Question about NEF guns
03-26-2003, 08:39 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bossier City LA United States
Posts: 2,425
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.
03-26-2003, 09:30 AM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: meridian idaho USA
Posts: 429
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!
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!
03-26-2003, 09:40 AM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bossier City LA United States
Posts: 2,425
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.
03-26-2003, 09:53 AM
#14
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: meridian idaho USA
Posts: 429
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.
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.
03-27-2003, 06:04 PM
#15
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Staunton VA USA
Posts: 17
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
Did you check out the website hr1871.com? Lots of info there.
Tom
03-27-2003, 06:29 PM
#16
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Morgantown WV USA
Posts: 299
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
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.
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.
