Question about NEF guns
 

OK, I was going to get an Marlin 83TS .22 mag but I am running out of time before turkey season and I can' t find one at the price I need to pay (suppliers are out or in stock but too expensive). So I looked around and noticed the NEF handi rifle or handi rifle light is in my price range. I also noticed that I could get a .223 instead of a .22 mag which is better for turkeys anyway. Any experience with either of these guns? Is the light worth $10 more or whatever? One website said NEF will do a trigger job on it for free and you can buy different barrels down the road.. What do you guys think? the single shot part doesn' t bother me. You get one shot at a turkey anyway. I have an auto shotgun and haven' t been able to get off two shots!

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

I' ve never hunted turkey, but I have used several of the NEF rifles and am satisfied with them.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

Handirifle or handirifle light?

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

ive shot 2 handi rifles (not the light version) .223 and a 30-06. i own the 30-06 my friend bought the 223 last year. both shoot great and are easy to pack around. Even with the triggers not being worked on we can shoot them very well. and like u mentioned there are several difrent barrels u can purchase later for around 75-80$.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

I have the NEF light rifle, synthetic in .223.
Great handling rifle is very lightweight is really a plus for coyote hunting. It is very short due to the 20" barrel and the lack of any action to add length. This gun is so small and light it is very quick to get on target.
Mine shoots 1" groups with the 45gr Winchester bulk pack ammo.
There are less barrel conversions available for the light rifle than for the regular one.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

I notice that the heavy barrel version of the regular handi rifle is the same price as the standard barrel version. I should get the heavy barrel version right? Also, the length of pull on the wood stock version is 3/4 inch shorter and I would rather have that one. Any of you own the wood stock version? Any problems with it? Thanks!

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

Get the regular barrel and get the synthetic stock. All the bull barrel adds is weight and the wooden stock will cause you accuracy problems due to swelling/warping.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

But noway, I am 5' 7" tall. Every gun I have with a wooden stock is cut to 13 1/2" length of pull. The wood stock version of the handirifle looks to have a length of pull of 13 1/2" the synthetic 14 1/4" . And I doubt the synthetic stock can be cut. I have a TC Thunderhawk with a synthetic stock and the length of pull is too long. There is nothing I can do about it because it can' t be cut. If I used it more than 6 days a year (season) I would get a wooden stock for it. 14 1/4" is too long for me. I guess I will get the wood. Most of my rifles are wood and I don' t see any big problems with using wood. I like synthetic better but that length of pull is too long, especially with heavy clothing.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

My nephiew has the handi rifle in 223. as his deer rifle (dropped two in their tracks last year). It shoots very good and it' s good looking too. I personaly have no liking for synthetic stocks but I have shot my friends 17hrm light rifle and it was really good too. It wasn' t any more accurate than the wooden stock 223 but it was lighter. One thing to keep in mind is that a scope adds alot of weight to the gun. I have a handi in 30-06 that was 7 pounds with no scope. I put a big scope on it and with the rings and bases, and the leather sling this rifle is now pushing over 8 pounds. That' s a chunk for a little rifle.

I think you will be very happy with the synthetic stock .223 with the heavy barrel. I' m about the same height as you and NEF guns have a better fit and feel than about any other guns I' ve shot.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

thanks! NEF says they are the same weight but I doubt it. Wonder why the difference in length of pull between syn and the wood stock?

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

" All the bull barrel adds is weight and the wooden stock will cause you accuracy problems due to swelling/warping." I am going to have to disagree with that. I have an Ultra Varmint in 243 Win and the heavy barrel makes it much easier to shoot off hand, cuts down on the effects of wood swelling (which I have never found to be a problem anyway, especially on a single-shot rifle) and is more accurate than the thin barrels if for no other reason that they are more steady.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

frizzell,
That is what is cool about these forums is you get input from different people, each person is usually right from their own perspective.

I have had wooden stocked rifles which have cost me animals in my early years of hunting. I would check my zero on a nice sunny day. Then when I went hunting two weeks later on a wet drizzly day, I could not hit a deer at 200 yards. Went back to the range and my point of impact had moved 4" at 100 yards. This was not the only time I have seen point of impact shifts on wooden stocked rifles. Since I have switched to all synthetic stocked rifles I don' t have these impact shift problems anymore.

As to the heavy barrel, for 99% of my shots at game I use a rest of some sort, so there is no reason to carry a rifle heavier than necessary.
When practicing my offhand shooting at the range I notice no difference in my ability to shoot accurately with a light or heavy barrel.
I have owned bull barrelled rifles and have noticed no inherent accuracy benefit with them for a 3 shot group over rifles with a sporter barrel.

The only time I don' t use a rest in a hunting situation is sometimes I need to make a quick shot on a coyote at close range usually inside 50 yards, that is when the quick handling properties of a light rifle are most appreciated. If I can' t get a rest I usually don' t take the shot. This year I used a fallen tree trunk for a rest to shoot my 6pt bull elk at 20 yards, (what a rush that was), used a bipod to shoot my 15" antelope at 347 yards, and used my day pack on a tree trunk to shoot my fat 2pt mule deer this year at 250 yards. Shot 3 coyotes from a bipod and one coyote inside 50 yards free hand.

Anyway this is my experience/perspective and we disagree on these points, it would be pretty boring if everybody agreed on everything.

Did you have a good year hunting? What do you folks hunt in your neck of the woods?
Have a good one!

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

noway, the rifles you were having problems with stock warpage, were the barrels floated? I know you have some rough weather up there. I was stationed in Montana for awhile. I actually prefer laminate stocks to either wood or synthetic. I don' t mind extra weight on a rifle.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

frizzell,
I had a Weatherby Vanguard when they came with nice wood, it was free floated but not glass bedded, it shifted all the time.
I had two Winchester mod 70' s not floated which also shifted even after I took them off and sealed them. They shot very accurately which is why I did not float and glass them but the impact kept shifting, so I floated and glassed them then they would not shoot tight groups.
Then I got a Remington m700 stainless synthetic .280, floated and bedded it and that was my main rifle for years. Impact never shifted much, just fine tuned it from time to time. I shoot a lot all year practicing at long range and off hand so I really notice when the impact shifts.
LA must be quite a shift from Montana, we are getting ready to start bear hunting up here. The snow is melting and the bears are out, season opens April 15th we will be out there glassing. We had practically no winter this year so they are out early.

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

Clearanceman would the youth model be too short for you? My wife has one in the light weight synthetic in .243 cal. she' s 5' 1' ' and it works great for her.

Did you check out the website hr1871.com? Lots of info there.

Tom

RE: Question about NEF guns
 

Yes, Length of pull on the youth model is not even 12 inches and I need about 13.5.. I ended up ordering the superlight model in .223. Synthetic stock, blued 20 inch barrel. Length of pull is supposed to be 14 1/4 which is just a little too long. However, I have a TC thunderhawk muzzleloader that has that length of pull and it is ok, just not perfect. I killed two deer with it last year so it must be good enough:D Plus, I don' t think the length of pull on the superlight is really 14 1/4 because the superlight and regular gun both have the same receiver and the light has a 20 inch barrel and the regular has a 22 inch barrel. However, the light is listed at 35 1/2 inches total length and the regular at 38. I bet the length of pull on the light is about 13 3/4, unless the total length figure is wrong. Either their length of pull figure is wrong or their total length figure is wrong.