most accurate

[woodsdweller]

i have a handi in a 22 hornet and i am considering a new barrel for hunting biger game. i will be using it mostely for deer /black bear out to about 200 yrds i am trying to find the most accurate round out of the box.

[fredster22]

 I may stand corrected but by experience the most accurate rifle I have owned in a Handi out of the box
that would be adequate for deer & black beer would be the good old 30-30 Win. Have heard the same out
many other members, the only other more accurate is 762x39 but I don't consider for the same game.
 Just my humble opinion.  Fred

[revbc]

IMO, the 308 bull barrel would be a great 200yd gun, if you wanted a little less recoil go with the standard contour 7mm08.  You could wack off a little of the bull barrel to make it lighter.  30/30s a great rifle, and capable at 200, it's just on the edge of it limits a little.

Don't forget that if you order a barrel, order a new forearm also, so they can fit it to that barrel.  You will find that with a dedicated forearm for each barrel your rifle will hold zero and shoot better.

[necchi]

The best barrel is always under contention, and accuracy is highly dependant on the shooters ability.

 IMHO, most handi rifles accuracy is/are greatly improved with hand loaded ammo, I spent alot on factory stuff just to have mediocer results.
 Out of the box factory rifles are gar-un-teed, to get 2" at 100, that's ruffly 2xmoa. With the accurizing tips in the faq's and Hand Loading,,groups can be sub MOA with these thing's.
 That said, my best shooting deer size rifle is the 7-08, with the 308 not far behind, but that one is still a work in progress, It's been too hot this past few months to do any real load development
 

[gendoc]

well, i just gotta tellya.....  45/70 
with very pronounced glass and some experiance with tha caliber

[myarmor]

I have been here long enough to see this topic MANY times come up.... Out of the box and for your question, 30-30, 357, 30-06, and 45-70
There are others but these seem pretty much the regular. Not that other cals aren't accurate by ANY means, but these seems more consistent in a Handi.
There are accurate cals and there are accurate cals in a Handi, sometimes they don't always match up.



-Aaron

[Mac11700]

For me in this order..

1) a 30-06 Ultra Comp..

2) a 280

3) a 30-30

4) a 243 bull barrel

5) a 25-06

6) a re-bored 25-06 to 338-06 A-Square( though not out of the box )

All are quite capable of delivering sub moa and sub 1/2" moa with the right ammo and or barrel & forearm prep..all are quite capable of taking both out to 200. Beyond 200 yards all except the 243 & 30-30 IMHO...even though I know many have used the 243 and 30-30 at further distances The others can take them and much larger animals cleanly well beyond 200 yards

Mac

[Doublebass73]

If you read through past threads you'll see these come up quite often: 30-30, 45-70, .357 Mag/Max, 30-06, 7.62X39 & .308.

[myarmor]

Ahh Mac I forgot the 25-06   my bad.
Fred and Doublebass- the 7.62's aren't exactly all that accurate consistently I had one and want another..due to wanting a single shot in the round,  but the one I had was like most, poorly done with too much headspace... partly why the factory stoped making them.. Kinda like the old Whelens.

[GeorgiaDave]

Hello,

   I have had several Handi rifles do well straight from the box, and after trying several different, my bone stock .45/70 chose a hot loaded 350 JSP as the main diet. This whole setup is accurate at all ranges up to 300 yards. I have even thought about putting a good mil dot scope on it an see just how far it could be relied on to take deer sized game, but,  I likely will leave it just as it is. Hope this helps you decide to go big bore. Have a great day.
Dave
By the way, this 100 yard group measures 1/2 " and was witnessed by my cousin in law.

[Swampman]

The only barrels I'd consider are the .30-30 & the .45-70.

I wouldn't own a Handi in a rimless cartridge.  Too many issues.

[PawPaw]

The only barrels I'd consider are the .30-30 & the .45-70.

I wouldn't own a Handi in a rimless cartridge.  Too many issues.

I agree that the platform is well suited to rimmed cartridge, but I recently stumbled into a .308 Handi for a very attractive price.  I haven't had a single issue with that rifle.  It shoots well, it chambers easily and ejects without issue.  It's been a sweet little rifle.  It's very consistent in the accuracy department, and though I haven't done any load development for this specific rifle, it shoots my standard loads well enough that I haven't felt the need to do any development for it.

[mdi]

I am by no means a Handi expert having only two (.223 and 30-30). But, from what I've experienced and read here, just about any Handi will give you hunting accuracy. I would consider the game first, and ask myself what cartridge would I consider a good black bear round...

[gcrank1]

FWIW, if you shop around you WILL find a complete rifle (and maybe c/w a scope) for only a little more than doing a barrel and dedicated forarm. Any of the .30 cals and up have the proven history of being 'enough cartridge', just stick with one that is commercially available everywhere.

[Frank V]

i have a handi in a 22 hornet and i am considering a new barrel for hunting biger game. i will be using it mostely for deer /black bear out to about 200 yrds i am trying to find the most accurate round out of the box.

I just love spending other people's money! (Just Kidding) I don't think you could go wrong with a good .308 bbl. There are a ton of loads & for a handloader, the sky is the limit. There are almost too many bullets available to count. If it were me I'd go with the .308 or maybe the .30-06. These two will handle almost any hunting situation.
Frank