New England Arms [Archive] - Cabela's Talk Forums

mydogsedona

12-30-2005, 04:04 PM

swiftman

12-31-2005, 11:19 PM

I have a 223 handirifle that wii shoot down to a 1/2 inch with some old blackhills reloads , this is with a 4.5 power scope on it. I have not reloaded for it yet.
The only thing about getting different barrals is having to send it back to factory to be fitted to the frame.
Graybeard outdoors has the best NW/HR site on the web but is beind debugged at this time.

Deerslayer243

01-03-2006, 09:23 AM

I have a NEF Handi-Rifle Synthetic one an Adult 270 and the other a Youth 243. I also have a 20GA Barrel that I got w/ the 270 but have it put on the 243 reciever. I like them a lot and use them for all my hunting.

20GA - squirrel, Rabbit, Some Birds
243 - up to deer
270 - what ever moves round the woods here.

All are good accurate MOA guns with my factory loads and neither to my knowledge has ever had reloads run through it.

Yooper

01-03-2006, 02:51 PM

I think the NEF rifles are the most under-rated firearm you can buy. I have a .243 and wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another. It is accurate and light and a joy to shoot.

I was talking to a friend the other day and mentioned my NEF. The response was less than stellar. I asked him if he'd ever shot one and the answer was what you'd expect... "Any rifle that cost less than $200 can't be as good as my blah, blah, blah..." He then shot it 5 times and shut up.

OhioOutdoorsman

01-03-2006, 03:32 PM

Can you change the barrels yourself, like with the TC Encore? Single shots make a lot of sense as a varmit, target, or "mountain rifle". Besides I've yet to hit a deer with a second, third or fourth shot.

rayderluvr

01-03-2006, 08:57 PM

Sounds like a neat little gun. Can you get any caliber you want? I would be interested in .223 WSSM, 30-06, .204 Ruger, maybe 6mm remington....(I know, why two small varmint calibers. I say, why not?).
How much are the individual (additional) barrels? How does one obtain them? Is the Braztek (Rossi) just as easy to customize?
I am glad I haven't bought a new rifle yet......I want one of these!!!

Yooper

01-04-2006, 11:19 AM

They make quite a few calibers. Check their website. Marlin actually owns them. They don't offer anything in the WSM's yet, but who knows what the new year will bring.

You really have to send the gun in for a new barrel. It's not like the Encore at all, but I'm no fan of the Encore so...

The Rossi's have some inchang-ability to them. I don't like the fit and finish nearly as well. NEF, also known as Harrington and Richards (H&R) does it right.

rayderluvr

01-04-2006, 12:53 PM

OhioOutdoorsman

01-04-2006, 05:16 PM

Hmmmm......never heard of Rossi. Thats a very nice combo. If it were available in stainless sythetic, I'd be sold. I'm in the market for a muzzle loader/ varmit rifle/mountain rifle single shot combo. So Yooper, what don't you like about Encores......I'm very close to buying one and haven't found much negative. What advantages do you see with a NEF besides price? Thanks in advance.

Yooper

01-04-2006, 05:49 PM

I like the NEF's because of the accuracy and the weight, even moreso than the price. They're fun to shoot and easy to carry in the field.

What I dislike about Encores is mostly personal in that I'm not a fan of the fit for me personally. I've also heard of a few problems but I think they're few and far between. If you like the gun, I say go for it. I'm also tired of seeing them on EVERY TV show. Sometimes I think every animal taken n television falls to an Encore...

As for Rossi's. Hey if you find one and you like it, great. When I was selling sporting goods, I saw a few come through and thought they were made poorly. Might be wrong, but the fit and finish just seemed low.

OhioOutdoorsman

01-04-2006, 06:12 PM

Thanks. For NEF muzzleloaders, could I send it to the factory and get a centerfire barrel? I didn't see any muzzleloading combos except the .243/.50 cal muzzleloading combos.

WyrTwister

04-28-2007, 05:40 AM

Thanks. For NEF muzzleloaders, could I send it to the factory and get a centerfire barrel? I didn't see any muzzleloading combos except the .243/.50 cal muzzleloading combos.

There seem to be 2 receivers / frames .

The Shotgun frame -> you can send it in and purchase / have muzzle loader & shotgun barrels fitted .

Rhe Rifle frame / receiver -> you can send it in and purchase / have rifle , muzzle loader & shotgun barrels fitted .

For maximun versitility , start out with a rifle .

Wyr
God bless

rooster52

04-28-2007, 08:30 AM

[QUOTE=Yooper]I like the NEF's because of the accuracy and the weight, even moreso than the price. They're fun to shoot and easy to carry in the field.

What I dislike about Encores is mostly personal in that I'm not a fan of the fit for me personally. I've also heard of a few problems but I think they're few and far between. If you like the gun, I say go for it. I'm also tired of seeing them on EVERY TV show. Sometimes I think every animal taken n television falls to an Encore...

I'm with you ,What is it? Every body that has a T.V. show get's a new encore?There a good rifle,but from my experience with them at our sportsmans club,they shoot no better than my $250 Savage .

ssghelmick

04-28-2007, 09:04 AM

I think I am gonna try a Rossi....Walmart has a combo .17HMR/.270/50 caliber muzzleloader for $260.00 (yes, three barrels)......and Rossi is planning a barrel program similar to NEF in the very near future....
:o)

I have a Rossi HB .22-250 that had to be sent back for warranty because the barrel would pop open when you shot. This happened the first time I fired the gun. I sent it in for warranty over a month ago and have not seen it since.

As far as a barrel program with Rossi, they announced it's never going to happen. They had been talking about it for a long long time always promising to have one before the end of the year for years now, but have done nothing but promise as far as I can see. Call them, but I'm certian the answer will be that it has been canceled.

The handi-rifle is the way to go if your going to buy one or the other. There is a cult following when it comes to these rifles so there is lots an lots of good info on the web about them. Some are very accurate, some are accurate enough to be good hunting rifles but most are not tack drivers as many would have you believe, at least not without some work and efort on your part to get the best accuracy out of them.

texican

04-03-2008, 03:46 PM

Looking to pruchase a new rifle for coyote hunting. Saw the N.E. Arms Untra and although I had never though about a single shot rife I do like the idea of being having caliber selection with the same reciever. Any owner of this gun care to share their opinion? Thanks.

Just got and tested a new ultra from nef. I hate to say it ,but it is well short of the mark! Maybe 3 shots where you would expect, and the next shot, who knows? This one is in 223 cal. I just knew that it would work great, but I'm very disappointed. If I had it to do over, I'd go for the thompson. Hope this helps!

texican

ssghelmick

04-03-2008, 11:02 PM

Just got and tested a new ultra from nef. I hate to say it ,but it is well short of the mark! Maybe 3 shots where you would expect, and the next shot, who knows? This one is in 223 cal. I just knew that it would work great, but I'm very disappointed. If I had it to do over, I'd go for the thompson. Hope this helps!

texican

Texican,

Don't give up on your handi rifle yet. The barrels on the handi's are extreamly rough and I have read that it can take up to a hundred rounds to break them in to where they shoot decent.

I also have a handi in .223 and it took about 80 rounds and alot of cleaning before it started to settle down and shoot decent groups. I now have about 150 thriugh it and the groups seem to still be getting tighter. I bought two of these, one in 223 and one in 204 for shooting prairie dogs with my kids. I'm not sure if they will ever shoot as good as my other varmint rifles but they seem to be improving the more I shoot them.

Good luck

yotehunter

04-05-2008, 12:03 AM

Ive got one, nice gun for the money, only qaulm I have about it is the round I got it in, .243. Ive been thinking about and that round is practically useless for where I hunt, not big enough for the deer, and does too much damage to the coyotes, especially when the common shots being under 200 yards, when the .243 excells at shots past that. I'm thinking of another one of these in .280 though, top it off with a nice scope and still be under what the cost of the average bolt action.

Atavar

05-20-2008, 09:20 PM

I just got a NIB handi rifle in .243 (at a NWTF banquet raffle) and I am extremely pleased with the gun. From reading this thread I can only surmise that NEF has made great strides in recent years. The action is silky, and the trigger breaks so crisply at well under 2 lbs that I am surprised every time I pull it. I only wish my Sako or my Winchester had a trigger this nice. I am absolutely amazed at the quality for the price.

It is not broken in yet, so I won't speak about precision. I have only test fired it a couple times but the pattern seems very repeatable. I'll post more when I have a chance to work with it some.

Very pretty stock, Though of course the Wild Turkey Federation marque in the stock helps a bit too.

haffieldj

05-26-2008, 07:31 PM

Why all the trouble sending a gun in to have a new barrel put on? Why not the CVA Optima Elite which allows you to convert from muzzle loader to shotgun to rifle. The Elite series all have Bergara barrels and if you don't know what these barrels are about I urge you to go to there site. They are made from no other than Shilon himself who is probably the best barrel maker in the world. Besides the great barrel you get Dura Bright fiber optic sights that are adjustable, a Crush Zone recoil pad, and a Quake sling. I am buying one tomorrow at Walmart for $350+ tax. It is $350 because I am getting the better stock in Realtree camo with the stainless steel barrel and receiver. You can get either a solid black stock or a neat looking spider web design in black and white. All have the option in stainless or blue barrel and receiver. The black syn stock with blue barrels will run you about $250. The extra barrels will cost about $170 for stainless and $125 for the blue. Not bad huh?

Anyone have any experience with this particular rifle? Thanks, Jason

ssghelmick

05-27-2008, 11:09 PM

Rossi has been planning a barrel exchange program for as long as they have been in existence. In other words, It aint ever gonna happen.

That said, if you are going to buy one of the two rifles in question I would go with the handi. Though their accuracy is touted by many, it isn't as good as most would make it out to be. I have two handi hvy. bbls. one in .223 and the other in .204 and they do ok but dont do as well as I had hoped or heard. Still they do well enough to be considered a good rifle. The barrels are very rough on these rifles and take alot of rounds to break them in. My .223 took over a hundred before it started to shoot decent groups.

I also have a Rossi heavy barrel chambered in .22-250 and all I can say is I wish it were a Handi.

As far as getting barrels for the H&Rs go, I sent both my boy's shotguns off to have them fitted for muzzel loader barrels and they came back looking great. It did however take almost 5 months to get them back so it is not a quick process..