Can a $100 rifle be any good?

I mentioned in this previous post the newest addition to my gun locker, a H&R Sportster in 17 HMR. I did get this rifle home last Saturday and I got it cleaned up and put away, awaiting a trip to the range to see how it shoots.

Today, I made that trip to the range... Does it shoot? You decide.



The target is 11 shots, from 60 feet, (all that's available at Impact Guns), using that same bag that is holding the rifle in the picture.

Why 11 rounds? That's an odd story. When I went into the range and got sat down to shoot, there was 1 live round sitting stuck in the corner of the barrier padding, a 17 HMR round, that somebody in front of me left behind. Now the odd thing is that this isn't the most common round to see and here was one left behind, in the very lane of the 12 possible, where I was setting up. Finding that left behind round seemed like some kind of message, so I shot it first.

So did it shoot? I'm mighty pleased! Recoil and report are negligible, as you might guess. Now I need to make some time to go find some prairie dogs to try this rifle on!

Here's a closeup of the target and a comparison of the 17HMR, in between a 22LR and a .223 round so you can see the diminutive size of this little hot shot.



Finally, the H&R wasn't the gun I took to the range today, (duh!) and I brought home a second target to show off. This picture is the result of several magazines through the Ruger P345 and my Beretta Neos. I'm not certain why I seem to pull one shot to the left on most of these groups but it seems a fault that will need much more practice to correct.