company, H&R 1871, was formed and started making firearms under the brands H&R and New England Firearms. One cartridge, one shot, then you've got to do it all over again.įor years, New England Firearms made millions of these shotguns through their Topper line. The little guns are simple, intuitive and trouble free. Push a botton or move a lever and the barrel tips forward. I've bought several of these little guns over the years, and I like them for teaching kids to shoot. Many of us remember the break-open single shot shotgun we used in our youth.