New Guy- hello and 1st question

[Bennylt]

Hi,

I am new here.  I live in central PA, and i jsut got my first Handi Rifle.  After a lot of time debate and research i opted for an ultra varmint in .223.    So far i love it.

I have about 85 rounds through it.  and it seems to shoot very well.  i can get a 1inch 4 shot group at 100 yards now.  (off of sand bags).  I put on a bushnell banner dusk till dawn 6-24 power scope.  I intend on using it for long range target and groundhogs and other varmints on my neighbor's farm.

Took it out groundhogging once so far and missed a shot at about 200yds.  to my surpprise it shot over his back...  I guess i need to practice more with a .223 to get my holdovers correct (none apparently needed on this shot)

Anyway.  I would like to put a bipod on it to use from prone position.  But my question is... all bipods i have encountered mount as far toward the muzzle as possible.  but in the FAQS it says you want to use a rest right under the hinge pin on a handi rifle for best accuracy.  

any advice?   if i mount a bipod am i going to need to do forend work to keep it from effecting accuracy.

[spikehorn]

Best advice I can give is buy a bipod then shoot it with it on and see. You could always mount a sling stud far back on the fore arm and try it also. I don't know if anyone here has tried that.

[MSP Ret]

Welcome aboard Bennylt, I shyed away from bipods for a long time after reading the problems some here were having with them. I now have one on one of my .223 Handi's and it has worked great. It is mounted to the sling swivel stud, but what I did was to use a long big forearm from a 12 gauge Ultra Slug Hunter on that particular gun. It allows for a nice freefloating barrel with minimal contact between the barrel and the forearm. Mine has worked great from the gitgo, however I may have just been lucky with the fit but you will never know until you try, so I say go for it. This is the first bipod I have ever had and in the past preferred the minimalist approach, rolled up jacket, lunch box with a sweater on it, or usually a rest of opportunity, or when I wanted to get fancy at the range a home made sandbag rest of some sort. I do have a camo colored rectangular block of firm expanded rubber that I usually use at the range, by using the different width, thickness, and hieght, I can get 3 different rest hieghts, one of which is usually OK...The bipod is nice to shoot off the bench at the range but it is a bit heavy and cumbersome for carry and for hunting. I do think if you were to set up in a field for several shots at grounhogs from the same location it would be OK.

Come often and stay late, when you are here you are among friends....<><....

[quickdtoo]

Welcome aboard Benny! Here's myarmor's solution to the problem as spikehorn mentioned, just mount a sling stud to the rear of the forend.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,70928.msg463150.html#msg463150

The Choat Varmint forend works excellent with a bipod if the forend is full floated except for the stud contact.

Tim

[petemi]

Hi Benny, welcome home. 

I just got my Handi .223 a short time ago.  It's wearing 3-12x50.  I bore sighted it and then sighted it in at 30 yards to get it on paper.  The weather turned bad and I gave up the project.  A woodchuck showed up at about 200 yards off my back porch, and for some reason, I grabbed the .223......nailed him dead center.  I couldn't believe it.   You're going to love that rifle. 

I can't help you with the bipod, don't use them, too encumbering in the woods, and a slow PITA to set up elsewhere.

Pete

[Bennylt]

Thanks for the tips.  This gun is already very heavy compared to my hunting cary rifles so i figure the extra weight of a bipod is no big deal.  I plan on doing mostly static hunting with this rifle.  thats what i got it for anyway. 

i'll look into the optios as described.  Those of you who suggested getting a different forend, where can i find them.   I like the ides of having a forend with the bipod mounted and the original one to put back on if i didnt want to use the bipod. 

I made a wodden v notch rest to use at the range, but it was made for my remington 700 and is hard to get set with the Handi.  i can alays make anothe rone, but that is even harder to cary around then a bipod. 

when i hunt groundhogs on the farm i have 4 spots i like to sit.  the walk between each is maybe 1/4 mile for the longest trip so i need to be mobile, but Im not moving much and it's hedge rows so i'm not busting brush or anything.   I'll either take a seated or prone position i shoot fairly well from a seated position resting on my knee, but i find prone to be difficult to hold steady with this rifle, it is so front heavy with the bull brl.     

[quickdtoo]

Most any question you have has already been answered in the FAQs and Help sticky including stock and forend sources, see the retail parts page for H&R part numbers and their phone number, Choate makes the synthetic stocks for H&R, available from H&R, direct from Choate, Brownell's and other retailers.

Be aware that swapping forends will change accuracy and POI, so using multiple forends with the same load may not be easy.

Tim

http://www.riflestock.com/catalog_page_category.cfm?queries_index=Gallery&ProductCode=33

[petemi]

I had a Handi .17HMR Bull Barrel, and I sold it.  I DID NOT LIKE IT It wasn't balanced and too heavy to lug around, etc.  I like a light rifle cause I'm just a little dude.  Sometimes carrying an extra Gator Ade in my fanny pack is a big decision.

Pete

[spruce]

Just curious - has anyone ever tried attaching the bipod to one of the Uncle Mike's clamp on type barrel mounted sling swivel studs?  I use them on a few guns for sling attachment and never had one move around, but don't know how well they'd secure a bipod.

[MSP Ret]

You could also post a WTB (want to buy) in the Handi classifieds section for whatever you are looking for, forearm or other item....good luck....<><....

[gcrank1]

Try a homemade set of the 'buffalo hunter' type of cross sticks to get a feel for if it likes the idea or not, and just where to position them. You can then wait for the good deal at a gun show for a commercial bi-pod or maybe decide cross sticks are the way to go.

[quickdtoo]

gcrank makes an excellent point, for field work, X-sticks work excellent, specially on uneven ground.  

Tim

http://varmintal.com/abifu.htm

[Uncle Harry]

Bennylt,

Where are you in central PA?  I grew up there and remember that ground hog hunting was very good way back then.

[tacklebury]

It seems like if someone knew a welder, they could weld a sling stud to the head of the screw that holds the forearm on.  Then the pressure would be directly on the screw attachment stud and shouldn't have as much effect. 

[gcrank1]

Maybe get an 'allen head' screw, then drill & tap for a stud to screw into it, and locktite it in?