New England Firearms Handi Rifle

phantom15 · July 25, 2013, 11:44 AM

Does anyone know if you can buy only barrels for these rifles? I have a .44 mag and sure would like to have a .357 mag barrel to play around with.

Backwoodsboy · July 25, 2013, 12:35 PM

A lot of it is based on when your handi rifle was manufactured. If it was manufactured before marlin took over the company than they will not fit a new barrel to it. If it was manufactured after the takeover then yes, you can have accessory barrels fit. There are two different receivers made by H&R though and the one you have will determine which caliber barrels they will fit. A list of barrels and explanation on how to determine which receiver you have can be found on H&R website. As are directions in how to prepare and ship your current receiver to the company if eligible. Good luck.

jaysouth · July 25, 2013, 09:27 PM

Contact New England Firearms (NEF) customer service and give them the serial number of your rifle.

If you have a .44 mag, they will install a .357 barrel on it. Ask them to do a trigger job on the rifle while they are installing the new barrel. It is usually free.

If you get a .357 barrel installed, have the chamber reamed to .357 MAX (if you can find brass). The MAX will give .35 Remington ballistics with 180 gr. bullets from a 16 inch barrel (the factory barrel is 22"). After reaming, you are still good to go with shooting .357 MAG and .38 Special rounds through it.

Backwoodsboy · July 25, 2013, 09:51 PM

What letters are in your serial number? This will give a manufacturing date.

FrankenMauser · July 26, 2013, 12:41 AM

This page has nearly everything you need to know:
http://hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

For more information (including "insider" information), you can head over to the Greybeard H&R forum, if you'd like.

For good measure, I'll mention one thing...
Used barrels are a great way to get what you're interested in. However, you'll usually run into one of two situations: 1. It doesn't lock up tight enough. Or, 2. It's way too tight, and doesn't lock up at all.
For case #1, the barrel might be suitable for use if it's shimmed (but there's no guarantee).
For case #2, the barrel can be fitted to your receiver. Whether you want to do it yourself, or through a gunsmith, is up to you.

But, the easiest method, that will include warranty support, is to go through H&R and get a brand new barrel fitted at the repair center.

July 25, 2013, 09:51 PM	#4
Backwoodsboy Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2012 Location: Western, Ny Posts: 190	What letters are in your serial number? This will give a manufacturing date. __________________ "Si vis pacem, para bellum". If you want peace, Prepare for war!!!!

July 26, 2013, 12:41 AM	#5
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	This page has nearly everything you need to know: http://hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp For more information (including "insider" information), you can head over to the Greybeard H&R forum, if you'd like. For good measure, I'll mention one thing... Used barrels are a great way to get what you're interested in. However, you'll usually run into one of two situations: 1. It doesn't lock up tight enough. Or, 2. It's way too tight, and doesn't lock up at all. For case #1, the barrel might be suitable for use if it's shimmed (but there's no guarantee). For case #2, the barrel can be fitted to your receiver. Whether you want to do it yourself, or through a gunsmith, is up to you. But, the easiest method, that will include warranty support, is to go through H&R and get a brand new barrel fitted at the repair center. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

July 25, 2013, 11:44 AM	#1
phantom15 Junior Member Join Date: May 13, 2008 Posts: 4	New England Firearms Handi Rifle Does anyone know if you can buy only barrels for these rifles? I have a .44 mag and sure would like to have a .357 mag barrel to play around with.

July 25, 2013, 12:35 PM	#2
Backwoodsboy Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2012 Location: Western, Ny Posts: 190	A lot of it is based on when your handi rifle was manufactured. If it was manufactured before marlin took over the company than they will not fit a new barrel to it. If it was manufactured after the takeover then yes, you can have accessory barrels fit. There are two different receivers made by H&R though and the one you have will determine which caliber barrels they will fit. A list of barrels and explanation on how to determine which receiver you have can be found on H&R website. As are directions in how to prepare and ship your current receiver to the company if eligible. Good luck. __________________ "Si vis pacem, para bellum". If you want peace, Prepare for war!!!!

July 25, 2013, 09:27 PM	#3
jaysouth Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2001 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 787	Contact New England Firearms (NEF) customer service and give them the serial number of your rifle. If you have a .44 mag, they will install a .357 barrel on it. Ask them to do a trigger job on the rifle while they are installing the new barrel. It is usually free. If you get a .357 barrel installed, have the chamber reamed to .357 MAX (if you can find brass). The MAX will give .35 Remington ballistics with 180 gr. bullets from a 16 inch barrel (the factory barrel is 22"). After reaming, you are still good to go with shooting .357 MAG and .38 Special rounds through it.