NEF & H&R rifle barrel question.

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. In some cases you get lucky and they fit perfectly and sometimes they will be loose on the receiver and rattle around or will be too tight to close. They were hand fit at the factory so they were not meant to be interchangeable.

Consider it like swapping a bolt between bolt action rifles. It may or may not work fine but isn't recommend. Years ago H&R used to have a "Barrel Accessory Program" where you could send in your frame and they'd fit a new barrel to it at the factory. That would get you multiple barrels fitted to the same action.

What someguy says

But as a note. There are 3 different receivers. One for centerfire, one for shotgun and one for black powder. The rifle could take any barrel, . The shotgun could take another shotgun and black powder and the BP could only take BP. If you google it, you can tell which receiver you have

SB1 receivers are suited to Shotgun barrels and lower pressure pistol calibers ( not magnums). Also BP barrels.

SB2 receivers are good for cartridges up to 65kpsi.

Barrels are not interchangeable without fitting. This may require shimming the underlug pinion, reshaping the barrel latch, and reshaping the breech face. It is not necessarily very difficult but requires a degree of confidence.

You used to have to send your unit in to them for the fitting of additional barrel assemblies.

I know that I have only once out of several opportunities, been able to securely apply an un-committed barrel to a receiver without fitting and in a couple of cases it was so far off on the width as to be *impossible* to even fit given the economics.

Does either outfit even exist anymore; NEF/H&R?

Todd.

Robbins290 said:

What someguy says

But as a note. There are 3 different receivers. One for centerfire, one for shotgun and one for black powder. The rifle could take any barrel, . The shotgun could take another shotgun and black powder and the BP could only take BP. If you google it, you can tell which receiver you have

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That's true for their "later" models, but they did build some centerfire rifles earlier on that were not strong enough for the "high pressure" rounds. My only Handi-rifle is one of these (it's in .30-30 and even if a barrel were to fit, it's only safe with shotgun barrels). I believe .30-30, .357 Mag, and .45-70 were all like this.

Does either outfit even exist anymore; NEF/H&R?

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They were bought by Marlin, which was in turn bought by Remington/Freedom Group, so they own the name and such. I don't think they're made anymore though. Companies kept figuring out how to build bolt actions cheaper and cheaper and the single shots just couldn't compete when you could buy a more accurate bolt action for the same (or even less) money. Heck I've seen Savage Axis rifles for like $165 after rebate recently.

Here's an interesting read - as is most anything; "CHUCKHAWKS".

https://www.chuckhawks.com/nef_rifles.htm

Todd.

ApacheCoTodd said:

Here's an interesting read - as is most anything; "CHUCKHAWKS".

https://www.chuckhawks.com/nef_rifles.htm

Todd.

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Loved his description of the "bulky Schnabel-like forend fashioned with a chain saw"!

DocRock said:

Loved his description of the "bulky Schnabel-like forend fashioned with a chain saw"!

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Chuck hawks don’t like budget rifles

DocRock said:

Loved his description of the "bulky Schnabel-like forend fashioned with a chain saw"!

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I wouldn't call it fashioned with a chainsaw. But the person who did it forgot to finish his job.

I have accuracy problems with mine in 30-30 using the stock iron sights. I'm going to put a compact scope or red dot and see if I can tighten things up a bit. I'd be happy if I could get 3 moa out of it. As of now it's all over the place.

DustyGmt said:

I have accuracy problems with mine in 30-30 using the stock iron sights. I'm going to put a compact scope or red dot and see if I can tighten things up a bit. I'd be happy if I could get 3 moa out of it. As of now it's all over the place.

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1) Play with seating depth. H&R 30-30 barrels have been all over the place with leade.
2) Forend pressure. Put a little rubber O ring on the forend screw holder and leave the forend finger tight to see if that helps
3) If you have slop in the barrel when locked up, it will never shoot well and may need some home smithing to tighten lock-up

DocRock said:

1) Play with seating depth. H&R 30-30 barrels have been all over the place with leade.
2) Forend pressure. Put a little rubber O ring on the forend screw holder and leave the forend finger tight to see if that helps
3) If you have slop in the barrel when locked up, it will never shoot well and may need some home smithing to tighten lock-up

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Definitely. A shim made from a pop can tightened the groups on my 223 H&R.
Shim needs replaced every few hundred rounds.

DocRock said:

1) Play with seating depth. H&R 30-30 barrels have been all over the place with leade.
2) Forend pressure. Put a little rubber O ring on the forend screw holder and leave the forend finger tight to see if that helps
3) If you have slop in the barrel when locked up, it will never shoot well and may need some home smithing to tighten lock-up

Click to expand...

I'll have to look into this. I didnt know people had to play around with em like that. Everything seems pretty much rock solid with it though.

DocRock said:

1) Play with seating depth. H&R 30-30 barrels have been all over the place with leade.
2) Forend pressure. Put a little rubber O ring on the forend screw holder and leave the forend finger tight to see if that helps
3) If you have slop in the barrel when locked up, it will never shoot well and may need some home smithing to tighten lock-up

Click to expand...

Curious about the OP's thread topic - and, coincidentally, my lack of success with a random .30-30 barrel I have here - I was blasting around the internet and found an old document that had NEF/H&R stating that the receiver should be sent in to match additional barrel assemblies not only for basic fit but also headspace.
I found that curious since the receiver is essentially the bolt-face.


Todd

ApacheCoTodd said:

Curious about the OP's thread topic - and, coincidentally, my lack of success with a random .30-30 barrel I have here - I was blasting around the internet and found an old document that had NEF/H&R stating that the receiver should be sent in to match additional barrel assemblies not only for basic fit but also headspace.
I found that curious since the receiver is essentially the bolt-face.


Todd

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The chamber mouth in the barrel and the extractor/ejector set the headspace in the sense that a loose lockup where there is play when the barrel is closed to the receiver means there is excessive headspace. Squaring the chamber mouth to the receiver and ensuring proper lock-up with no play are the main aspects of "fitting" and H&R/NEF barrel. The 30-30 gained an excellent reputation for accuracy going back to the 158 Topper. If yours isn't shooting well, those three things I listed are what I would work on to improve accuracy.

DocRock said:

The chamber mouth in the barrel and the extractor/ejector set the headspace in the sense that a loose lockup where there is play when the barrel is closed to the receiver means there is excessive headspace. Squaring the chamber mouth to the receiver and ensuring proper lock-up with no play are the main aspects of "fitting" and H&R/NEF barrel. The 30-30 gained an excellent reputation for accuracy going back to the 158 Topper. If yours isn't shooting well, those three things I listed are what I would work on to improve accuracy.

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Thanks for that. I often overlook the significance of the extractor and over concentrate on the dimension interfacing with the cartridge base.

Todd.