Single Shot advice

[ultra-ag]

Hello All-
I saw that Big 5 has the H&R Pardner single shot for sale this week. I am considering this SG because I want something cheap,US made, clays/targets, and maybe (probably never) small game hunting (rabbits and dove/duck). I already have a HD SG, so this is the one that will get more sporting use. I was wondering which guage to get? I've done a lot of research on this type of gun and was wondering what the fellow calgunners think. Do I go 12 or 20? Which is more fun/versitle/easy on the shoulder? I know these guns run on the light side. Thanks for the input!

[Z ME FLY]

What GA is your HD SG? 12 or 20? I would get a 12GA because I have a Winchester 37 and it's not bad with birdshot or buck, slugs it's a little hard on the shoulder but you can shoot a couple still.

[ultra-ag]

My HD is a 12, so I was considering a 20, but I'm still not sure.

[Skunkwrks]

Go for the 20ga. I purchased the same SG from Big5 when it was on sale for $109. I have the 20ga, and it seems like it recoils just as much as my 12ga Mossberg 930 or Benelli m1S90. The pardner 12ga must be painful to shoot.

[brassburnz]

I would get another barrel for your HD shotgun. The inexpensive single shots really aren't worth it. I used to have one and didn't really like the way it felt when mounted. It just never did feel right. I let a friend use it and something broke inside. I took it to a gunsmith who said it might cost up to $100 bucks to fix it. I think I paid $80 for it new. It's in a box someplace in my garage.

If your HD shotgun is a Mossberg or Remington, you can get a field barrel for about the same price as the single shot shotgun. They show up used here on Calguns all the time.

You'll get to know your HD shotgun even better if you shoot it more.

[ultra-ag]

I have the Mossberg 590 persuader (9 round). I didn't think I could change the barrel on it, or am I wrong? What field barrel would fit on it and how hard is it to change them? I see those combo sets all the time but are they different from mine?

[AgentAK]

How much is the single shot going for?

[Z ME FLY]

How much is the single shot going for?

Probably around $100 not including tax and dros

[AgentAK]

Well, I was going to say save a few more $ and keep an eye out for a nice used shotgun, but $100 isn't much. Still, I'd save and buy a nice gun, it'll last a lot longer and you'll be much happier. I swear I saw a 20GA Wingmaster for around $250 on here but I can't find it now.

[Esquire]

Hello All-
I saw that Big 5 has the H&R Pardner single shot for sale this week. I am considering this SG because I want something cheap,US made, clays/targets, and maybe (probably never) small game hunting (rabbits and dove/duck). I already have a HD SG, so this is the one that will get more sporting use. I was wondering which guage to get? I've done a lot of research on this type of gun and was wondering what the fellow calgunners think. Do I go 12 or 20? Which is more fun/versitle/easy on the shoulder? I know these guns run on the light side. Thanks for the input!

Big 5 has them on sale for $119.99. Pardner 20-ga. was my very first shotgun! Then I bought the Pardner 12-ga. Both super nice guns, in my experience. I have one for sale listed in Calguns. If you like, please take a look at the link: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=209077

[Esquire]

Go for the 20ga. I purchased the same SG from Big5 when it was on sale for $109. I have the 20ga, and it seems like it recoils just as much as my 12ga Mossberg 930 or Benelli m1S90. The pardner 12ga must be painful to shoot.

Yes, 12-ga Pardner is painful. After buying it, I went to a range to try it out, and after about 10 shots, I had to quit shooting because it hurt my shoulder so much. I was wearing just a T-shirt.

I ended up buying a Limbsaver from Walmart, slipped it over the stock, and that made ALL the difference. After that, that shotgun was a real pleasure to shoot, even over 100 rounds on a single day.

As for the 20-ga Pardner, I didn't find the recoil to be bad at all. I used to shoot it without the Limbsaver. My first 20-ga. Pardner was a Modified choke. I couldn't hit clays consistently with it; I did a lot better with the Pardner 12-ga on clays. But I score my best with 20-ga Pardner PUMP, also with Modified choke, so I can't say the MOD choke is in any way worse for clay shooting. I now have 20-ga Pardner FULL choke. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, though.

[chucksolo69]

The shotgun you mentioned was my first one also, although at the time it was called their "Topper" model and mine was in 20 ga. I had it for years and it fired everytime I pulled the trigger. Cost me a whopping $29.95 back in 1971.

[guimus]

Despite being the cheapest firearms in my collection, my NEF singles are still some of my favorites. I have three receivers (All SB2 rifle receivers that can handle higher pressure than the Pardner) but one of them wears a shotgun stock and a 12 gauge ribbed 28" barrel almost all the time. With plastic funiture the thing weighs in at just about 5.5 pounds, which is fantastic when I'm doing more walking than shooting. If I'm shooting trap, I put a sock filled with 2.5 pounds of lead shot in the buttstock and the recoil is pretty manageable.

[tpuig]

I picked up an H&R single shot 12ga about twenty years ago at a show for $75. Same day I grabbed a case of clay targets and a couple boxes of shells, and broke most of them. The gun was great. The bruise wasn't. That metal butt plate hammered me quite a bit and left a seriously nasty bruise the next couple days. But a slip on rubber pad helped a lot after that lesson. Still, I really love that gun.

But in your case, I'd probably go with a 20 ga. I imagine that would be a really nice fun clay buster. You'll probably find a used 12ga sometime in the future anyway.

[ZOMBIEHUNTER]

I hunt rabbits with a single shot and love it. I put a slip on ammo carrier on the stock and it has been a nice set up.