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Originally Posted by THE RAVEN
PawPaw.......How do you like that H&R Handi-Rifle in the 45-70 ???
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I like it a lot. It's simple, rugged, dependable, accurate, light.
Several years ago, the states of Louisiana and Mississippi lost their collective minds and changed the muzzle loading season to a "primitive firearms" season. They allowed the use of cartridge arms that meet certain criteria, and published a
list of firearms suitable for that season. The Handi-rifle in .45-70 and .444 are on that list. I had been hunting that season for several decades using an old Thompson/Center Renegade, but switched over to the Handi purely based on my laziness. It's a whole lot easier to use a cartridge arm than a front-stuffer. My rifle is outfitted with a Williams peep sight and I load the Lee 457-405-F and push it to about 1350 fps with a middling charge of .4895. It achieves black powder velocities without being punishing and gives good accuracy out to about 150 yards. It's a great deer-slaying load, with numerous bang-flops.
I also use that rifle when teaching grandkids. My older grandsons are in their young teens and are novice-proficient with .22LR up to the .308 class of cartridge. Occasionally, they'll ask me for something with more "kick" and I'll hand them the Handi-rifle, sit them at the bench and let it pound them. That rifle and load isn't punishing from hunting positions, but when you hunker down over a light rifle at the bench, the stock will smack you in the chops pretty good.
It's a good rifle for what it is, but I don't claim that it is something it isn't.