The Perfect Gift for Christmas 2009 - A New Deer Rifle!
Nov 01 '09
The Bottom Line Handi-Rifles make great starter guns and are easy to clean and operate.
For many people, the months of November and December are all about shopping and decorations and presents. For guys like me, it's all about deer season. Down here in Mississippi, rifle season opens up the weekend before Thanksgiving and goes on until the end of January with some breaks in between for primitive weapons. When my wife goes to the mall on the weekends, I am headed to the woods.
If you are looking for a great gift for the hunter in your family, I highly recommend the Handi-Rifle series of rifles from New England Firearms. These single shot rifles rose in popularity a couple of years ago thanks to some recently redefined primitive weapon hunting laws, and they have turned out to be a huge success. Not only are they a great starting rifle for a young or new hunter, but they are incredibly fun to shoot, easy to clean, and best of all - inexpensive. You can get the basic rifle for less than $200.
I personally own the .45/70 model Handi-Rifle and use it during primitive weapons season in Mississippi. It used to be that ‘primitive weapon' meant either a bow or a black powder muzzle-loading rifle, but the law recently changed that paved the way for these Handi-Rifles to start flying off the shelves. Under the new law, the rifle can also be a single-shot breech loader with an exposed hammer. That means the gun must break open in the middle to load and unload it, and you must first pull back a hammer to fire it.
These guns are built off a patent from over a century ago, so they are very easy to use. One big lever releases the barrel and the hammer is big and easy to pull back. This would make a great gun for someone just learning how to shoot, and it is a very short rifle so it's perfect for young shooters or women. I would recommend something smaller than a .45/70 for someone that might not physically be able to handle the recoil, because I use Hornady brand ammo and it kicks like a mule.
You can find these rifles most any place where guns are sold. They come with wood or synthetic stocks in the base model, and more expensive models have thumbhole stocks and scope mounts built on. I went with the basic open sight rifle in black metal and black synthetic stock, and it cost me $179.99 at my local gun shop. With all high powered rifles, be ready to ‘shell' out some cash for ammo, because the average box of 20 rounds will run you anywhere from $20-30 per box. It's going to cost you at least a dollar every time you pull the trigger, so keep that in mind.
To see photos and read more about the Handi-Rifle, visit the manufacturer's website at http://www.hr1871.com/.
When using this or any other firearm, please remember that the most important rule of gun safety is to treat every gun as if it were loaded.
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