A couple questions concerning accuracy....

[demented]

 I've been wanting a .308 Handi again so bad it hurts.  A few years ago I had an Ultra that did not shoot well and not knowing about this site, I soon parted with it.  One question I have is if I buy another .308 and somehow manage to get it shooting well, how long should it last before I'll need to work on it again?  I've heard some people say that after spending hours getting their rifle to shoot well, then firing a couple hundred rounds, it was right back to where it started before they worked it over.  This would make trying another .308 a waste of money and time.  Second question, is there a gunsmith somewhere that does work on the Handi Rifle?  I'm really wanting a short rifle to deer hunt with to about 300 yards or so.   Possible?   Thanks for bearing with me and my stupid questions!

[petemi]

There's no such thing as a stupid question.  Stupid people don't ask questions.

I've found just the opposite with my Handis.  Either the rifle or myself, or both get better with more shots downrange.  The other thing I've found is that my Handis are slobs.  They hate to be clean.  I've got several Handi shorties, but they are in pistol calibers and the .38-55.  I'd think twice before I cut down a high velocity rifle.  The barrel length is there to burn the powder.  You can cut a .357 or a .44 because the barrel length will still be three times that of a handgun.  I think a shortie .30-30 would be fine, but not at 300 yards.  Just my opinion.

Pete

[Jimbo47]

Setting up a rifle and getting it to shoot well and then having the accuracy go bad could be due to a lot of factors and not just the rifle on it's own causing it.
 
A dirty barrel with fouling build up can cause it after a few hundred rounds and also just changing ammo brands, powders, or bullet weights can effect accuracy varying from the way the gun was originally set up.
 
Once you find what shoots in your rifle it's best to stay with that load if you don't want to have to go back to square one.
 
Handi Rifles are pretty simple to work on with just limited skills and tools, unless you need some type of custom work done.
 
The FAQ's at the top of this page is where you will find most everything you want to know about working on these rifles.

[JMcDonald]

After some minor work to my forend (turns out all that was needed was "floating" the forend on the stud with a washer), my Handi is more accurate than I am, even after having not cleaned it in like 150 rounds, and during a "rapid fire" string of like 30 shots in about 6 or 7 minutes.

I cut my .308 barrel to about 16.5" (16.4" after filing) and, while it is still more accurate than I am, I wouldn't use it for hunting much past 200 yards unless I got a lot of practice at range estimation between 200 and 300 yards. Part of it is the moderately-reduced velocities (around 2600-2650fps rather than 2850-2900fps from a 24" barrel, using the same loads), but part of it is because I now stick to moderate starting loads. I do the latter to both reduce muzzle blast because the short barrel only exacerbates it, and to increase case life and slightly reduce recoil.

But, I can push a 150gr bullet to about 2500fps using a very moderate load (about 40k PSI-- using a bit below the starting powder charge). With a 190yd zero, I get 2.1" of midrange rise and it drops to 2.5" by 225 yards and on to 5" by 250 yards. So, it has a PBR of about 225 yards assuming a 5" hit zone. Now, it has the velocity to be effective to well beyond 300 yards with a quality hunting bullet, but it would just be hard to get a reliable hit. So far, everything but a ~Max load of my current powder (H335), including two types of factor ammo, have had about the same level of accuracy.

[demented]

First, thanks for all the replies.  PETEMI, sorry I didn't clarify what I meant concerning a "short" rifle, the Handi is plenty short as is, no need to whack it off.  In the past I bought a stainless .243 that patterned like buckshot, traded for a .308 Ultra that would do no better than four inches, so I'm a bit leery of getting yet another Handi that won't live up to its cartridges potential.  IMO, ANY .308 should be accurate enough for deer at 300 yards or its just not worth owning. 

[JMcDonald]

The basic problem with single shots is that the forend is physicaly attached to the barrel, rather than the receiver. Thus, it takes more work to keep the barrel happy than just screwing it on and going. The same of course applies to fixed-barrel guns, but Handis are indeed inexpensive so they don't put much effort into forend floating from the factory. But, for a vast majority of owners, simply "floating" the forend on its mounting stud with a rubber o-ring or (in my case) a flat washer seemed to make all the difference.
I am only a decent shot and I've got pretty consistent 1.5MOA groups with mine. I can hit the 6" gong (the smallest / furthest reactive target at my club) 10/10 shots, even on 3x power. This is all shooting from a bipod. I think a solid rest to take my own shooter error out of the picture would help the rifle do better.
And to clarify in case there was any misunderstanding, shortening my barrel didn't reduce accuracy (at least, not enough for me to notice), it just reduced the practical range slightly due to the less-flat trajectory (lower velocities). But, with a full-length barrel a .308 Handi is easily a 300yd gun with a skilled shooter and a simple o-ring between the forend and mounting stud. With some time spent working up loads (or money spent on trying factory loads) and a lot of trigger time, I wouldn't think even 500 yards would be out of the question. Again, though, that would be 95% up to the shooter whether or not such a shot is successful.